Benjamin Roy Armstrong Jr. (born September 9, 1967) is an American professional basketball executive and former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player who is the assistant general manager of the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). Armstrong won three

(NBA) championships during his career as a

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the Basketball positions, five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position and is usually the shortest player ...

for the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

Early life

Armstrong was born in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

, and attended Brother Rice High School in Bloomfield Township, Michigan. He graduated in 1985.

Playing career

College career

Armstrong had an illustrious career at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

as the Hawkeyes' all-time leader in assists with 517 upon graduation; and is currently ranked sixth all-time. He also ranked sixth on the school's all-time steals list (178) and fourth in total points (1,705). The 6-foot-2 guard shot .443 (136-of-307) from three-point range over his four-year career and averaged 18.6 points and 5.4 assists as a senior. Armstrong received his bachelor's degree from Iowa in May 1989.

National Basketball Association

Chicago Bulls

Selected by the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the

1989 NBA draft The 1989–90 NBA season, 1989 NBA draft took place on June 27, 1989, in New York City. Despite eight of the top ten picks being considered busts, including the first two picks Pervis Ellison and Danny Ferry, the draft produced many talented play ...

, the Armstrong helped the team return to the Eastern Conference Finals after compiling 55 regular season victories in

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

. In

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

, he helped them win their first

NBA title The NBA Finals is the championship series for the National Basketball Association (NBA) held at the conclusion of its postseason. All NBA Finals have been played in a best-of-seven format, and are contested between the winners of the Easter ...

against the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

after winning 61 games. In

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

, Armstrong averaged double-digit scoring while coming off the bench behind longtime starter

John Paxson John MacBeth Paxson (born September 29, 1960) is an American basketball administrator and former player who was vice president of basketball operations for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 2009 to 2020. He was t ...

to help the Bulls win 67 games and their second straight title. In

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

, he locked down the starting job, contributing to a 57–25 record and the Bulls' third straight title. He also claimed the NBA's three-point field goal percentage crown with a mark of .453 on 63-for-139 shooting. In

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

, he emerged as more of a leader in the wake of

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player, who is currently a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Ass ...

's abrupt retirement, placing third on the team in scoring. He was voted a starter in the 1994 NBA All-Star Game, finished second in the NBA in three-point field goal percentage at .444 while leading the team to a 55–27 record and a second-round exit from the playoffs. Armstrong finished third in scoring again in

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

as the Bulls posted a 47–35 record, and with Jordan,

Scottie Pippen Scotty Maurice Pippen Sr. (born September 25, 1965), usually spelled Scottie Pippen, is an American former professional basketball player. He played 17 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning six NBA championships with th ...

and

Toni Kukoč Toni Kukoč (; born September 18, 1968) is a Croatian former professional basketball player who serves as Special Advisor to Jerry Reinsdorf, the owner of the Chicago Bulls. After a highly successful period in European basketball, he was one of ...

, led the team to the second round again.

Golden State Warriors

Armstrong was the first player chosen in the 1995 NBA expansion draft (via

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...

) but refused to report. He was traded by the Raptors to the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...

in exchange for Carlos Rogers and 4 other players and played for the Warriors in

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

and in

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

Charlotte Hornets

Four games into the 1997–98 season, Armstrong was acquired by the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team ...

for

Tony Delk Tony Lorenzo Delk (born January 28, 1974) is an American former professional basketball player and college assistant coach. He last served as an assistant coach for the New Mexico State Aggies men's basketball team. During his playing days, he w ...

and

Muggsy Bogues Tyrone Curtis "Muggsy" Bogues (born January 9, 1965) is an American former basketball player. The shortest player ever to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Bogues played point guard for four teams during his 14-season care ...

, playing 62 games that year. He also played 10 games for the Hornets in the 1999 season before being traded to the

, alongside

J.R. Reid Herman "J. R." Reid Jr. (born March 31, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Charlotte Hornets, San Antonio Spurs, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwauk ...

and

Glen Rice Glen Anthony Rice Sr. (born May 28, 1967) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). As a small forward, Rice was a three-time NBA All-Star and made 1,559 three-point field goa ...

