Steven Hanson Blake (born February 26, 1980) is an American 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 ...

coach and former player. After winning the 2002 NCAA Championship with

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, Blake was selected by 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 ...

with the 38th overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft. Over his 13-year NBA career, Blake had stints with the Wizards,

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

, and three stints with the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (N ...

High school career

Blake spent his freshman and sophomore year at Miami Killian High School and then transferred to Miami High School, where he played with another future NBA player,

Udonis Haslem Udonis Johneal Haslem ( ; born June 9, 1980) is an American professional basketball executive and former player. He is the vice president of basketball development for the Miami Heat, where he List of NBA players who have spent their entire caree ...

. Miami won consecutive state championships, but after the

Miami New Times The ''Miami New Times'' is a newspaper published in Miami, Florida, United States, and distributed every Thursday. It primarily serves the Miami metropolitan area, and is headquartered in Miami's Wynwood Art District. Overview It was acquired ...

exposed the fact that Blake and other players, under head coach Frank Martin (himself later an NCAA Final Four coach), were using fake addresses to enroll in the school, the Stingarees were forced to forfeit their entire 1998 schedule. After the FHSAA banned him from playing for any public high school in Florida again, Blake attended Oak Hill Academy before enrolling at the University of Maryland.

College career

After high school, Blake attended the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the Univ ...

. Blake was the team's starter from the first game of his freshman year and was the first ACC player to compile 1,000 points, 800 assists, 400 rebounds and 200 steals. He finished his career 5th in NCAA all-time career assists with 972. Widely known for his superb passing ability, Blake helped lead the Terrapins to a

Final Four In sports, the final four is the last four teams remaining in a playoffs, playoff tournament. Usually the final four compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final (penultimate) round. Of these teams, the two who win in ...

appearance (2001) and the 2002

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. ...

championship; less well known for his scoring, Blake did average 11.6 points per game in his senior year. He averaged over six assists per game in each of his four years, including averages of 7.9 and 7.1 in 2002 and 2003, respectively. For his efforts, he was named to a variety of all-ACC teams during his career, including the rookie and defensive squads, capped by a first-team All-ACC spot his senior year. At the start of the 2003–04 basketball season, Blake's uniform number (25) became only the 15th to be retired to the rafters of Maryland's Comcast Center.

Professional career

Washington Wizards (2003–2005)

Blake was selected by the

with the 38th pick in the 2003 NBA draft. He averaged 5.9 points, 2.8 assists, and 18.6 minutes per game while playing in 75 games his rookie season with the Wizards. In his second season Blake's playing time decreased to 14.7 minutes and only 44 games played.

Portland Trail Blazers (2005–2006)

In September 2005, Blake (then a

restricted free agent A restricted free agent (RFA) is a type of free agent in some sports leagues, such as the National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), and National Basketball Association (NBA). Such players have special restrictions on the term ...

with the Wizards) was offered a contract by the Portland Trail Blazers, which the Wizards declined to match. This became the second reunion with former Maryland Terrapin and Washington Wizards backcourt teammate Juan Dixon, who also signed with the Trail Blazers in the 2005 off-season. In Blake's first season with the Blazers, he became a starter and played a significant role when Sebastian Telfair was injured. Blake's playing time increased from 14.7 minutes and 44 games with only one start in 2004–05 to 26.2 minutes and 68 games with 57 starts in 05–06. Blake reestablished himself as a terrific passer and fundamental point guard claiming third in 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 ...

in assist-to-turnover ratio. He also increased his field goal percentage by 11%.

Milwaukee Bucks (2006–2007)

In July 2006, Blake was traded (along with Brian Skinner and Ha Seung-Jin) to the

for Jamaal Magloire.

Denver Nuggets (2007)

On January 11, 2007, Blake was traded to the

in return for Earl Boykins and Julius Hodge. Blake started in 40 of the 50 remaining games of the Nuggets' 2006–07 season, and in five playoff games in a 4–1 first-round loss to the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

Second Portland Trail Blazers stint (2007–2010)

Blake became an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2007, and agreed to a three-year deal with the

on July 13, 2007. The 2008–09 season saw a rise in Blake's numbers. Through his first 38 games, he averaged a career-high 11.7 points per game, while also achieving career highs in free throw percentage and three-point percentage. On February 22, 2009, Blake tied an NBA record with 14 assists in the first quarter of a game against the

Los Angeles Clippers (2010)

On February 17, 2010, Blake was traded to the

with Travis Outlaw and $1.5 million in cash for

Marcus Camby Marcus Dion Camby (born March 22, 1974) is an American former professional basketball player who played 17 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was named Defensive Player of the Year during the 2006–07 NBA season, leading ...

Los Angeles Lakers (2010–2014)

On July 8, 2010, Blake officially signed a four-year $16 million contract with the

. In his first season for the Lakers, Blake averaged 4 points in 20 minutes per game. He missed games due to

chicken pox Chickenpox, also known as varicella ( ), is a highly contagious disease caused by varicella zoster virus (VZV), a member of the herpesvirus family. The disease results in a characteristic skin rash that forms small, itchy blisters, which ...

