Christopher Stephen Copeland (born March 17, 1984) nicknamed "The X-Factor" is an American 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. He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Early life

Copeland was born in

Orange, New Jersey The City of Orange (known simply as Orange) is a Township (New Jersey), township in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 34,447, an increase o ...

to mother, Terry, in 1984. With his father absent from his life from birth, Copeland always looked up to his older brother, Vincent Alphaquan, a basketball standout at Seton Hall Prep and Columbus High School in New York before he played at Jackson State. At age 4, he established a practice routine with Vincent as his coach, honing his game with various dribbling drills in a narrow alleyway next to their house. He continued with the regimen through childhood at Elmwood Park under Vincent's guidance. This all changed in May 1997 when Vincent slipped into a coma after a drunk driver struck him in a hit-and-run accident on Central Avenue in East Orange, just a few blocks away from the Copelands' house. He regained consciousness for a couple days, but six weeks after the accident, he unexpectedly died. Vincent, engaged to marry that June, was 22. One weekend in August 1999, Copeland and his mother visited his aunt in

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

where she brought Copeland, then 15, to nearby Hermitage High School. He wandered into the gym where, by chance, the school's players were running pick-up games. He was already 6-foot-6, and he was immediately noticed. Upon their chance encounter with the coaches at Hermitage, Terry decided she and her son would leave New Jersey. She quit her job as a senior administrator for Unity Hospice in Newark, and by October 1999, her son was enrolled at Hermitage. As a senior in 2001–02, he averaged 15 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.7 blocks per game for the Panthers as he earned Most Valuable Player honors, as well as Virginia High School Colonial District Co-Player of the Year, Virginia All-State honorable mention, all-region, all-district and all-metro first-team selection. As both a junior and senior, he helped Hermitage win the Colonial District Championship.

College career

In his freshman season at

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

, Copeland proved to be a valuable contributor off the bench as he often provided CU with clutch points despite limited minutes. In 26 games, he averaged 2.5 points and 1.6 rebounds in 7.7 minutes per game. In his sophomore season, Copeland played in 27 of the Buffs 28 games while averaging 9.2 minutes per game. He scored a season-high 12 points against Iowa State on March 3, 2004, along with five rebounds and four-of-four from the free-throw line. For the season, he averaged 2.9 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. In his junior season, Copeland earned Big 12 All-Improved team honors after more than tripling his points per game average. He scored a career-high 25 points against Richmond on January 4, 2005. In 29 games (15 starts), he averaged 11.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.2 blocks in 25.2 minutes per game. In his senior season, Copeland helped CU to a 20–10 overall record and an NIT berth as he played in all 30 games with 28 starts while averaging 24.3 minutes per game. He scored a season-high 22 points against Kansas on January 11, 2006. For the season, he averaged 12.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.1 blocks per game.

College statistics

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2002–03 , style="text-align:left;",

, 26 , , 0 , , 7.7 , , .377 , , .250 , , .577 , , 1.6 , , .3 , , .1 , , .3 , , 2.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2003–04 , style="text-align:left;", Colorado , 28 , , 0 , , 9.2 , , .379 , , .393 , , .594 , , 2.5 , , .5 , , .3 , , .5 , , 2.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2004–05 , style="text-align:left;", Colorado , 29 , , 15 , , 25.2 , , .448 , , .375 , , .814 , , 5.6 , , 1.5 , , .3 , , 1.2 , , 11.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2005–06 , style="text-align:left;", Colorado , 30 , , 28 , , 24.3 , , .440 , , .357 , , .688 , , 5.1 , , 1.6 , , .8 , , 1.1 , , 12.1 , -

Professional career

Fort Worth Flyers (2006-2007)

Copeland went undrafted in the

2006 NBA draft The 2006 NBA draft was held on June 28, 2006, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. c ...

. On March 29, 2007, he was acquired by the Fort Worth Flyers of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...

. He went on to play 20 games for the Flyers to close out the 2006–07 season.

CB L'Hospitalet (2007)

On September 20, 2007, Copeland signed with CB L'Hospitalet of Spain for the 2007–08 season.

Matrixx Magixx (2007–2008)

In October 2007, Copeland left L'Hospitalet and signed with Matrixx Magixx of the Netherlands for the rest of the 2007–08 season.

TBB Trier (2008–2010)

In the summer of 2008, Copeland signed with

TBB Trier Gladiators Treves, for sponsorship reasons known as Römerstrom Gladiators Trier, is a professional basketball club based in Trier, Germany. The club plays in the ProA. Its home arena is Trier Arena, which has a capacity of 5,495 people. From 1990 ...

of Germany for the 2008–09 season. In June 2009, he re-signed with the Trier for the 2009–10 season. He played 67 games over two seasons as he averaged 13.2 ppg in 2008–09 and 16.9 ppg in 2009–10.

Okapi Aalstar (2010–2012)

In July 2010, Copeland signed with Okapi Aalstar of Belgium for the 2010–11 season. In April 2011, he signed a two-year contract extension with the club. However, he left Aalstar following the 2011–12 season after earning Belgian League MVP and Star of the Coaches honors.

New York Knicks (2012–2013)

On July 16, 2012, Copeland signed a one-year deal with the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

and went on to average 13.8 points in five games for the Knicks during the 2012

NBA Summer League The NBA Summer League, also known as the Las Vegas Summer League, is an off-season basketball competition organized by the National Basketball Association (NBA). NBA teams come together to try out different summer rosters instead of their regula ...