, for

Elden Campbell Elden Jerome Campbell (born July 23, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player who played as a power forward and center in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1990 to 2005. He spent his first nine years with the Los A ...

and Eddie Jones. The Lakers immediately waived Armstrong, and he signed by the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...

in March of that year.

Orlando Magic

Armstrong was signed by the

in March of the 1998–99 NBA season.

Return to Chicago

On August 30, 1999, he was again signed by the Bulls and played the 1999–2000 season and retired at the end of the season, ending his career with the team that drafted him and with which he spent much of his playing career.

Executive career

Sacramento Kings (2025–present)

On May 7, 2025, Armstrong became the assistant general manager of the

under GM

Scott Perry Scott Gordon Perry (born May 27, 1962) is an American politician and retired Army National Guard brigadier general who is the U.S. representative for , serving since 2013. The district, numbered as from 2013 to 2019, is centered around Harrisb ...

Later endeavors

Armstrong stepped into Chicago's front office as a special assistant to Vice President of Basketball Operations

Jerry Krause Jerome Richard Krause (April 6, 1939 – March 21, 2017) was an American sports scout and executive who was the general manager of the Chicago Bulls in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1985 to 2003. His tenure with the Bull ...

. Having replaced Paxson as the Bulls' starting point guard years before, Armstrong was himself replaced by Paxson as hire to the GM job in Chicago when Krause resigned in 2003. Armstrong remained with the organization as a scout for a couple of seasons, leaving in 2005. Armstrong served as a basketball analyst for

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

's ''NBA Fast Break'' series. Since 2006 he has also been employed by

Wasserman Media Group Wasserman Group is a sports marketing and talent management company based in Los Angeles. Casey Wasserman, grandson of media mogul Lew Wasserman, founded the company in 1998 and acts as its chief executive. History In 2002, Wasserman acquired ...

, a sports marketing and representation group out of Los Angeles, California representing professional athletes and entertainers. He currently serves as an agent for

Derrick Rose Derrick Martell Rose (born October 4, 1988) is an American former professional basketball player. He played one year of college basketball for the Memphis Tigers before being drafted first overall by his hometown Chicago Bulls in the 2008 NBA ...

, who was the first player selected in the

2008 NBA draft The 2008 NBA Draft was held on June 26, 2008, at the The Theater at Madison Square Garden, Washington Mutual Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In this NBA draft, draft, National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took t ...

. He also serves as an agent for

Bismack Biyombo {{Infobox basketball biography , name = Bismack Biyombo , image = Bismack Biyombo 2019.jpg , caption = Biyombo with the Charlotte Hornets in 2019 , position = Center , height_ft = 6 , height_in = 8 , weight_lb = 255 , league = NBA , tea ...

Emmanuel Mudiay Emmanuel Kabeya Mudiay (born March 5, 1996) is a Congolese-American professional basketball player for the Piratas de Quebradillas of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). He played high school basketball for Grace Preparatory Academy and Pr ...

Donatas Motiejūnas Donatas Motiejūnas (; born September 20, 1990) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for AS Monaco Basket of the French LNB Pro A and the EuroLeague. He was drafted 20th overall in the 2011 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves be ...

JaVale McGee JaVale Lindy McGee ( ; born January 19, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Vaqueros de Bayamón of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). He played college basketball for the Nevada Wolf Pack and was selected 18th over ...

Denzel Valentine Denzel Robert Valentine (born November 16, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for Pallacanestro Trieste of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans. As a senior, Valentin ...

