Donald James MacLean (born January 16, 1970) 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 who played in 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). 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
UCLA Bruins
The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Big Ten Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF ...
, and became the all-time scoring leader of both the school and the
Pac-12 Conference
The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the Western United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I level for all sports, and its Co ...
. In 1994, MacLean won the
NBA Most Improved Player Award
The NBA's Most Improved Player (MIP) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the player who has shown the most progress during the regular season compared to previous seasons. The winner is selected by a panel of sportsw ...
as a member of the
Washington Bullets
The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...
(known now as the Washington Wizards). He currently works as a basketball
color analyst
A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The person may also be referred to as a summariser (outside North America) ...
.
High school career
Born in
Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for ) is a charter city in northwestern Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a Sequoia sempervirens, coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto.
Th ...
, MacLean graduated from
Simi Valley High School in
Simi Valley, California
Simi Valley (; Chumashan languages, Chumash: ''Shimiyi'') is a city in Simi Valley (valley), the valley of the same name in southeastern Ventura County, California, United States. It is from Downtown Los Angeles, making it part of the Greater ...
,
[ where he was an ]All-American
The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...
his senior year.
College career
MacLean played in college at UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...
from 1989 to 1992. He set a UCLA varsity freshman season record with 231 rebounds
'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...
, breaking Don Bragg
Donald George Bragg (May 15, 1935 – February 16, 2019) was an American athlete who competed mainly in the pole vault and won a gold medal in that event at the 1960 Summer Olympics.[Pac-12 Conference
The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the Western United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I level for all sports, and its Co ...]
's (then known as the Pac-10) all-time scoring record, passing Sean Elliott
Sean Michael Elliott (born February 2, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player who starred as a small forward in both the college and professional ranks. He attended the University of Arizona, where he had a standout career a ...
's then record of 2,555 points. In his senior season, MacLean led UCLA to the 1992 Elite 8. He was inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 2002.
NBA career
MacLean was the 19th pick (1st round) in the 1992 NBA draft. He was initially drafted by 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 ...
but was traded on draft day to the Washington Bullets
The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...
.[ MacLean, along with his 1994–95 ]Washington Bullets
The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...
teammates Rex Chapman
Rex Everett Chapman (born October 5, 1967) is an American former professional basketball player and social media influencer, mostly known for his time with the Charlotte Hornets from 1988 to 1992 and for his time with the Phoenix Suns from 1996 ...
, Tom Gugliotta
Thomas James Gugliotta (born December 19, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player. Drafted with the sixth pick in the 1992 NBA draft, he played thirteen seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A 6'11 power forwa ...
, and Scott Skiles
Scott Allen Skiles Sr. (born March 5, 1964) is an American former basketball coach and player. He coached the Phoenix Suns, Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic. A first-round draft pick out of Michigan State University, Skiles played ...
, all reunited in Phoenix in 1999–2000 when Chapman, Gugliotta, and MacLean were Suns players and Skiles was the head coach. As highly productive scoring Bullets teammates in 1994–95, Chapman averaged 11.0 points per game (ranked 4th highest on the team), Gugliotta averaged 16.0 (5th on the team), Skiles averaged 13.0 (6th on the team), and MacLean averaged 11.0 (7th on the team). However, as Suns teammates, Gugliotta averaged 13.7 (5th on the team), Chapman averaged only 6.6 (9th on the team), and MacLean averaged only 2.6 (15th on the team). MacLean is considered by many to have had one of the quickest releases in the game.
In November 2000, the NBA suspended MacLean five games for testing positive for steroids. He was the first player suspended for steroid use. 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", ...
later commented "I've seen Don MacLean naked, and he doesn't use steroids."
Broadcasting career
MacLean served as the color analyst on the UCLA Basketball Radio Network. He was an analyst on 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 ...
TV broadcasts on Bally Sports West and Bally Sports SoCal. He also is a weekly basketball contributor on Fox Sports Radio Network's Petros and Money Show. MacLean also served as the color analyst for various games on the Pac-12 Network
The Pac-12 Network (P12N), sometimes referred to as Pac-12 Networks, was an American sports-oriented digital cable and satellite television network owned by the Pac-12 Conference. The network's studio and production facilities were headquartere ...
. MacLean is currently a color analyst for the Big Ten Network
Big Ten Network (BTN) is an American sports network based in Chicago, Illinois. The channel is dedicated to coverage of College athletics, collegiate sports sanctioned by the Big Ten Conference, including live and recorded event telecasts, news ...
.
Personal life
MacLean lives in Southern California with his wife, Brooke, and three sons Kyle, Blake and Trent.
Career statistics
NBA
Source
Regular season
, -
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, style="text-align:left;", Washington
Washington most commonly refers to:
* George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States
* Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A ...
, 62, , 4, , 10.9, , .435, , .500, , .811, , 2.0, , .6, , .2, , .1, , 6.6
, -
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, style="text-align:left;", Washington
Washington most commonly refers to:
* George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States
* Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A ...
, 75, , 69, , 33.2, , .502, , .143, , .824, , 6.2, , 2.1, , .6, , .3, , 18.2
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Washington most commonly refers to:
* George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States
* Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A ...
, 39, , 20, , 27.0, , .438, , .250, , .765, , 4.2, , 1.3, , .4, , .1, , 11.0
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", Denver
Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...
, 56, , 5, , 19.8, , .426, , .286, , .732, , 3.7, , 1.6, , .4, , .1, , 11.2
, -
, 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 ...
, 37, , 2, , 19.8, , .447, , .316, , .660, , 3.8, , 1.0, , .3, , .3, , 10.9
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", 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 ...
, 9, , 0, , 4.7, , .100, , .500, , –, , .6, , .0, , .0, , .0, , .3
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", Seattle
Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
, 17, , 10, , 21.5, , .396, , .273, , .625, , 3.8, , .9, , .3, , .3, , 10.9
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", Phoenix
, 16, , 0, , 8.9, , .367, , .333, , .667, , 1.4, , .5, , .1, , .1, , 2.6
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", Miami
Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
, 8, , 1, , 9.5, , .500, , 1.000, , .750, , 2.3, , .5, , .6, , .1, , 3.9
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 319 , , 111 , , 20.9 , , .455 , , .284 , , .765 , , 3.8 , , 1.3 , , .4 , , .2 , , 10.9
See also
*
* Pac-12 Conference Hall of Honor
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maclean, Don
1970 births
Living people
All-American college men's basketball players
American men's basketball players
Basketball players from Santa Clara County, California
Basketball players from Ventura County, California
Denver Nuggets players
Detroit Pistons draft picks
McDonald's High School All-Americans
Miami Heat players
New Jersey Nets players
Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)
Philadelphia 76ers players
Phoenix Suns players
Power forwards
Seattle SuperSonics players
Simi Valley High School alumni
Sportspeople from Palo Alto, California
Sportspeople from Simi Valley, California
UCLA Bruins men's basketball players
Washington Bullets players