Terry Porter

Infobox NBAretired


size=
caption=
position= Point guard
number= 30
height_ft = 6
height_in = 3
weight_lbs = 195
birthdate= birth date and age|mf=yes|1963|4|8
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
deathdate=
debutyear= 1985
finalyear= 2002
draftyear= 1985
draftround= 1
draftpick= 24
draftteam= Portland Trail Blazers
college= Wisconsin-Stevens Point
teams=
*Portland Trail Blazers (1985-1995)
*Minnesota Timberwolves (1995-1998)
*Miami Heat (1998-1999)
*San Antonio Spurs (1999-2002)
stat1label= Points
stat1value= 15,586
stat2label= Rebounds
stat2value= 3,872
stat3label= Assists
stat3value= 7,160
letter= p
bbr= portete01
highlights=
* 2x NBA All-Star (1991, 1993)
* 1x J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award (1993)
HOF=
coach=
*Milwaukee Bucks (2003–2005)
*Phoenix Suns (2008–present)

Terry Porter (born April 8, 1963 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is a retired American professional basketball player and the current head coach of the NBA's Phoenix Suns. He played college basketball at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, and had a 17-year career in the NBA.

Early years

Prior to playing in the NBA, Porter played high school and college basketball in Wisconsin. He played prep basketball at Milwaukee’s South Division High School, and in college at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point playing with former Saint Louis University Head Coach Brad Soderberg under college coach Dick Bennett.

In four seasons at Stevens Point, Porter averaged 13.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. Twice with the Pointers, as both a junior and a senior, he was named an NAIA First-Team All-American. He holds a degree in Communications and was awarded a Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1999.

Porter is currently part of an investment team including Steve Nash that is attempting to bring a Major League Soccer team to Vancouver, British Columbia.

NBA playing career

In 1985, the Portland Trail Blazers selected Porter with the 24th overall pick in the NBA Draft. During his decade-long tenure in Portland, Porter went to the NBA Finals twice and continues to hold the NBA Finals single-game record for the most free throws made, none missed -- 15 (June 7, 1990 at Detroit). He was the recipient of the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award in 1993, and remains as the Trail Blazers' all-time assists leader with 5,319. Porter signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Timberwolves prior to the 1995-96 season and helped the Wolves clinch their first-ever playoff berth in 1996-97 and their first winning season the following year.

He signed with the Miami Heat before the 1998-99 campaign, and signed with the San Antonio Spurs prior to the 1999-2000 season. He retired after the 2001-02 season, having never been traded during his NBA career. Porter’s teams compiled a record of 815-547 (.598) during his career, and only once failed to make the postseason.

In 1,274 career games, Porter averaged 12.2 points, 5.6 assists and 1.24 steals during a career that included two All-Star berths (1991, 1993), two trips to the NBA Finals (1990, 1992) and 15,586 career points. He is 11th on the NBA’s all-time assist list (7,160). Porter has played for five of the top 36 coaches (games won) in NBA history: Pat Riley (1,110), Jack Ramsay (864), Rick Adelman (603), Gregg Popovich (339) and Flip Saunders (328).

NBA coaching career

Porter spent the 2002-03 season as an assistant coach with the Sacramento Kings, his first season in coaching.

On August 6, 2003, the Milwaukee native was hired as head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks. He was the eighth head coach in franchise history. He coached the Bucks for two years, leading a team which was expected to wind up in the NBA draft lottery into the playoffs. However, the Bucks failed to make the playoffs the next season, and Porter was let go in the 2005 offseason.

After a year away from the game, Porter joined the Detroit Pistons staff as an assistant coach for the 2006-07 season.

On June 9, 2008, Porter was named the 13th head coach of the Phoenix Suns, succeeding Mike D'Antoni. [ [http://www.nba.com/suns/news/tribune_porter_080609.html SUNS: Suns’ Porter Takes Another Swing as NBA Coach ] ]

Coaching record

-
align="left" |MIL
align="left" |2003–04
82||41||41||.500|| align="center" |4th in Central||5||1||4
align="center" |Lost in First Round
-
align="left" |MIL
align="left" |2004–05
82||30||52||.366|| align="center" |5th in Central||—||—||—
align="center" |Missed Playoffs
-
align="left" |Career
||164||71||93||.433|| ||5||1||4
###@@@KEYEND@@@###

Personal life

Porter, the youngest of six children, is an avid golfer. He and his wife Susie have three children - Brianna, Franklin and Malcolm. They all go to Detroit Country Day School, which is in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. As of June 4, 2008, Malcolm is going into 5th grade. Throughout his career, Porter has been active with the Boys and Girls Club and is a member of the organization’s Hall of Fame. In 1994, he created the Milwaukee Scholars Fund, which provides scholarships to minority students in Milwaukee to attend schools in the University of Wisconsin System.

In 2006, Porter led an investor group attempting to purchase the then-troubled Portland Trail Blazers from owner Paul Allen. Porter teamed with Rob Kremer, a local talk-show personality and former investment banker, and Todd Stucky, a local businessman and longtime Porter friend, to raise the necessary capital to buy the team.

Porter's buyout team was joined by George Postolos, who had recently resigned as CEO of the Houston Rockets, and who brought with him a lead investor to round out the Porter investor team package.

After the 2006 draft in which the Trail Blazers significantly upgraded their personnel through a series of trades by Blazer executive Kevin Pritchard, Paul Allen appeared to renew his interest in the team, and removed it from the market.

References

External links

* [http://www.nba.com/playerfile/terry_porter/index.html nba.com: Terry Porter]
* [http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/portete01.html BasketballReference.com: Terry porter (as player) ]
* [http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/portete01c.html BasketballReference.com: Terry porter (as coach) ]