Michael Graham (born July 14, 1963)1994–95 Official CBA Guide and Register, page 286 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. He is known for his college career at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

, where he appeared on the cover of

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 ...

magazine after helping the Hoyas to the 1984 NCAA championship. Graham, a 6'9" power forward from

Spingarn High School Joel Elias Spingarn High School was a public high school located in the District of Columbia, United States. Founded in 1952, the school was the last segregated high school built in Washington, D.C. The school closed in 2013, and in 2023 the sit ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, signed with future

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

coach John Thompson at Georgetown. As a freshman in 1983–84, Graham became a key player for the Hoyas. He provided rugged defense and rebounding, appearing in all but two of the team's 37 games – starting 17. While his regular season statistics were pedestrian, Graham became a key player for the Hoyas in their quest for a national championship. In the 1984 Final Four, Graham scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and led the Hoyas to a victory over the

Houston Cougars The Houston Cougars are the athletic teams representing the University of Houston. Informally, the Houston Cougars have also been referred to as the Coogs, UH, or simply Houston. Houston's nickname was suggested by early physical education inst ...

for the national championship. In the championship game, Graham scored 14 points on 7–9 shooting and was one of two Georgetown players to be named to the All-Final Four team along with Most Outstanding Player

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 ...

. Following the championship win, Graham – whose fiery demeanor and shaved head were seen as personifying the Hoyas' aggressive playing style – appeared on the cover of ''Sports Illustrated'' magazine. Following the championship season, Graham had academic difficulties and was suspended from the Georgetown team. He ultimately transferred to the

University of the District of Columbia The University of the District of Columbia (UDC) is a public historically black land-grant university in Washington, D.C., United States. The only public university in the city, it traces its origins to 1851 and opened in its current form in 1 ...

in an attempt to play Division II basketball, but ultimately declared for the

1986 NBA draft The 1986 NBA draft was held on June 17, 1986. Overview and aftermath This draft holds the record for the most players (out of prospects chosen) who later debuted in the NBA, with 66. Drug and health issues involving drafted players There were ...

without playing a game for the Firebirds. Graham was drafted by the

Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly shortened to Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Division (1967–1970), and ...

in the fourth round of the draft (76th pick overall), but did not make the Sonics' final roster. He played several seasons in 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 ...

(CBA), for 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 ...

, Charleston Gunners,

Wyoming Wildcatters The Wyoming Wildcatters were a professional basketball team based in Casper, Wyoming. They played 6 seasons in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), the defunct development league for the National Basketball Association (NBA). They manage ...

, Rochester Flyers,

Tulsa Fast Breakers The Savannah Spirits were a professional basketball team that played for two years in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) from 1986 to 1988, amassing a total regular season record of 42 wins and 60 losses for a total of 306.5 points. The ...

and

Columbus Horizon The Columbus Horizon is a defunct basketball team from Columbus, Ohio that played for five seasons in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) from 1989 to 1994. History Plans to bring professional basketball to Columbus were unveiled in Sept ...

. In his four CBA seasons, Graham averaged 7.8

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and 6.6 rebounds per game. Graham also played in Europe and South America.

References

External links

College statistics and bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Graham, Michael 1963 births Living people Albany Patroons players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Washington, D.C. Charleston Gunners players Columbus Horizon players Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball players Power forwards Rochester Flyers players Seattle SuperSonics draft picks Tulsa Fast Breakers players Wyoming Wildcatters players 20th-century American sportsmen