William Mark Price (born February 15, 1964) 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 and coach. The last coaching job he held was as

head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

of the

Charlotte 49ers The Charlotte 49ers are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletics teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte, North Carolina. The 49ers compete at the Nati ...

. As a four-time NBA All-Star and four-time All-NBA Team Member, he played for 12 seasons 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), from 1986 to 1998. Spending the majority of his career with the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

, his last three years consisted of one season each with 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 ...

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...

, and

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 ...

College career

Standing at 6 feet (183 cm) tall, Price 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 ...

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Established in 1885, it has the lar ...

. During his time playing on the

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball team represents the Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia Tech Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Yellow Jackets in NCAA Division I basketball. The team plays its home games in McCamish Pavilion on the ...

team, he was a three-time All American and four-time All ACC basketball player who helped lead the Yellow Jackets to an ACC Championship his junior year by defeating

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

in the ACC Tournament championship game. He was named the ACC Player of the Year for the 1984–85 season and his jersey was retired. He was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 1991 and into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2005. Price graduated in four years with a degree in Industrial Management.

College records

* All-time Georgia Tech leader in 3-point field goal percentage (.440, 1983–86) * All-time Georgia Tech leader in steals (240, 1983–86) * All-time Georgia Tech leader in consecutive games started (126, 1983–86) * All-time Georgia Tech leader in minutes played (4,604, 1983–86)

Professional career

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 ...

, he mystified critics who said he was too slow, too small and too deliberate for a high-level game. Selected first in the second round (25th overall) by 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 ...

in the 1986 NBA draft, he was acquired by the

in a draft day trade that helped turn the team into an Eastern Conference powerhouse.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Price was known as one of the league's most consistent shooters. He finished his career with a 90.4%

free throw In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points by shooting from behind the free-throw line (informally known as the foul line or the charity stripe), a line situated at the end of the restricted area. Free throws ...

shooting percentage and a 40% three-point field goal shooting percentage. During the 1988–89 season, Price became the second player, after

Larry Bird Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend" Bird is widely regarded a ...

, to join the NBA's

50–40–90 club 5 (five) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number, and cardinal number, following 4 and preceding 6, and is a prime number. Humans, and many other animals, have 5 digits on their limbs. Mathematics 5 is a Fermat pri ...

for those who shot at least 40% from three-point range, at least 50% from the field and at least 90% from the free throw line in a single season, and is still one of only eight players to have ever done this while also achieving the NBA league minimum number of makes in each category. Price ranked consistently among the assist leaders (as of March 11, 2015, LeBron James surpassed Price's Cavs record of 4,206 assists, taking over 1st place), twice won the Three Point Contest (in 1993 and 1994), and was a four-time

All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

. Price was named to the All-NBA First Team after the 1992–93 season. Price was second in franchise steals with 734, a Cavaliers record that stood until December 9, 2008, when

LeBron James LeBron Raymone James Sr. ( ; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is the NBA's all-time leading scorer and ...

surpassed him. Another one of Price's distinguishing traits on the court was his pioneering of the splitting of the double team. As former teammate

Steve Kerr Stephen Douglas Kerr (born September 27, 1965) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the United States men's national ...

explains, "Mark really revolutionized the way that people attack the screen and roll. To me, he was the first guy in the NBA who really split the screen and roll. A lot of teams started blitzing the pick and roll and jumping two guys at it to take the ball out of the hands of the point guard. He’d duck right between them and shoot that little runner in the lane. Nobody was doing that at that time. You watch an NBA game now and almost everybody does that. Mark was a pioneer in that regard."

Later career

Price was plagued by injuries late in his career, a factor in his trade to the

prior to the 1995–96 season. He played one season for Washington before moving on to the

, signing with the Warriors as a free agent in July 1996. Price played 70 games for Golden State and averaged 11.3 points per game. On October 28, 1997, Price was traded to the

for David Vaughn III and Brian Shaw. He spent one season with the Magic before being waived on June 30, 1998, effectively ending his career.

