Renaldo Miguel Balkman (born July 14, 1984) is a Puerto Rican 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 for

Vaqueros de Bayamón The ''vaquero'' (; , ) is a horse-mounted livestock herder of a tradition that has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula and extensively developed in what what is today Mexico (then New Spain) and Spanish Florida from a method brought to the Americ ...

of the

Baloncesto Superior Nacional The Baloncesto Superior Nacional, abbreviated as BSN, is the first-tier-level professional men's basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1929 and is organized by the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation. T ...

(BSN). 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

University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...

before being selected with the 20th overall pick of the 2006 NBA draft by the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

. After spending six seasons with the New York Knicks and

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 ...

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), since the 2012–13 season, he has been playing internationally. He has represented the Puerto Rican national team.

Early life and education

Balkman was born in

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...

, New York, and prior to attending Laurinburg Institute, he was at IMG Academy in

Bradenton, Florida Bradenton ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Manatee County, Florida, Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city's population is 55,698, up from 49,546 at the 2010 census. It is a pri ...

. At Laurinburg, he led his team to 40–2 record and No. 1 national prep school ranking.

College career

Recruitment

Balkman was a little known player in high school at the Laurinburg Institute, but he was discovered in 2002 by

head coach Dave Odom, who instantly saw his potential. According to Odom, "I remember the first time I saw Renaldo Balkman. I was sitting in Orlando in a gym with (South Carolina assistant coach) Barry Sanderson and I asked him 'who is that kid with the dreadlocks? That's the guy we need'. He came back and said nobody knows his name." Balkman was recruited and signed by Carolina, having received little to no interest from any other major basketball programs.

Playing career

Balkman played an integral role in South Carolina's two wins over eventual national champion Florida during the 2005–06 college basketball season. He was also the 2006 NIT Most Valuable Player, averaging 9.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.3 blocks per game. Balkman's highlight for the season was a team-leading 28-point, 16-rebound, 4-steal performance in a 67–56 win over

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

on February 14, 2006. He was 11 of 15 from the field and also had a team-high 2 blocks. For Balkman, a defensive banger whose style Knicks general manager

Isiah Thomas Isiah Lord Thomas III ( ; born April 30, 1961), also known as "Zeke", is an American former professional basketball player who is head coach of the Saginaw Soul of the Basketball Super League, and also an analyst for NBA TV and Fox Sports. H ...

had likened to

Dennis Rodman Dennis Keith Rodman (born May 13, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. Renowned for his defensive and rebounding abilities, his biography on the official NBA website states that he is "arguably the best rebounding forw ...

and

Ron Artest Metta Sandiford-Artest (born Ronald William Artest Jr., November 13, 1979), previously legally named Metta World Peace, is an American former professional basketball player who played 19 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Un ...

, the 2006 NIT MVP award was a fitting capper to a three-year college career that produced 7.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and a .553 shooting average.

Professional career

NBA draft

The Knicks' choice of Balkman in the first round surprised many, notably ESPN's Jay Bilas, who noted that projected lottery pick Marcus Williams was still available as well as future

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 ...

guard Rajon Rondo. ESPN columnist

Bill Simmons William John Simmons III (born September 25, 1969) is an American podcaster, Sports journalism, sportswriter, and cultural critic who is the founder and CEO of the sports and pop culture website ''The Ringer (website), The Ringer''. Simmons fir ...

, among others, joked that perhaps

thought he was drafting Rolando Blackman, a former Knicks player and NBA All-Star. However, other analysts praised Balkman's work ethic and attitude, as he had transformed himself from a relatively unknown player into a first-round NBA draft pick over the course of a few months. There was further controversy when Thomas claimed that the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

were prepared to take him; the Suns claimed that he was not even "on

heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Offi ...

radar". In the NBA's official draft guide, which was released to all reporters covering the draft, Balkman was not included in the list of the 300 top players eligible to be drafted in the 2006–07 rookie class. However, the Knicks selected Balkman with their first of two draft picks, which was 20th overall. The Knicks later selected Mardy Collins with the 29th pick. It has also been speculated that Thomas and the Knicks selected Balkman because his agent, Andre Buck, who worked with Leon Rose, who was the agent of the then soon-to-be free agent

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 ...

