Derrick Demetrius Coleman (born June 21, 1967) 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. Coleman attended

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

and was selected first overall in the 1990 NBA draft by the

New Jersey Nets 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 ...

. Throughout his career, the left-handed Coleman was an effective low post scorer, averaging 16.5 points and 9.3 rebounds. He enjoyed his best years as a member of the

, where he averaged 19.8 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. When Coleman entered the NBA, he was compared to elite power forwards such as

Karl Malone Karl Anthony Malone (born July 24, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Mailman", he is considered one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history. Malone spen ...

and

Charles Barkley Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player who is a television analyst on NBA on TNT, TNT and CBS Sports. Nicknamed "Sir Charles", "the Bread Truck", and "the Round Mound of Rebound", ...

, and expected to put up similar numbers, only with the added ability to shoot from three-point range. Coleman made the 1994 NBA All-Star team, but his career was overshadowed by numerous injuries and attitude problems.

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

once remarked that "Coleman could have been the best power forward ever; instead he played just well enough to ensure his next paycheck." As of 2007, he was working as a developer and entrepreneur 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 ...

. He has also appeared as an occasional studio analyst for

NBA TV NBA TV is an American sports-oriented pay television network owned by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and operated by Warner Bros. Discovery through TNT Sports. Dedicated to basketball, the network features exhibition, regular se ...

's "NBA Gametime Live" coverage.

Early life

Coleman was born in

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. After a successful vote to annex areas west of the city limits in July 2023, Mobil ...

, but grew up and attended high school in

College career

Coleman joined the Orangemen in the 1986–87 season and was a prototypical

Big East Conference The Big East Conference (stylized as BIG EAST) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference that competes in National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA NCAA Division I, Division I in 10 men's sports and 12 women's sports. H ...

power forward for the Orange. Head coach

Jim Boeheim James Arthur Boeheim Jr. ( ; born November 17, 1944) is an American former college basketball coach and current Special Assistant to the Athletic Director at Syracuse University. From 1976 until 2023, he was the head coach of the Syracuse Orange ...

said no player in Syracuse's basketball history had more impact than Coleman. Coleman was selected to first team All-Big East selection in his sophomore and junior seasons, and as a senior, he was named the Big East Player of the Year. He finished as the NCAA's top modern-day rebounder and the school's career scoring leader. Coleman's Syracuse number 44 jersey was retired on March 5, 2006.

NBA career

Coleman was the first overall pick in the 1990 NBA draft after a successful college career. He had a solid rookie season and won the

NBA Rookie of the Year Award 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 Tr ...

in 1991. Coleman went on to improve during the 1991–92 season, averaging close to 20 points and 10 rebounds a game. The Nets were an up-and-coming team as well, with young players like Coleman, Kenny Anderson, Chris Morris and

Mookie Blaylock Daron Oshay "Mookie" Blaylock (born March 20, 1967) is an American former professional basketball player. He spent 13 years in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the New Jersey Nets, Atlanta Hawks, and the Golden State Warriors. C ...

teaming up with solid veteran players like

Sam Bowie Samuel Paul Bowie (born March 17, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. A national sensation in high school and outstanding collegian and Olympic team member, Bowie's professional promise was undermined by repeated injuries ...

, Chris Dudley, Terry Mills and

Dražen Petrović Dražen Petrović (; 22 October 1964 – 7 June 1993) was a Yugoslav and Croatian professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he initially achieved success playing professional basketball in Europe in the 1980s with Cibona and Real Madri ...

. The addition of coach

Chuck Daly Charles Jerome Daly (July 20, 1930 – May 9, 2009) was an American basketball head coach. He led the Detroit Pistons to two consecutive National Basketball Association (NBA) championships in 1989 and 1990—during the team's "Bad Boys" era— ...

, who won two NBA championships with the

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

as head coach, was enough to get the Nets a winning record and into the playoffs during the 1992–93 season. The 1993–94 season was the peak for Coleman and the Nets during his time with the team. The Nets made it to the playoffs for the third straight season, while Coleman averaged his second straight 20 points, 10 rebounds season and was selected to represent the Nets in the All-Star game along with teammate Kenny Anderson. In 1995, the Nets traded Coleman,

Rex Walters Rex Andrew Walters Sr. (born March 12, 1970) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who last served as an assistant coach for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Previously, he was the asso ...

, and Sean Higgins to the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

for Shawn Bradley, Tim Perry, and Greg Graham. During a 1995 game featuring Coleman's Nets and rival

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

, Coleman controversially referred to Malone as an ' Uncle Tom'. In 1999, Coleman signed with 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 ...

. In 2001, he was reacquired by the Philadelphia 76ers in a three-team trade involving the Golden State Warriors, where the Hornets acquired Chris Porter, Robert Traylor, George Lynch, and Jérôme Moïso. He played for the US national team in the

1994 FIBA World Championship The 1994 FIBA World Championship was the 12th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's national teams. The tournament was hosted by Canada from August 4 to 14, 1994. The tournament was held at SkyDome ...

, winning the gold medal. In 2004, Coleman and Amal McCaskill were traded to the

for Corliss Williamson. The 2004–05 season would be Coleman's last, as he was cut by the team in January 2005. He was one of nine NBA players that faced suspension for his role in the infamous November 2004 Pacers–Pistons brawl. He served a one-game suspension for coming off the bench during the altercation at the scorer's table. Coleman is one of only four players in NBA history to record a five-by-five in a game with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds (the other being

Hakeem Olajuwon Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon ( ; ; born January 21, 1963), nicknamed "the Dream", is a Nigerian and American former professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played Center (basketball), center in the National Basketball Association (NB ...

