Christopher Zane Kaman (born April 28, 1982) is a German-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. Kaman stands and played the center position. He was selected sixth overall in the first round of the 2003 NBA draft by the

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

, after a

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 ...

career at

Central Michigan University Central Michigan University (CMU) is a Public university, public research university in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, United States. It was established in 1892 as a private normal school and became a state institution in 1895. CMU is one of the eigh ...

High school and college career

Kaman attended Tri-unity Christian School in

Wyoming, Michigan Wyoming is a city in Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 76,501 at the 2020 census. Wyoming is the second most-populated community in the Grand Rapids metropolitan area and is bordered by Grand Rapids on the northea ...

, leading his high school varsity to the state Class D quarterfinals in 2000, before losing to Lenawee Christian School. He went on to play for three seasons at

, leading them to a

Mid-American Conference The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region (North America), Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Its members co ...

Championship and an

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

tournament first-round win in 2003. He then garnered

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

Honorable Mention All-America honors before declaring for the 2003 NBA draft, where the Clippers selected him sixth overall. Kaman claims he decided to enter the NBA draft a year early so he could fund a chicken farm in his home state of Michigan.

Professional career

Los Angeles Clippers (2003–2011)

In his rookie year, Kaman averaged 6.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 0.89 blocks and 22.5 minutes in 82 games played (61 starts). He was the only Clipper to play all 82 games. Kaman became only the second rookie in franchise history ( Michael Brooks, 1980–81) to play in all 82 games in his rookie season. He finished the season ranked second among all rookies in blocked shots per game (.89 bpg), third in field goal percentage (.460) and fourth in rebounds per game (5.6 rpg), earning the starting Center position on the NBA Rookie All-Star Team. He tallied eight points (4–7 FG) and seven rebounds in 19 minutes played, though the Rookies lost to the Sophomore team. Chris Kaman Clippers

A year after his rookie season, Chris Kaman improved his play by averaging 9.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 25.9 minutes in 63 games (50 starts). He had missed 12 games due to injury, including the first 11 games of the season due to a left ankle sprain. Kaman continued to create milestones in his career as he scored in double-figures in 30 games and recorded four games with 20 or more points. Kaman recorded 14 point-rebound double-doubles and led the team in rebounds in 16 games and in blocks 19 times. Despite the Clippers missing the playoffs again for the eighth year in a row, Kaman continued to show progress in his play. By the end of the '05–'06 season, Kaman averaged 11.9 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.38 blocks in 32.8 minutes per game, appearing in 78 games (78 starts). He missed two games with a sprained left ankle (2/27 and March 1) and one game with a sore left knee (4/16) He finished the regular season ranked 9th in the NBA in rebounds per game (9.6), 12th in FG% (.523) and 24th in blocks per game (1.38). Kaman recorded 49 games of scoring in double figures with 10 of those games scoring 20 points or more. Kaman also recorded 36 games with 10 or more rebounds. Kaman finished the season with 29 games having points-rebounds double-doubles. The Clippers achieved their first winning record in 14 seasons and clinched their first playoff spot since 1997. By the end of the season, the Clippers finished sixth in the Western Conference, with a record of 47–35 (their best finish since the team left Buffalo), set to face the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

in the first round. The Clippers beat the Nuggets, but during the series against Denver, opposing player Reggie Evans reached in and yanked Kaman's

testicles A testicle or testis ( testes) is the gonad in all male bilaterians, including humans, and is homologous to the ovary in females. Its primary functions are the production of sperm and the secretion of androgens, primarily testosterone. The ...

. Evans was later fined $10,000 for his actions. The Clippers went on to lose to the Suns in the next round. Chris Kaman 2011

Kaman had raised his points and rebounds averages each season since he came into the league, and signed a five-year contract worth $52.5 million in October 2006. Thus 2006–2007, especially after a strong playoff run, was supposed to be a season of high expectations. However, Kaman only managed to average 10.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 29 minutes per game, appearing in 75 games. One possible explanation was that Kaman had been slowed down by a hamstring injury in training camp, limiting his mobility. This had resulted in a difficulty to get into a game rhythm and contribute offensively. The Clippers finished the season 40–42, missing the playoffs by one game. After losing Shaun Livingston and Elton Brand for the majority of the 2007–08 season due to a dislocated knee and ruptured

Achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcane ...