. In the

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Summer League before the 2006–07 season, Balkman averaged 7.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.4 steals, 1 block and 2.4 turnovers during the span of 5 games. He played along Knick teammates Channing Frye, David Lee,

Nate Robinson Nathaniel Cornelius Robinson (born May 31, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. Born in Seattle, Robinson played college basketball for the University of Washington in Seattle and was the 21st pick in the 2005 NBA draft. ...

and Mardy Collins, also represented by Buck.

New York Knicks

During his first season, Balkman played in 68 games, averaging 15.6 minutes, 4.9 points, and 4.3 rebounds. He logged four double-doubles and showed promise, particularly on the defensive end where he was called upon to guard multiple positions, from shooting guard to center. The press praised Balkman, describing him as a "sparkplug off the bench" and a "crowd favorite for his hustle and enthusiastic defense," though he was criticized for his poor outside shooting. Balkman also led the league's rookies in steals plus blocks per 48 minutes. The 2007–08 season saw a decline in most of Balkman's stats. He played in 65 games, averaging 14.6 minutes, 3.4 points, and 3.3 rebounds per game.

Denver Nuggets

On July 28, 2008, Balkman was traded to the

along with cash considerations in exchange for Taurean Green, Bobby Jones, and a second-round pick in the 2010 draft. The Knicks quickly waived both Green and Jones, solidifying the fact that the deal was a salary dump. Knicks coach

Mike D'Antoni Michael Andrew D'Antoni (born May 8, 1951) is an American-Italian professional basketball coach and former player who most recently served as a coaching advisor for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). While h ...

stated, "Renaldo really had no role after we drafted (Danilo) Gallinari, and with the emergence of Wilson Chandler his minutes would be nonexistent, so it really wasn’t fair to him to keep him in a spot that he wouldn’t play and also gives us an opportunity to clear up a roster spot and move on." Said Balkman, "I'm going to make the best of my opportunity. New York was great, but that's in my past now. Denver is my future." During the 2008–09 season, Balkman played in 53 games, averaging 5.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. He also started 10 games, after Kenyon Martin was injured. His best game was on March 14, 2009, against 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 ...

. Balkman scored a double-double, with 22 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Balkman barely played during the 2009–10 season, averaging 1.1 points and 1.8 rebounds in 7 minutes per game. He only played in 13 games, never scoring in double figures. Balkman again began the 2010–11 season as part of the Nuggets bench. He was scarcely used, playing in only 5 games, and averaging 2.6 points and 0.8 rebounds per game. His most notable game was on December 29, 2010, against the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...

, where he scored 10 points in 19 minutes, including four dunks.

Back to New York

On February 22, 2011, Balkman was reacquired by the

in a blockbuster trade which also brought Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams, and Anthony Carter to New York. However, Balkman only played in three games after returning to New York. Balkman rarely saw game time during the 2011–12 season, playing only in 14 games, and averaging 3 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. He was released by the team on February 17, 2012, to make room on the roster for Jeremy Lin.

Philippines

On January 9, 2013, Balkman signed with the Petron Blaze Boosters of the

Philippine Basketball Association The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines, composed of twelve company-branded Franchising, franchise teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia ...

to play in the 2013 Commissioner's Cup. On March 8, 2013, in a game against the Alaska Aces for a battle to earn the top spot, Balkman had a major outburst when he claimed he was fouled after shooting an airball inside the paint. Balkman argued with the referees, but when his argument was ignored, he shoved referees and pushed coaches and teammates that tried to calm him. After physically confronting the first referee, assistant coach Biboy Ravanes tried to calm him down but Balkman shoved Ravanes out of the way. After this, he moved to the second referee and again argued and initiated contact. At this point, Ronald Tubid, a teammate of Balkman, tried to get between him and the second referee. Balkman then moved to the third official, while being shadowed by Tubid, until he shoved Tubid out of the way. This is when another teammate, Arwind Santos, tried to intervene by putting himself between the third referee and Balkman. However, Balkman continued with his aggressive behavior, slapping Santos' arm and eventually shoving him. When Santos pushed him back, Balkman pushed him once again and then grabbed Santos' neck as their teammates tried to separate them. Balkman later apologized via his

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

account. He said he apologized to his teammates, Santos and Santos' family as well as the team's management, and added, "Everybody does something once in a life, they're not supposed to do. At the time I blanked out and went at it. ..It's my first time ever in my entire life to do that." On March 11, 2013, Balkman was banned from the PBA. He was also fined P250,000. In seven games for Petron, Balkman averaged 25 points, 13.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.7 blocks per game. On March 27, 2018, the lifetime ban was lifted by the PBA, after gaining the approval from Santos, former commissioner

Chito Salud Angelico Tiu Salud (born June 17, 1962), better known as Chito Salud, is a Filipino lawyer and sports executive who currently serves as team governor of the Converge Fiber Xers in PBA. He was the first president and CEO of the Philippine Basket ...

and incumbent commissioner Willie Marcial.

