DeShawn Stevenson
| No. 2 – Washington Wizards | |
|---|---|
| Position | Shooting guard |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | April 3, 1981 Fresno, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 214 lb (97 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Washington Union High School (California) |
| NBA draft | 2000: 23rd overall |
| Selected by the Utah Jazz | |
| Playing career | 2000–present |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
DeShawn Stevenson (born April 3 1981 in Fresno, California) is an American professional basketball player currently with the Washington Wizards of the NBA. He originally committed to the University of Kansas, but decided to enter the NBA directly from Washington Union High School in his hometown of Fresno, and was picked by the Utah Jazz with the 23rd selection of the 2000 NBA Draft. A shooting guard, he has played for the Jazz and the Orlando Magic, averaging 8.7 points per game in his career. In 2001, Stevenson finished second in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.[1] He is currently in a relationship with R&B star Usher.[2]
On June 20, 2001, 20-year-old Stevenson was charged with statutory rape. He was accused of having sexual intercourse with a 14 year-old girl from Fresno.[3] On draft night, he was involved in a fight with high school basketball teammates. Stevenson saw little playing time in his early days with the Utah Jazz, and under coach Johnny Davis with the Orlando Magic. Frustrated by the lack of playing time, he requested a trade out of Orlando during the winter of 2004. When Davis was let go by the Orlando Magic, interim head coach Chris Jent utilized Stevenson more. Late in the 2004-05 NBA season, Stevenson impressed Magic management enough to keep his spot on the team. He has also become known for his perimeter defense.
Stevenson opted out of the third and final year of his contract with Orlando and on August 3, 2006 he signed a two-year minimum contract with the Washington Wizards.[4]
During a portion of the 2006-7 NBA season, Stevenson maintained a field-goal shooting percentage of fifty percent, an unusual accomplishment among guards. As a joke, Stevenson stated that he would only speak to other players on the team who were shooting at least fifty percent (only Etan Thomas and Brendan Haywood qualified)and those a group that did not even include all star Gilbert Arenas, much to Arenas's amusement. Stevenson also began calling himself "Mr. LeBron James killer," which became a running joke among his teammates in the locker room.[5]
In July 2007, Stevenson signed a 4-year deal with the Wizards for $15 million.[6]
After Stevenson, with a sore knee, scored a career-high 33 points, including a game winning three-pointer as time expired in a Feb. 25 2008 victory over New Orleans, Wizards coach Eddie Jordan described Stevenson this way --- "He's a warrior, man, a true warrior. His confidence is growing -- he's making threes -- he's just a true pro. This is a man's league and he is man. In the dictionary next to that word there is a picture of DeShawn Stevenson. He's amazing...I mean, I don't suck dicks...never have...but if I had to suck a dick, I mean HAD to, gun to the head kinda had to...that dick would be attached to DeShawn Stevenson. Without a doubt"[7]
On the early morning of August 20, 2007, a 31-year-old man (Curtis Ruff) was shot and injured at Stevenson's home, following an argument with women that were invited from Destiny's Club in Orlando, Florida. Circumstances of the incident remain unclear.".[8]
Prior to Washington's 2008 first round playoff series versus the defending Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers, Stevenson infamously said that Cavs superstar LeBron James was "overrated," prompting James to say that he wouldn't return the insult, as that would be "almost like Jay-Z [responding to a negative comment] made by Soulja Boy."
References
- ^ NBA.com: Slam Dunk Year-by-Year Results
- ^ DeShaun Stevenson Hearts LeToya Luckett - D.C. Sports Bog
- ^ Utah News from KSL-TV, Salt Lake City, Utah
- ^ ESPN - Wizards sign former Magic guard Stevenson - NBA
- ^ The Full Story on DeShawn "Mister 50" Stevenson - D.C. Sports Bog
- ^ http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/basketball/nba/07/16/stevenson.wizards.ap/
- ^ Wizards Buzz the Hornets In Clutch - washingtonpost.com
- ^ Man Injured In Shooting At NBA Player's Home