. On November 2, 2012, he made his NBA debut in the Knicks' season opener against the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

, recording no points in just under two minutes of action. On December 18, 2012, Copeland was assigned to the Erie BayHawks of the NBA Development League. He was recalled on December 19, reassigned on December 20 and recalled again on December 21; he did not appear in a game for Erie during his time with them. On April 17, 2013, Copeland recorded a career-high 33 points in the Knicks' final regular season game against the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

. He subsequently won the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for the month of April. In 2012–13, Copeland averaged 8.7 points per game, and despite not being named to an

NBA All-Rookie Team The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for play ...

, he still managed to tie Harrison Barnes at sixth place in the

NBA Rookie of the Year The National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the top rookie(s) of the regular season. Initiated following the 1952–53 NBA season, it confers the Eddie Gottlieb T ...

voting (with eight points each). On June 25, 2013, the Knicks extended a qualifying offer to make Copeland a restricted free agent.

Indiana Pacers (2013–2015)

On July 10, 2013, Copeland received a two-year, $6.1 million offer sheet from the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

. The Knicks declined to match the offer, and Copeland signed with the Pacers on July 14. After a promising rookie season with the Knicks, Copeland's production dropped off dramatically with the Pacers in 2013–14 as he averaged just 3.7 points and 6.5 minutes in 41 games, playing behind

Paul George Paul Clifton Anthony George (born May 2, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "PG-13", he is a nine-time NBA All-Star and six-time member of the ...

, Danny Granger and

Evan Turner Evan Marcel Turner (born October 27, 1988) is an American professional basketball coach and former player. He was most recently an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted second overall ...

. On November 5, 2014, Copeland recorded 19 points and a career-high 12 rebounds in a 94–96 overtime loss to the Washington Wizards.

Milwaukee Bucks (2015–2016)

On July 29, 2015, Copeland signed with the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

. He made his debut for the Bucks in the team's season opener against the New York Knicks on October 28, recording 8 points and 2 rebounds in a 122–97 loss. On February 22, 2016, he was waived by the Bucks. Two days later, 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 ...

put in a waiver claim on Copeland in order to waive him, so as to go above the season's minimum team salary of $63 million. On September 22, 2016, Copeland signed with the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Confere ...

, but was waived on October 3. After being waived by the Pelicans before playing a game for them, Copeland would never play in the NBA again and completed his professional basketball career overseas. His final NBA game was played on February 2, 2016, in a 95 - 107 loss to the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (N ...

where he played for nearly 3 minutes and only recorded 1 foul as a stat.

Tofaş (2016–2017)

On December 5, 2016, Copeland signed with Turkish club Tofaş for the rest of the 2016–17 BSL season. He averaged 9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game in 21 games of the 2016–17 BSL season, helping his club reach the playoffs.

Andorra (2017–2018)

On November 3, 2017, Copeland signed with

Andorra Andorra, officially the Principality of Andorra, is a Sovereignty, sovereign landlocked country on the Iberian Peninsula, in the eastern Pyrenees in Southwestern Europe, Andorra–France border, bordered by France to the north and Spain to A ...

. He joined the club with an agreement until February 2018, in order to replace injured Georgian forward Beka Burjanadze. On January 29, 2018, he parted ways with Andorra after appearing in six games.

Coaching career

On October 5, 2023, Copeland was hired as an assistant coach by the

Wisconsin Herd The Wisconsin Herd are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and are affiliated with the Milwaukee Bucks. The Herd play their home games at Oshkosh Arena. History On June 29, 2016, it was anno ...

of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the Minor league#Basketball, developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of ...

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, 56 , , 13 , , 15.4 , , .479 , , .421 , , .759 , , 2.1 , , .5 , , .3 , , .2 , , 8.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

, 41 , , 0 , , 6.5 , , .470 , , .418 , , .714 , , .8 , , .4 , , .1 , , .2 , , 3.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 50 , , 12 , , 16.6 , , .361 , , .311 , , .733 , , 2.2 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , .2 , , 6.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, 24 , , 1 , , 6.5 , , .333 , , .278 , , .857 , , .4 , , .5 , , .1 , , .0 , , 2.1 , - , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 171 , , 26 , , 12.3 , , .427 , , .365 , , .752 , , 1.6 , , .6 , , .2 , , .2 , , 5.8

Playoffs

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

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

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

, 9 , , 1 , , 10.3 , , .400 , , .478 , , 1.000 , , 1.0 , , .1 , , .6 , , .0 , , 4.1 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

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

, 12 , , 0 , , 6.8 , , .429 , , .375 , , .667 , , .4 , , .1 , , .3 , , .3 , , 3.0 , - , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 21 , , 1 , , 8.3 , , .414 , , .436 , , .727 , , .7 , , .1 , , .4 , , .1 , , 3.5

Personal life

On April 8, 2015, Copeland was stabbed in the abdomen outside of a nightclub in New York City. His ex-girlfriend, Katrine, was also slashed in her arm and leg. Pero Antić and Thabo Sefolosha of the

were arrested at the scene for interfering with police. Copeland was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition.

References

External links

Colorado Buffaloes bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Copeland, Chris 1984 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen American expatriate basketball people in Andorra American expatriate basketball people in Belgium American expatriate basketball people in Germany American expatriate basketball people in Spain American expatriate basketball people in the Netherlands American expatriate basketball people in Turkey American men's basketball players Basketball players from Essex County, New Jersey BC Andorra players CB L'Hospitalet players Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball players Dutch Basketball League players Fort Worth Flyers players Indiana Pacers players Liga ACB players Matrixx Magixx players Milwaukee Bucks players New York Knicks players Okapi Aalstar players Power forwards Small forwards Sportspeople from Orange, New Jersey Tofaş S.K. players Undrafted NBA players Wisconsin Herd coaches