National team career

During his career Price represented the United States national team. He played for them in the

1983 Pan American Games The 1983 Pan American Games, officially known as the IX Pan American Games () and commonly known as Caracas 1983, were held in Caracas, Venezuela from August 14 to August 29, 1983. The games were the first major international competition to inclu ...

where the team won gold medals, and also represented the 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 ...

, where they were known as Dream Team II, and won gold medals.

Legacy

Not long after retirement, Price's number, 25, was retired by the

. He is a member of the Georgia, Ohio, and Oklahoma Sports Halls of Fame. The city of

Enid, Oklahoma Enid ( ) is the ninth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is the county seat of Garfield County, Oklahoma, Garfield County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 51,308. Enid was founded during the openin ...

, renamed the basketball arena Mark Price Arena, as a tribute to the NBA player's accomplishments, since he was one of the best basketball athletes in Enid High School history.

Personal life

Price's father Denny was a successful player at

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

and for the

Phillips 66ers The Phillips 66ers (also known as the Oilers) were an amateur basketball team located in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, sponsored and run by the Phillips Petroleum Company. The 66ers were a national phenomenon that grew from a small-town team to an orga ...

, before becoming a college coach for Sam Houston State and

Phillips University Phillips University was a private university in Enid, Oklahoma. It opened in 1906 and closed in 1998. It was affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). It included an undergraduate college and a graduate seminary. The university ...

. His younger brother Brent played ten seasons in the NBA. His daughter Caroline had a short stint in professional tennis after playing for the

North Carolina Tar Heels The North Carolina Tar Heels (also Carolina Tar Heels) are the college sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to ...

. His son Josh played college basketball for Trevecca (2021–2022), after attending and playing two years for Liberty Flames. Price is a Christian and attends church.

Coaching career

Mark Price began his coaching career during the 1998–99 basketball season as a community coach under head coach and friend Joe Marelle at Duluth High School for the varsity boys team. After Marelle discovered he had

non-Hodgkin's lymphoma Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), also known as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, is a group of blood cancers that includes all types of lymphomas except Hodgkin lymphomas. Symptoms include enlarged lymph nodes, fever, night sweats, weight loss, and tire ...

, Price became a primary factor in the team's return trip to the final four of the class 5A GHSA state tournament. It was the first time Duluth High School returned to this point in the state tournament in 16 years. Price then went on to be an assistant coach to Bobby Cremins at Georgia Tech during the 1999–2000 season. After Cremins retired from coaching at Georgia Tech, Price then went on the following year to be the head coach at Whitefield Academy in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

for the 2000–01 season leading the team to a 27–5 record and the final eight teams of the state Class A tournament, a 20 win improvement over the prior season and 27 win improvement two seasons before Price arrived.

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 ...

player Josh Smith also played at Whitefield Academy the same season Price was coach. In 2002, Price won the Coach Wooden "Keys to Life" Award. In 2003, Price was a consultant for 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 ...

. He then became an NBA television analyst and

color commentator 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) ...

for both the

and the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

. In March 2006, Price was named the inaugural head coach of the Australian NBL's South Dragons, a new franchise for the 2006–07 season. Despite the Dragons featuring NBL Rookie of the Year Joe Ingles and four time Olympian Shane Heal they began the season 0-5 and Price was fired. Price and Heal exchanged criticisms in the Australian press after Heal was named as his successor. Price was the shooting consultant for the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the ...

for the 2007–08 season and named the shooting coach for the

for the 2008–09 and 2009–10 seasons. Price helped to improve the Hawks offensive output in their first return to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals in nearly 10 years during the 2009 NBA Playoffs. Price is credited with helping

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

point guard Rajon Rondo improve his jump shot. Rondo's scoring was a key factor in the Celtics reaching the

2010 NBA Finals The 2010 NBA Finals was the NBA Finals, championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2009–10 NBA season, 2009–10 season and conclusion of 2010 NBA playoffs, the season's playoffs, held from June 3 to 17, 2010. A best-of ...