, and Josh Jackson.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, 81 , , 0 , , 15.9 , , .485 , , .500 , , .885 , , 1.3 , , 2.5 , , 0.6 , , 0.1 , , 5.6 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 0 , , 21.1 , , .481 , , .500 , , .874 , , 1.8 , , 3.7 , , 0.9 , , 0.0 , , 8.8 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 3 , , 22.9 , , .481 , , .402 , , .806 , , 1.8 , , 3.2 , , 0.6 , , 0.1 , , 9.9 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 74 , , 30.4 , , .499 , , style="background:#cfecec;", .453* , , .861 , , 1.8 , , 4.0 , , 0.8 , , 0.1 , , 12.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 33.8 , , .476 , , .444 , , .855 , , 2.1 , , 3.9 , , 1.0 , , 0.1 , , 14.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 31.4 , , .468 , , .427 , , .884 , , 2.3 , , 3.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.1 , , 14.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 82 , , 64 , , 27.6 , , .468 , , .473 , , .839 , , 2.2 , , 4.9 , , 0.8 , , 0.1 , , 12.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 49 , , 17 , , 20.8 , , .453 , , .278 , , .861 , , 1.5 , , 2.6 , , 0.5 , , 0.0 , , 7.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 4 , , 0 , , 14.8 , , .316 , , .000 , , .714 , , 1.8 , , 1.5 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 4.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Charlotte , 62 , , 0 , , 12.5 , , .510 , , .265 , , .860 , , 1.1 , , 2.3 , , 0.4 , , 0.0 , , 3.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Charlotte , 10 , , 1 , , 17.8 , , .488 , , .750 , , .900 , , 1.6 , , 2.7 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 5.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Orlando Orlando commonly refers to: * Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States Orlando may also refer to: People * Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name * Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...

, 22 , , 0 , , 8.2 , , .422 , , .143 , , .818 , , 1.0 , , 1.5 , , 0.4 , , 0.0 , , 2.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 27 , , 18 , , 21.6 , , .446 , , .448 , , .880 , , 1.7 , , 2.9 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 7.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 747 , , 341 , , 23.8 , , .477 , , .425 , , .856 , , 1.8 , , 3.3 , , 0.7 , , 0.1 , , 9.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 1 , , 1 , , 22.0 , , .556 , , .500 , , – , , 1.0 , , 4.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 11.0

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 16, , 0, , 13.6, , .339, , .000, , .917, , 1.3, , 1.8, , 0.6, , 0.0, , 4.0 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

† , style="text-align:left;",

, 17, , 0, , 16.1, , .500, , .600, , .800, , 1.6, , 2.5, , 1.1, , 0.1, , 5.5 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

† , style="text-align:left;",

, 22, , 0, , 19.7, , .453, , .294, , .789, , 1.1, , 2.1, , 0.6, , 0.0, , 7.3 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

† , style="text-align:left;",

, 19, , 19, , 33.8, , .524, , .512, , .909, , 1.5, , 3.3, , 1.0, , 0.1, , 11.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 10, , 10, , 36.0, , .519, , .583, , .818, , 2.4, , 2.5, , 0.8, , 0.0, , 15.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 10, , 10, , 28.8, , .456, , .448, , .818, , 1.8, , 2.7, , 0.6, , 0.0, , 10.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

, style="text-align:left;", Charlotte , 9, , 0, , 16.2, , .381, , .400, , .750, , 1.1, , 2.0, , 0.7, , 0.0, , 4.1 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 2, , 0, , 1.5, , .000, , –, , –, , 0.0, , 0.5, , 0.0, , 0.0, , 0.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 105 , , 39 , , 22.5 , , .471 , , .451 , , .832 , , 1.4 , , 2.4 , , 0.8 , , 0.0 , , 7.9

References

External links

* databasebasketball.com
NBA Profile
NBA.com

aodonline.org
Interview with B. J. Armstrong
SportsAgentBlog.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Armstrong, BJ 1967 births 20th-century American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen American men's basketball players American sports agents Basketball players from Detroit Brother Rice High School (Michigan) alumni Charlotte Hornets players Chicago Bulls draft picks Chicago Bulls players Golden State Warriors players Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball players Living people Medalists at the 1987 Summer Universiade NBA All-Stars Orlando Magic players Point guards Toronto Raptors expansion draft picks Summer World University Games medalists in basketball FISU World University Games silver medalists for the United States

Early life

Playing career

College career

National Basketball Association

Chicago Bulls

Golden State Warriors

Charlotte Hornets

Orlando Magic

Return to Chicago

Executive career

Sacramento Kings (2025–present)

Later endeavors

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

See also

References

External links