David West (basketball)

David West

West, wearing a throwback jersey for a 2009 game, attempts a jump shot.
Free Agent
Power forward
Personal information
Date of birth	August 29, 1980 (1980-08-29) (age 31)
Place of birth	Teaneck, New Jersey
Nationality	American
High school	Garner Magnet (Garner, North Carolina) Hargrave Military Academy (Chatham, Virginia)
Listed height	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight	240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
College	Xavier
NBA Draft	2003 / Round: 1 / Pick: 18th overall
Selected by the New Orleans Hornets
Pro career	2003–present
Career history
2× NBA All-Star (2008–2009) Oscar Robertson Trophy (2003)
Stats at NBA.com

David Moorer West (born August 29, 1980) is an American professional basketball player who has most recently played with the NBA's New Orleans Hornets. He is currently a free agent.

Though he was born and grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey, West went to high school at Garner Magnet High School in Garner, North Carolina and at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Virginia and won First Team All-State honors in North Carolina.

College career

West attended and graduated from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. There, he was a four-year starter on the basketball team. West was the first XU player to get his number retired while still playing for the Musketeers, during which he led Xavier to a top 10 national ranking and a #3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. West was named as a first-team All-American his senior year and the 2003 Associated Press and United States Basketball Writers Association National Player of the Year, averaging 20.1 ppg and 11.8 rpg as a senior while leading XU to its second straight 26–6 season. West led Xavier to 94 wins in his four seasons while finishing as Xavier's all-time blocked shot leader (228 blocks) and second on XU's all-time scoring (2,132 points) and rebounding (1,308 rebounds) lists. West was also named as the Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Year three years in a row. As a senior, he was selected as the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award winner, recognizing him as the nation's top senior men's basketball player.

In October 2007, Sports Illustrated released Sports Illustrated: The Basketball Book, which featured West on its NCAA All-Decade Team for the decade beginning in 2000. He was joined by Connecticut's Emeka Okafor and three Duke players, Jay Williams, J. J. Redick and Shane Battier.

Professional career

West was drafted by the New Orleans Hornets in the first round, eighteenth overall in the 2003 NBA Draft. After recording modest production in his first two seasons, in 2005–06 West enjoyed a breakthrough, averaging 17.4 points and 7.4 rebounds with a .512 FG% in 74 games. That year, he finished second in the voting for the NBA Most Improved Player Award, behind Boris Diaw of the Phoenix Suns.^[1] He also saw some time at center, due to the team's lack of a true big man. That season he demonstrated an ability to perform under pressure, as he converted three game-winning jump shots.

In 2006–07, West ended the season averaging 18.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists. Despite missing 30 games due to an elbow injury, West recorded five games of 30 or more points and 13 games of 20 or more points.

West again increased his statistical production in 2007–08, and was selected to his first NBA All-Star Game as a reserve, along with teammate Chris Paul. Paul later stated that he would rather not play with a power forward in the league other than West, because "he's not in it for the spotlight, all he cares about is getting buckets [scoring]." West reinforced his desire to be a team player in a 2008 postseason interview, saying that he does not care about being overlooked but would rather focus on "play[ing] and be[ing] as effective as possible" when he is out on the court.^[2]

In 2008–09 West repeated as an all-star and posted a new career high by scoring 21.0 points per game.

On March 25, 2011, during one of the New Orleans Hornets' last games of the season vs. the Utah Jazz, West came down awkwardly after a dunk. The event occurred with 22.3 left in the fourth quarter. West tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.^[3]

On June 27, 2011, West confirmed he was opting out of the final year of his contract to become a free agent. He did not however totally rule out signing a contract extension with the team.^[4]

Player profile

At 6' 9" and 240 lb (110 kg), West is a power forward. His game is fundamental for the most part, as he is not known for being a flamboyant player. West is known for his explosive scoring capabilities, with his fine midrange game and threatening inside presence. He is also an effective rebounder and consistent on the defensive end. West is an above average ball handler for his size, capable of converting with either hand.^{[citation needed]}