, where they pushed 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 ...

to a full seven-game series. For the 2010–2011 season, Price joined the

as an assistant coach with the primary task of improving the Warriors shooting and free throw percentages. In December 2011, Price was hired as a player development coach for the

. In July 2012, Price served as the head coach of the

's Summer League team. On July 1, 2013, Price was hired as an assistant coach by the Charlotte Bobcats, joining the staff of head coach

Steve Clifford Steven Gerald Clifford (born September 17, 1961) is an American professional basketball coach and executive who serves as a front office advisor for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously served as the ...

and associate head coach

Patrick Ewing Patrick Aloysius Ewing Sr. (born August 5, 1962) is a Jamaican-American basketball coach and former professional player who is a basketball ambassador for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he played most o ...

for the 2013–14 season. On March 25, 2015, Price was introduced as the head coach of the Charlotte 49ers. He replaced Coach

Alan Major Alan M. Major (born June 21, 1968) is an American basketball coach who is the head coach of Patriots BBC of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). He was the head coach at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte from 2010 to 2015. Before be ...

, who parted ways with Charlotte after two medical leaves during the past season. On December 14, 2017, it was announced that Mark Price was relieved of his duties as head coach of the Charlotte 49ers basketball program. In September 2018, he joined the

coaching staff as a shooting consultant for the 2018–19 season.Price to join Nuggets' coaching staff as shooting instructor
SI.com, September 10, 2018

Career statistics

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 1982–83 , style="text-align:left;",

, 28 , , 28 , , 36.4 , , .435 , , .440 , , .877 , , 3.8 , , 3.3 , , 2.0 , , .1 , , 20.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1983–84 , style="text-align:left;",

, 29 , , 29 , , 37.2 , , .509 , , – , , .824 , , 2.1 , , 4.2 , , 1.9 , , – , , 15.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1984–85 , style="text-align:left;",

, 35 , , 35 , , 37.2 , , .483 , , – , , .840 , , 2.0 , , 4.3 , , 1.9 , , .1 , , 16.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1985–86 , style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 34 , , 35.4 , , .528 , , – , , .855 , , 2.8 , , 4.4 , , 1.9 , , .1 , , 17.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 126 , , 126 , , 36.5 , , .487 , , .440 , , .850 , , 2.6 , , 4.0 , , 1.9 , , .1 , , 17.4

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", 1986–87 , style="text-align:left;",

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

, 67 , , 0 , , 18.2 , , .408 , , .329 , , .833 , , 1.7 , , 3.0 , , .6 , , .1 , , 6.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1987–88 , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , 79 , , 32.8 , , .506 , , .486 , , .877 , , 2.3 , , 6.0 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , 16.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1988–89 , style="text-align:left;",

, 75 , , 74 , , 36.4 , , .526 , , .441 , , .901 , , 3.0 , , 8.4 , , 1.5 , , .1 , , 18.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1989–90 , style="text-align:left;",

, 73 , , 73 , , 37.1 , , .459 , , .406 , , .888 , , 3.4 , , 9.1 , , 1.6 , , .1 , , 19.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1990–91 , style="text-align:left;",

, 16 , , 16 , , 35.7 , , .497 , , .340 , , .952 , , 2.8 , , 10.4 , , 2.6 , , .1 , , 16.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1991–92 , style="text-align:left;",

, 72 , , 72 , , 29.7 , , .488 , , .387 , , style="background:#cfecec;", .947* , , 2.4 , , 7.4 , , 1.3 , , .2 , , 17.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1992–93 , style="text-align:left;",

, 75 , , 74 , , 31.7 , , .484 , , .416 , , style="background:#cfecec;", .948* , , 2.7 , , 8.0 , , 1.2 , , .1 , , 18.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1993–94 , style="text-align:left;",

, 76 , , 73 , , 31.4 , , .478 , , .397 , , .888 , , 3.0 , , 7.8 , , 1.4 , , .1 , , 17.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1994–95 , style="text-align:left;",

, 48 , , 34 , , 28.6 , , .413 , , .407 , , .914 , , 2.3 , , 7.0 , , .7 , , .1 , , 15.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1995–96 , 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 ...