Draymond Green Draymond Jamal Green (born March 4, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Green, who plays primarily at the Power forward (basketball), power forward pos ...

and

Victor Wembanyama Victor Wembanyama ( ; ; born 4 January 2004), nicknamed "Wemby" and "The Alien", is a French professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Considered one of the best basketball prospec ...

Post NBA

Coleman purchased a home in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, where he resided until 2010, when he moved to

. After the

water crisis Water crisis could refer to: *Water security, a goal of water management and policy *Water scarcity, a shortage of water in a specific geography, such as the Cape Town water crisis *Drought, the meteorological conditions created by lack of precipi ...

began in

Flint, Michigan Flint is the largest city in Genesee County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. Located along the Flint River (Michigan), Flint River northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the Central Michigan, Mid Michigan region. Flin ...

, Coleman drove 65 miles daily to bring residents clean bottled water and eating utensils, which they did not have access to.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, 74 , , 68 , , 35.2 , , .467 , , .342 , , .731 , , 10.3 , , 2.2 , , 1.0 , , 1.3 , , 18.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 65 , , 58 , , 34.0 , , .504 , , .303 , , .763 , , 9.5 , , 3.2 , , 0.8 , , 1.5 , , 19.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 76 , , 73 , , 36.3 , , .460 , , .232 , , .808 , , 11.2 , , 3.6 , , 1.2 , , 1.7 , , 20.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 77 , , 77 , , 36.1 , , .447 , , .314 , , .774 , , 11.3 , , 3.4 , , 0.9 , , 1.8 , , 20.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 56 , , 54 , , 37.6 , , .424 , , .233 , , .767 , , 10.6 , , 3.3 , , 0.6 , , 1.7 , , 20.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, 11 , , 11 , , 26.7 , , .407 , , .333 , , .625 , , 6.5 , , 2.8 , , 0.4 , , 0.9 , , 11.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 57 , , 54 , , 36.9 , , .435 , , .269 , , .745 , , 10.1 , , 3.4 , , 0.9 , , 1.3 , , 18.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 59 , , 58 , , 36.2 , , .411 , , .265 , , .772 , , 9.9 , , 2.5 , , 0.8 , , 1.2 , , 17.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Charlotte , 37 , , 29 , , 31.8 , , .414 , , .212 , , .753 , , 8.9 , , 2.1 , , 0.6 , , 1.1 , , 13.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Charlotte , 74 , , 64 , , 31.7 , , .456 , , .362 , , .785 , , 8.5 , , 2.4 , , 0.5 , , 1.8 , , 16.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Charlotte , 34 , , 3 , , 20.1 , , .380 , , .392 , , .685 , , 5.4 , , 1.1 , , 0.3 , , 0.6 , , 8.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 58 , , 58 , , 35.9 , , .450 , , .337 , , .815 , , 8.8 , , 1.7 , , 0.7 , , 0.9 , , 15.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 64 , , 35 , , 27.2 , , .448 , , .328 , , .784 , , 7.0 , , 1.4 , , 0.8 , , 1.1 , , 9.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 30 , , 24.8 , , .413 , , .222 , , .754 , , 5.6 , , 1.4 , , 0.7 , , 0.8 , , 8.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , 0 , , 10.0 , , .214 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 3.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 1.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 781 , , 672 , , 33.2 , , .447 , , .295 , , .769 , , 9.3 , , 2.5 , , 0.8 , , 1.3 , , 16.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 1 , , 1 , , 18.0 , , .167 , , .000 , , – , , 3.0 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , 2.0

Playoffs

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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 ...

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, 4, , 4, , 40.5, , .486, , .167, , .762, , 11.3, , 5.3, , 1.8, , 1.0, , 22.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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 ...

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

, 5, , 5, , 45.0, , .532, , .417, , .806, , 13.4, , 4.6, , 1.2, , 2.6, , 26.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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 ...

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

, 4, , 4, , 43.3, , .397, , .556, , .780, , 14.3, , 2.5, , 0.5, , 1.3, , 24.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

, style="text-align:left;", Charlotte , 4, , 4, , 42.3, , .474, , .313, , .786, , 12.5, , 3.5, , 0.8, , 3.0, , 20.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

, style="text-align:left;", Charlotte , 5, , 0, , 17.6, , .265, , .250, , .778, , 5.0, , 1.2, , 0.8, , 0.4 , , 5.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

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

, 5, , 5, , 38.2, , .524, , .308, , .800, , 9.2, , 2.0, , 0.2, , 1.4, , 12.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

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

, 12, , 12, , 37.4, , .500, , .400, , .872, , 8.0, , 2.0, , 0.6, , 1.3, , 13.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 39 , , 34 , , 37.4 , , .472 , , .351 , , .806 , , 9.9 , , 2.8 , , 0.8 , , 1.5 , , 16.8

Footnotes

References

External links

nba.com/historical/playerfile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Coleman, Derrick 1967 births Living people 1994 FIBA World Championship players 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Detroit Charlotte Hornets players Detroit Pistons players FIBA World Championship–winning players McDonald's High School All-Americans NBA All-Stars New Jersey Nets draft picks New Jersey Nets players Northern High School (Detroit, Michigan) alumni Sportspeople from Franklin Lakes, New Jersey Philadelphia 76ers players Power forwards Basketball players from Mobile, Alabama Syracuse Orange men's basketball players United States men's national basketball team players First overall NBA draft picks

Early life

College career

NBA career

Post NBA

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

See also

Footnotes

References

External links