Latin America

On March 27, 2013, Balkman signed with Guaiqueríes de Margarita of the

Liga Profesional de Baloncesto The Superliga Profesional de Baloncesto, commonly known as the SPB, is the Venezuelan first division national professional basketball league. Founded in 1974 as the Liga Especial de Baloncesto, it adopted the name Liga Profesional de Baloncesto i ...

. He left Guaiqueríes after 13 games. On May 1, 2013, Balkman signed with Brujos de Guayama of the

. On September 30, 2013, Balkman signed with 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 ...

. However, he was later waived by the Mavericks on October 22, 2013. In December 2013, Balkman signed with Halcones Rojos Veracruz of Mexico for the rest of the 2013–14 season. In April 2014, Balkman joined

Capitanes de Arecibo The Capitanes de Arecibo are a Puerto Rican professional basketball team based in Arecibo that competes in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN) league. In 2010, the team also had the distinction to play in the Premier Basketball League (PBL) ...

for the 2014 BSN season.

Texas Legends

On October 24, 2014, Balkman re-signed with the Dallas Mavericks, only to be waived the next day. On November 3, 2014, he was acquired by the Texas Legends as an affiliate player.

Puerto Rico / Mexico

On March 8, 2015, Balkman left Texas and returned to Capitanes de Arecibo. On December 15, 2015, Balkman left Arecibo to sign with

Fuerza Regia The Fuerza Regia de Monterrey (''Monterrey Royal Force'' in English) is a Mexican professional basketball team based in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico playing in the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP). They currently play their home g ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

, but was released on December 28 after leaving the club without notification.

Return to the Philippines

On January 1, 2018, Balkman returned to the Philippines, playing for ASEAN Basketball League side San Miguel Alab Pilipinas. He, together with Barangay Ginebra import Justin Brownlee replaced Reggie Okosa and Ivan Johnson (who, like Balkman, had a controversial stint in the country's domestic league, the PBA, and was also once banned from) as imports for the team.

Latin America

On January 19, 2021, Balkman signed with Real Estalí of Nicaragua in the 2nd season of the

BCL Americas The Basketball Champions League Americas (BCLA) (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Liga de Campeones de Baloncesto de las Américas'', Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Liga dos Campeões de Basquetebol das Américas'') is Americas, Pan-America's pr ...

ABL invitational

In February 2023, Balkman signed with Zamboanga Valientes to play at the ASEAN Basketball League invitational tournament.

National team career

2010 Centrobasket

In the 2010 Centrobasket held in the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

, Balkman helped

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

win the gold medal after defeating

89–80. Balkman was the top rebounder for Puerto Rico, with eight.

2010 Central American Games

In the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games held in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, Balkman helped Puerto Rico defeat Mexico 82–77 to win the gold medal.

2011 Pan American Games

In the

2011 Pan American Games The 2011 Pan American Games, officially the XVI Pan American Games () and commonly known as Guadalajara 2011, were an international multi-sport event held from October 14–30, 2011, in Guadalajara, Mexico. Some events were held in the nearby c ...

held in Guadalajara, Mexico, Balkman helped Puerto Rico defeat Mexico 74–72 to win the gold medal. He recorded 28 points and 12 rebounds in the win.

2013 FIBA Americas Championship

Balkman played at the 2013 FIBA Americas Championship, where he won a silver medal. He was named to the All-Tournament Team.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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, 5 , , 0 , , 8.8 , , .556 , , .000 , , .750 , , .8 , , .4 , , .6 , , .4 , , 2.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , New York , 3 , , 0 , , 6.0 , , .250 , , .500 , , .000 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .3 , , .0 , , 1.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , New York , 14 , , 0 , , 8.2 , , .500 , , .222 , , .727 , , 1.9 , , .4 , , .3 , , .2 , , 3.0 , - , align="left" , Career , align="left" , , 221 , , 12 , , 13.9 , , .510 , , .172 , , .542 , , 3.5 , , .6 , , .7 , , .5 , , 4.0

Playoffs

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Domestic leagues

References

External links