, respectively, the Clippers had very little expectations to be as competitive as they were two years prior. However, Kaman emerged as one of the most dominant centers in the NBA, averaging 15.7 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per game. Although he did not play in enough games to qualify for the league's statistical leaders, his rebound and block averages would have both ranked third in the league. Kaman demonstrated his ability to perform without Brand alongside him. Kaman was selected to his first All-Star Game as a reserve. Kaman finished the season with almost a double-double, averaging a career high 18.5 PPG and 9.3 RPG. Still, the Los Angeles Clippers finished with one of the worst records in the western conference, with a record of 29–53.

New Orleans Hornets (2011–2012)

On December 14, 2011, the Clippers traded Kaman, Al-Farouq Aminu, Eric Gordon and a 2012 first-round pick (previously acquired from the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...

) to the

New Orleans Hornets New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

in exchange for Chris Paul and two future second-round picks. In his first ever game as a Hornet, Kaman recorded 10 points and 5 rebounds. Five days later he recorded a season-high 15 rebounds. On January 28, 2012, the Hornets announced that they were looking to trade Kaman, who was their oldest player at the time, to a contending team as they wanted to give more minutes to their younger players. They deactivated him as they searched for a trade partner, but decided to bring him back to the team after a week of being unable to find a suitable deal. In his first game back, he played 22 minutes off the bench, and had 10 points and 12 rebounds against the Kings, and followed that performance up with a 17 points, nine rebounds outing against the Bulls in 30 minutes of action. On February 14, 2012, Kaman scored 27 points and 13 rebounds in a win over the Utah Jazz, just ahead of the trade deadline. Though observers speculated his recent performances would reopen trade discussions, New Orleans ultimately decided to keep Kaman for the rest of the season.

Dallas Mavericks (2012–2013)

In July 2012, Kaman signed with the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

, joining his former Olympic teammate

Dirk Nowitzki Dirk Werner Nowitzki (; born June 19, 1978) is a German former professional basketball player who is a special advisor for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Listed at , he is widely regarded as one of the great ...

. Kaman and the Mavericks agreed on a one-year deal worth 8 million dollars. He would average 10.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game in 20.7 minutes per game in 66 games, starting 52 of them. The Mavericks finished 41–41 and missed the playoffs for the first time since the 1999–2000 season.

Los Angeles Lakers (2013–2014)

On July 12, 2013, Kaman signed a one-year deal with 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 ...

. He managed just 39 games for the Lakers because of a crowded frontcourt and a few maladies that started (food poisoning) and a (calf strain) which ended his season. He averaged 10.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.

Portland Trail Blazers (2014–2016)

On July 10, 2014, Kaman signed with 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 ...

. Kaman appeared in 74 games for Portland his first season, remaining mostly healthy as the primary backup and occasional starter behind Robin Lopez. In his second season with the Trail Blazers, Kaman played in just 16 games, also logging minutes in Portland's first-round playoff victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. Kaman made his biggest impact in the locker room, and head coach

Terry Stotts Terry Linn Stotts (born November 25, 1957) is an American former professional basketball player and coach who is the top assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously served as head coa ...

was complimentary of Kaman's veteran leadership. Kaman's final NBA game was played in Game 4 of the 2016 Western Conference First Round on April 25, 2016. In that game, the Trail Blazers would defeat the Clippers 98 – 84 with Kaman recording 1 rebound, 1 turnover and 2 fouls.

National team career

Kaman played for the first time for the German national basketball team in the qualifying tournament leading up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In his debut with Germany, he posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds against

Cape Verde Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an island country and archipelagic state of West Africa in the central Atlantic Ocean, consisting of ten volcanic islands with a combined land area of about . These islands ...

. He was chosen the most valuable player by journalists. Kaman rejoined the German national team for EuroBasket 2011.

Personal life

Kaman is a

dual citizen Multiple citizenship (or multiple nationality) is a person's legal status in which a person is at the same time recognized by more than one sovereign state, country under its nationality law, nationality and citizenship law as a national or cit ...

