- Chris Childs (basketball)
-
Chris Childs Pro career 1989–2003 Career history 1989-1990 Rapid City Thrillers 1990-1991 Columbus Horizon 1991 La Crosse Catbirds 1991 Rockford Lightning 1991-1992 Bakersfield Jammers 1992 Rockford Lightning 1992-1993 Quad City Thunder 1993 Miami Tropics 1993-1994 Quad City Thunder 1994 Miami Tropics 1994–1996 New Jersey Nets 1996–2001 New York Knicks 2001–2002 Toronto Raptors 2002–2003 New Jersey Nets Chris Childs (born November 20, 1967 in Bakersfield, California) is a retired American professional basketball player, who played primarily at the guard position.
After playing his high school basketball at Foothill High School and starring at Boise State University in the late 1980s, Childs went undrafted in the 1989 NBA Draft and began his professional career in the Continental Basketball Association. He played for five different teams in his first three seasons in the league, but eventually found a home with the Quad City Thunder, with whom he won a league title and an MVP award in 1994 after averaging 17.9 points and 7.6 assists.
Childs' success in the minor leagues proved to be his ticket to the NBA, as he signed with the New Jersey Nets prior to the start of the 1994–95 NBA season. He spent his first two seasons with the Nets, and averaged an NBA career-high 12.8 points in 1995-96.
However, Childs was perhaps best remembered for his five-year (1996–2001) tenure with the New York Knicks, who relied on his tight defense and streaky three-point shooting ability during their perennial runs to the NBA Playoffs. It was during this time that Childs helped lead the New York Knicks to the NBA Eastern Conference Championship in 1999. He led the team in assists (6.1 per game) as a starter during the 1996-97 season, and was a valuable contributor off the bench during his next four years with the team. A visible figure in the New York media, he also represented the Knicks on the 1998-99 NBA All-Interview Team and won the New York Press Photographers Association's 2000 "Good Guy Award" for his involvement with several charities and youth basketball programs.
In February 2001, Childs was traded to the Toronto Raptors for Mark Jackson and Muggsy Bogues, with whom he played for one-and-a-half seasons before rejoining the Nets in 2002. He retired after the 2002-2003 season.
External links
- Chris Childs at Basketball-Reference.com
- NBA.com profile
Big Sky Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year 1979: Butler | 1980: Newman | 1981: Kellerman | 1982: Owens | 1983: Pope | 1984: Krystkowiak | 1985: Krystkowiak | 1986: Krystkowiak | 1987: Domako | 1988: Jones | 1989: Childs | 1990: Smith | 1991: Kearney | 1992: Anderson & Soares | 1993: Lightfoot | 1994: Lightfoot | 1995: Nembhard | 1996: DeGraffenried & Lollis | 1997: Thomas | 1998: Mavis | 1999: Arceneaux | 2000: Arceneaux | 2001: Heinle | 2002: Erickson | 2003: Boyette | 2004: Snow | 2005: Boxley | 2006: Stuckey | 2007: Patten | 2008: Dominguez | 2009: McCoy | 2010: Lillard | 2011: Beitzel
Categories:- 1967 births
- Living people
- African American basketball players
- American expatriate basketball people in Canada
- Basketball players from California
- Point guards
- People from Bakersfield, California
- Boise State Broncos men's basketball players
- New Jersey Nets players
- New York Knicks players
- Toronto Raptors players
- Columbus Horizon players
- Quad City Thunder players
- Rapid City Thrillers players
- Undrafted National Basketball Association players
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.