Kareem Reid (born August 27, 1975) is a former

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the Basketball positions, five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position and is usually the shortest player ...

in the

National Basketball 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 played college basketball for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks, and went on to play professionally in several leagues in the United States and Europe."Kareem Reid."
NBA Development League. ''www.stats.nbadleague.com.'' Retrieved May 29, 2014. Reid is also a well known street-ball player in the

Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

, playing in the

Rucker Park Greg Marius Court at Holcombe Rucker Park is a basketball court at the border of Harlem and the Coogan's Bluff section of Washington Heights neighborhoods of Manhattan, at 155th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard, just east of the forme ...

league, where he won three consecutive championships at the Entertainers Ballers Classic from 2002 to 2004.Diaz, Angel, and Justin Block
"23. Kareem Reid - The 25 Greatest Streetball Players of All Time."
''www.complex.com.'' Retrieved October 28, 2013.

High school career

Reid led St. Raymond High School for Boys to New York City and state championships as a junior in 1993, and to the city championship as a senior in 1994. One of the top rated point guards in the country as a senior, Reid was named a

McDonald's All-American McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American multinational fast food chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese chain Mixue Ice Cream & Tea. Brothers ...

, and signed with the Arkansas Razorbacks after being discovered by Head Coach

Nolan Richardson Nolan Richardson Jr. (born December 27, 1941) is an American former basketball head coach best known for his tenure at the Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball, University of Arkansas, where he won the 1994 NCAA Division I men's basketball tourn ...

while playing in the King Cotton Classic in

Pine Bluff, Arkansas Pine Bluff, officially the City of Pine Bluff, is the List of municipalities in Arkansas, tenth-most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas and the county seat of Jefferson County, Arkansas, Jefferson County. The population of the city wa ...

. Reid participated in the 1994 U.S. Olympic Festival, helping his East team to a silver medal.

Collegiate years

Reid was forced to sit out the 1994–95 season at the University of Arkansas because his ACT score was disputed by the

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. ...

. Opening the 1995–96 season as a

freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or colloquially frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational in ...

, Reid led the Razorbacks to the Sweet Sixteen of the 1996 NCAA Tournament, and the NIT Final Four as a

sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of Post-secondary school, post-secondary educatio ...

. He finished his Razorback career as the all-time leader in assists with 748, and third all-time in steals with 251. Reid averaged 11.3 points, 5.7 assists, and 1.91 steals per game for the Razorbacks."Kareem Reid Stats."
''www.sports-reference.com.'' Retrieved March 20, 2016. Reid was named to the All-SEC Freshman Team after the 1995–96 season, and was named 2nd Team All-SEC as a sophomore.

Professional career

Despite averaging 10.3 points and 8.7 assists at the 1999

Portsmouth Invitational Tournament The Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, (PIT), is the only postseason camp restricted to college basketball seniors. The Portsmouth Invitational is the first of two NBA pre-Draft (sports), draft camps, the other being the Orlando pre-Draft (sport ...

, Reid went undrafted by the

NBA 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 ...

. Reid went on to play in several professional leagues in the United States and overseas, including a stint with the

Harlem Globetrotters The Harlem Globetrotters is an American Exhibition game, exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, entertainment, and comedy in their style of play. Over the years, they have played more than 26,000 exhibition games in 124 ...

. In 2003, Reid signed a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

contract with 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 ...

, but was released prior to the start of the regular season. Reid played well during his time with the Hornets, causing

Baron Davis Baron Walter Louis Davis (born April 13, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player who is a studio analyst for the ''NBA on TNT''. He was a two-time NBA All-Star, made the All-NBA Third Team in 2004, and twice led the NBA in st ...

to comment that he was as difficult to guard as any NBA, and wanted him to remain on the team. After his release from the Hornets, Reid signed with the Asheville Altitude, leading them to the NBDL championship in the 2003–04 season."2003-04 Asheville Altitude Stats."
''www.basketball-reference.com.'' Retrieved October 28, 2013. Reid averaged 12.0 points per game, and finished third in the league with 6.7 assists per game. He joined the

Arkansas Rimrockers The Arkansas RimRockers were a minor league basketball team based in North Little Rock, Arkansas, which played in the American Basketball Association and the NBA Development League. Season by season Franchise history The RimRockers began play ...

for their inaugural season 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 ...

, leading the league in assists at 9.0 per game. Reid was named league MVP and earned the Championship Game MVP in the Rimrockers' championship win after the 2004–05 season. He remained with the Rimrockers when the team moved 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, ...

for the 2005–06 season, leading the league in assists with an average of 8.1 per game. Reid was signed by the

Albany Patroons The Albany Patroons are a professional basketball team that plays in The Basketball League (TBL). Previously, the team competed in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and in the United States Basketball League (USBL). The Patroons won ...

of the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA), originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association, was a men's professional basketball m ...

On February 23, 2007. Reid also played for the team while it was in the

United States Basketball League The United States Basketball League (USBL) was a professional men's spring basketball league. The league was formed in 1985 and ceased operations in 2008. The USBL started in 1985 as one of the first basketball leagues to play a late-spring to ...

. He played for

JA Vichy Jeanne d'Arc de Vichy-Clermont Métropole was a professional basketball club based in Vichy, France. The club played their home games at both Maison des Sports de Clermont-Ferrand and Palais des Sports de Vichy. In 2015, JA Vichy and Stade Cler ...

in France from 2008 to January 2011 when he left the team. He played the 2011–12 season with

Hyères-Toulon Var Basket Hyères-Toulon Var Basket, also referred to as simply Hyères-Toulon or HTV, is a basketball club based in Hyères and Toulon, France. Created by the merger of Omni Sport Hyerois and Club Sportif Toulonnais, the club shares its home games between ...

in France, averaging 7.6 assists per game.

Street ball career

Reid has been known by the nickname "The Best Kept Secret" since his years on the playground hoops scene in the Bronx. In 2004, Reid led the Terror Squad team owned by

Fat Joe Joseph Antonio Cartagena (born August 19, 1970), better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper. He began recording as a member of Hip-hop, hip hop group D.I.T.C., Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.) in 1992, and pursued a sol ...

to their third consecutive Entertainer's Basketball Classic championship.Flores, Ronnie
"Elite 24: Rucker Park Legends."
''www.espn.com'', July 21, 2012. Retrieved October 28, 2013. Reid scored the final nine points in a come-from-behind victory over a

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

team that featured

players

and

Gilbert Arenas Gilbert Jay Arenas Jr. ( ; born January 6, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. Arenas attended Grant High School in the Valley Glen district of Los Angeles, and accepted a scholarship offer to the University of Arizona l ...

, and was named the game's MVP.

References

External links