Isaac Edward "Ike" Austin (born August 18, 1969) 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 for several different teams 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 ...

between 1991 and 2002. He is the uncle of former

Baylor University Baylor University is a Private university, private Baptist research university in Waco, Texas, United States. It was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Te ...

basketball player Isaiah Austin. Austin was born in

Gridley, California Gridley is a city in Butte County, California, United States, south of Chico, California, and north of Sacramento, California. The population as of April 1, 2020, is 7,421. California State Route 99 runs through Gridley and Interstate 5 in Cal ...

. A center from Kings River Community College and

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

, he was selected by the

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 ...

in the second round (48th overall) of the 1991 NBA draft. He averaged two points and 1.1 rebounds during his rookie season with the Jazz, and after two more sub-par seasons, he signed to play with Tuborg İzmir, a Turkish basketball team. Austin averaged 22.3 points and 13.9 rebounds during the 1995–1996 season in Turkey, and he returned to the NBA the following season as a member of 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 ...

. With renewed confidence, Austin averaged 9.7 points and 5.8 rebounds for the Heat and received 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 ...

in 1997. Austin had his best season in 1997–1998, when he averaged 13.5 points and 7.1 rebounds while playing for the Heat and 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 ...

(to whom he was traded midseason for Brent Barry). After that season, he signed a lucrative contract with 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 ...

, but his play began to regress. Austin was traded to the

Washington Wizards 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 ...

for Ben Wallace, Terry Davis, Tim Legler, and Jeff McInnis after one season with the Magic, and the Wizards later traded him to the

Vancouver Grizzlies The Vancouver Grizzlies were a Canadian professional basketball team based in Vancouver. The Grizzlies competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Midwest Division (NBA), Midwest Division of the Western Conference ( ...

for Cherokee Parks, Obinna Ekezie, Dennis Scott, and Felipe Lopez. He ended his NBA career with the Grizzlies in 2002 (the team moved to Memphis in 2001). From 2004 to 2005, Austin was owner and head coach of the Utah Snowbears, a team in the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major professional basketball league that operated for nine seasons from 1967 to 1976. The upstart ABA operated in direct competition with the more established National Basketball Association thr ...

. He led the Snowbears to a 27–1 record in the team's first season, but feuded with league officials during the playoffs and decided to forfeit the rest of the season (and later on, fold the team) in protest.Austin, ABA play blame game as Snowbears quit playoffs
/ref>

References

External links

"Where Are They Now" – Ike Austin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Austin, Isaac 1969 births Living people American Basketball Association (2000–present) coaches Basketball coaches from California American expatriate basketball people in Canada American expatriate basketball people in China American expatriate basketball people in France American expatriate basketball people in Turkey Arizona State Sun Devils men's basketball players Basketball players from California Centers (basketball) Junior college men's basketball players in the United States Los Angeles Clippers players Memphis Grizzlies players Miami Heat players Oklahoma City Cavalry players Orlando Magic players People from Gridley, California Sportspeople from Butte County, California Philadelphia 76ers players Tuborg Pilsener basketball players Ülker G.S.K. basketball players Utah Jazz draft picks Utah Jazz players Vancouver Grizzlies players Washington Wizards players Xinjiang Flying Tigers players American men's basketball players 20th-century American sportsmen