Awards and honors

• 2× NBA All-Star: 2008, 2009
• Three-Time Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Year^[5]
• 2003 AP National Player of the Year
• 2003 National Player of the Year by the United States Basketball Writers Association
• 2003 Pete Newell Big Man award from the National Association of Basketball Coaches
• Honorable Mention All-America honors from AP as a sophomore
• First Team All-America by AP as a senior and Second Team as a junior

Personal life

West is extremely interested in "black history, philosophy and various societal issues" and has been cited by Chris Paul as being the smartest New Orleans Hornets player.^[6]

West graduated from Xavier with a bachelor of arts degree in Communications. He is also an accomplished musician who plays the tuba. He and his wife, Lesley, have one daughter, Dasia,^[7] and one son, David Benjamin.^[8]

West also loves to make mixtapes for his teammates, saying that it is a healthy habit that keeps him "in the house and off [his] feet".^[2]

West comes from a family of above-average height. His mother, Harriet, is 6 feet (1.8 m) tall (1.83 m), while his father, Amos, is 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m).

West has a Xavier "X" tattooed on his arm which displays, on either side, "My life, my way".^[9] The X is a tribute to his alma mater Xavier University.

NBA career statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2003–04	New Orleans	71	1	13.1	.474	.000	.713	4.2	.8	.4	.4	3.8
2004–05	New Orleans	30	8	18.4	.436	.400	.680	4.3	.8	.4	.5	6.2
2005–06	NO/Oklahoma City	74	74	34.1	.512	.273	.843	7.4	1.2	.8	.9	17.1
2006–07	NO/Oklahoma City	52	52	36.5	.476	.320	.824	8.2	2.2	.8	.7	18.3
2007–08	New Orleans	76	76	37.8	.482	.240	.850	8.9	2.3	.8	1.3	20.6
2008–09	New Orleans	76	76	39.2	.472	.240	.884	8.5	2.3	.6	.9	21.0
2009–10	New Orleans	81	81	36.4	.505	.259	.865	7.5	3.0	.9	.7	19.0
2010–11	New Orleans	70	70	35.0	.508	.222	.807	7.6	2.3	1.0	.9	18.9
Career		530	438	32.4	.490	.264	.839	7.3	2.0	.8	.8	16.4
All-Star		2	0	15.0	.545	.000	.000	3.5	.5	.5	.0	6.0

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2003–04	New Orleans	7	0	15.9	.536	.000	.846	4.3	1.1	.3	.6	5.9
2007–08	New Orleans	12	12	40.4	.466	.500	.891	8.5	2.8	1.1	1.9	21.2
2008–09	New Orleans	5	5	35.6	.400	.000	.897	7.4	1.2	1.0	.4	18.0
Career		24	17	32.3	.456	.500	.887	7.0	2.0	.8	1.2	16.0

See also

• List of NCAA Division I men's basketball players with 2000 points and 1000 rebounds

References

1. ^ "Phoenix's Boris Diaw Wins the 2005-06 NBA Most Improved Player Award". http://www.nba.com/news/awards2006_improved.html. Retrieved May 2, 2006. 
2. ^ ^{a b} FanHouse
3. ^ http://www.nba.com/2011/news/03/25/hornets-west.ap/index.html
4. ^ http://www.nola.com/hornets/index.ssf/2011/06/new_orleans_hornets_forward_da_8.html
5. ^ 2003 Graduate David West Named To A Sports Illustrated All-Decade Team :: West Was A Three-Time Atlantic 10 Conference Player Of The Year
6. ^ HORNETS: More Than Basketball: David West
7. ^ In the Lane with Licht: "Mr. Clutch" Beats Buzzer Again
8. ^ Hornets media guide
9. ^ Five Questions with David West

External links

• NBA.com profile
• Profile at ESPN.com
• 2003 Oscar Robertson trophy College Basketball Player of the Year
• hoopshype.com profile

Persondata
Name	West, David
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	August 29, 1980
Place of birth	Teaneck, New Jersey
Date of death
Place of death