, 7 , , 1 , , 18.1 , , .300 , , .333 , , 1.000 , , 1.0 , , 2.6 , , .9 , , .0 , , 8.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1996–97 , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 70 , , 49 , , 26.8 , , .447 , , .396 , , style="background:#cfecec;", .906* , , 2.6 , , 4.9 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , 11.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1997–98 , style="text-align:left;",

Orlando Orlando commonly refers to: * Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States Orlando may also refer to: People * Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name * Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...

, 63 , , 33 , , 22.7 , , .431 , , .335 , , .845 , , 2.0 , , 4.7 , , .8 , , .1 , , 9.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 722 , , 578 , , 29.9 , , .472 , , .402 , , .904 , , 2.6 , , 6.7 , , 1.2 , , .1 , , 15.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 4 , , 0 , , 20.0 , , .514 , , .474 , , .900 , , 1.5 , , 3.3 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , 13.5

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;", 1988 , style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , 5 , , 41.0 , , .567 , , .417 , , .960 , , 3.6 , , 7.6 , , .6 , , .0 , , 21.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

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

, 4 , , 4 , , 39.5 , , .386 , , .375 , , .933 , , 3.3 , , 5.5 , , .8 , , .0 , , 16.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

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

, 5 , , 5 , , 38.4 , , .525 , , .353 , , 1.000 , , 2.8 , , 8.8 , , 1.8 , , .2 , , 20.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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 ...

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

, 17 , , 17 , , 35.5 , , .496 , , .362 , , .904 , , 2.5 , , 7.5 , , 1.4 , , .2 , , 19.2 , - , 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;",

, 9 , , 9 , , 32.0 , , .443 , , .308 , , .958 , , 2.1 , , 6.1 , , 1.7 , , .0 , , 13.0 , - , 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;",

, 3 , , 3 , , 34.0 , , .349 , , .222 , , .929 , , 2.0 , , 4.7 , , 1.3 , , .0 , , 15.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

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

, 4 , , 4 , , 35.8 , , .300 , , .235 , , .970 , , 3.0 , , 6.5 , , 1.5 , , .0 , , 15.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 47 , , 47 , , 36.0 , , .464 , , .337 , , style="background:#e0cef2;", .944 , , 2.6 , , 7.0 , , 1.4 , , .1 , , 17.4

Head coaching record

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Price, Mark 1964 births Living people 1994 FIBA World Championship players All-American college men's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Australia American men's basketball players American people of Choctaw descent Atlanta Hawks assistant coaches Atlanta Hawks announcers Basketball coaches from Oklahoma Basketball players from Oklahoma Charlotte 49ers men's basketball coaches Charlotte Bobcats assistant coaches Charlotte Hornets assistant coaches Cleveland Cavaliers players College men's basketball head coaches in the United States Dallas Mavericks draft picks Denver Nuggets assistant coaches Enid High School alumni Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball coaches Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball players Golden State Warriors assistant coaches Golden State Warriors players High school basketball coaches in Georgia (U.S. state) NBA All-Stars NBA players with retired numbers National Basketball League (Australia) coaches Orlando Magic players Sportspeople from Bartlesville, Oklahoma Point guards Sportspeople from Enid, Oklahoma United States men's national basketball team players Washington Bullets players Basketball players at the 1983 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1983 Pan American Games Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in basketball 20th-century American sportsmen

College career

College records

Professional career

Cleveland Cavaliers

Later career

National team career

Legacy

Personal life

Coaching career

Career statistics

College

NBA

Regular season

Playoffs

Head coaching record

See also

References

External links