; he is a citizen of the United States and of

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Although he did not speak any German at the time, he acquired German citizenship in July 2008 (his great-grandparents were German), to play on the Germany national basketball team in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Kaman belongs to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. On December 27, 2014, Kaman's wife, Emilie VilleMonte, gave birth to the couple's first child, a son named Barrett Christopher Kaman. Kaman started the YouTube channel "Exploring Kaman" where he and his friends go on fishing and hunting adventures. On July 13, 2024, Kaman played in a Gus Macker basketball tournament in Sault Ste. Marie, MI.

Spokesman for diagnosis of ADHD

In January 2008, Kaman revealed that he was misdiagnosed with

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and emotional dysregulation that are excessive and pervasive, impairing in multiple con ...

at age 2½. Kaman spent much of his childhood on a farm and as a child he used to tear shingles off neighbors' rooftops and misbehave in school. His apparent ADHD affected his play in high school, and he took Ritalin to treat the condition.Of right mind, Clippers center Chris Kaman is prospering
/ref>

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 82 , , 61 , , 22.5 , , .460 , , .000 , , .697 , , 5.6 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , .9 , , 6.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 63 , , 50 , , 25.9 , , .497 , , .000 , , .661 , , 6.7 , , 1.2 , , .4 , , 1.1 , , 9.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 78 , , 78 , , 32.8 , , .523 , , .000 , , .770 , , 9.6 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , 1.4 , , 8.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 75 , , 66 , , 29.0 , , .451 , , .000 , , .741 , , 7.8 , , 1.1 , , .5 , , 1.5 , , 10.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 56 , , 55 , , 37.2 , , .483 , , .000 , , .762 , , 12.7 , , 1.9 , , .6 , , 2.8 , , 15.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 31 , , 24 , , 29.7 , , .528 , , .000 , , .680 , , 8.0 , , 1.5 , , .5 , , 1.5 , , 12.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 76 , , 76 , , 34.3 , , .490 , , .000 , , .749 , , 9.3 , , 1.6 , , .5 , , 1.2 , , 18.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 32 , , 15 , , 26.2 , , .471 , , .000 , , .754 , , 7.0 , , 1.4 , , .5 , , 1.5 , , 12.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

, 47 , , 33 , , 29.2 , , .446 , , .000 , , .785 , , 7.7 , , 2.1 , , .5 , , 1.6 , , 13.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, 66 , , 52 , , 20.7 , , .507 , , .000 , , .788 , , 5.6 , , .8 , , .4 , , .8 , , 10.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 39 , , 13 , , 18.9 , , .509 , , .000 , , .765 , , 5.9 , , 1.5 , , .3 , , 1.0 , , 10.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Portland , 74 , , 13 , , 18.9 , , .515 , , .000 , , .706 , , 6.5 , , .9 , , .2 , , .7 , , 8.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Portland , 16 , , 2 , , 7.0 , , .465 , , .250 , , 1.000 , , 1.5 , , .7 , , .1 , , .1 , , 2.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 735 , , 538 , , 26.7 , , .489 , , .042 , , .743 , , 7.6 , , 1.3 , , .4 , , 1.3 , , 11.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 1 , , 0 , , 10.7 , , .500 , , .000 , , .000 , , 3.0 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 4.0

Playoffs

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

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 11 , , 10 , , 29.5 , , .593 , , .000 , , .762 , , 8.0 , , .9 , , .5 , , .8 , , 10.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

, style="text-align:left;", Portland , 3 , , 0 , , 12.3 , , .500 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 4.7 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 3.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

, style="text-align:left;", Portland , 4 , , 0 , , 8.0 , , .389 , , .000 , , .000 , , 2.0 , , .3 , , .5 , , .0 , , 3.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 18 , , 10 , , 21.8 , , .554 , , .000 , , .773 , , 6.1 , , .8 , , .4 , , .5 , , 7.8

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaman, Chris 1982 births Living people American men's basketball players American people of German descent Basketball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Basketball players from Grand Rapids, Michigan Centers (basketball) Central Michigan Chippewas men's basketball players Dallas Mavericks players German men's basketball players German sportspeople of American descent Los Angeles Clippers draft picks Los Angeles Clippers players Los Angeles Lakers players NBA All-Stars Naturalized citizens of Germany New Orleans Hornets players Olympic basketball players for Germany People from Wyoming, Michigan Portland Trail Blazers players Naturalised basketball players 21st-century American sportsmen 21st-century German sportsmen