. In his second season, he averaged 5.2 points in 23.2 minutes per game. He also played 5 of 53 games as a starter. He dealt with a costochondral fracture (fractured cartilage connecting the rib to the sternum). Statistically, he was a disappointment in those first two seasons under coach

Phil Jackson Philip Douglas Jackson (born September 17, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Jackson is a 13-time NBA champion, having won two as a player and 11 as ...

's triangle offense and then coach Mike Brown's post-up offense, neither of which catered to his natural read-and-react skills. In the 2012–13 season, his training camp was spoiled when he punctured his foot stepping on a spike strip in a beach parking lot. In November 2012, Blake was fined $25,000 by the NBA for inappropriate language towards a fan. He started five straight games after a knee injury to starter

Steve Nash Stephen John Nash (born 7 February 1974) is a Canadian professional basketball coach and former player who most recently served as head coach of the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 18 seasons in the NBA, ...

. However, Blake was sidelined starting in November after suffering an abdominal strain that required surgery. He experienced groin problems during his recovery before returning in late January after missing 37 games. He was more comfortable playing under 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 ...

, who had replaced Brown early in the season. In the playoffs that season, Blake left Game 2 in the first round against San Antonio after injuring his right hamstring and was declared out indefinitely.

Golden State Warriors (2014)

On February 19, 2014, Blake was traded to the

in exchange for

MarShon Brooks MarShon Scitif Brooks (born January 26, 1989) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Standing at , he plays at shooting guard and small forward ...

and Kent Bazemore.

Third Portland Trail Blazers stint (2014–2015)

On July 10, 2014, Blake signed with the Portland Trail Blazers to a reported two-year, $4.2 million deal. On February 20, 2015, Blake changed his jersey number from #25 to #5 in a tribute to Jerome Kersey who died two days prior. On June 19, 2015, Blake exercised his player option with the Trail Blazers for the 2015–16 season.

Detroit Pistons (2015–2016)

On June 25, 2015, Blake was traded, along with the draft rights to Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, to the

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), ...

in exchange for

Mason Plumlee Mason Alexander Plumlee (born March 5, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He primarily plays the forward and center positions. As a freshman in 2009–10, he was ...

and the draft rights to Pat Connaughton. On July 13, 2015, he was traded to the

in exchange for Quincy Miller. Blake's final NBA game was played in Game 4 of the 2016 Eastern Conference First Round on April 26, 2016. The Pistons would lose the game 98–100 to 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 ...

with Blake recording 3 points, 2 assists and 1 rebound.

Sydney Kings (2016)

On October 22, 2016, Blake signed with the

Sydney Kings The Sydney Kings are an Australian men's professional basketball team competing in the National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball League (NBL). The team is based in Sydney, New South Wales, and play their home games at Qudos Ba ...

for the rest of the 2016–17 NBL season. He made his debut for the Kings on October 30, recording 12 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals in an 87–78 win over the

Brisbane Bullets The Brisbane Bullets are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL) based in Brisbane, Queensland. They competed from 1979 to 2008, and returned to the league in 2016. Brisbane were one of ten NBL ...

. On November 28, he was granted leave by the Kings and returned to the United States indefinitely to address a private family matter. On December 6, Blake announced that he would not be returning to Sydney, effectively ending his stint with the Kings. In nine games for the Kings, he averaged 5.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.

Coaching career

Portland Trail Blazers (2017–2019)

On September 27, 2017, Blake was reported to have joined the

as a coaching intern. For the 2018–19 season, Blake was promoted to an on-court assistant for the Trail Blazers.

Phoenix Suns (2019–2020)

On June 26, 2019, Blake was hired as an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns. On July 18, 2020, Suns head coach

Monty Williams Tavares Montgomery Williams (born October 8, 1971) is an American professional basketball coach, executive, and former player of the National Basketball Association (NBA) who is the head coach of the TMI Episcopal’s boys basketball team. He pre ...

announced that Blake was no longer with the team.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , , align="left" , Washington , 75 , , 14 , , 18.6 , , .386 , , .371 , , .821 , , 1.6 , , 2.8 , , .8 , , .1 , , 5.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Washington , 44 , , 1 , , 14.7 , , .328 , , .387 , , .805 , , 1.6 , , 1.6 , , .3 , , .0 , , 4.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Portland , 68 , , 57 , , 26.2 , , .438 , , .413 , , .791 , , 2.1 , , 4.5 , , .6 , , .1 , , 8.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, 33 , , 2 , , 17.7 , , .349 , , .279 , , .550 , , 1.4 , , 2.5 , , .3 , , .1 , , 3.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, 49 , , 40 , , 33.5 , , .432 , , .343 , , .727 , , 2.5 , , 6.6 , , 1.0 , , .1 , , 8.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Portland , 81 , , 78 , , 29.9 , , .408 , , .406 , , .766 , , 2.4 , , 5.1 , , .7 , , .0 , , 8.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Portland , 69 , , 69 , , 31.7 , , .428 , , .427 , , .840 , , 2.5 , , 5.0 , , 1.0 , , .1 , , 11.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Portland , 51 , , 28 , , 27.4 , , .403 , , .377 , , .750 , , 2.3 , , 4.0 , , .7 , , .0 , , 7.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , L.A. Clippers , 29 , , 10 , , 26.3 , , .443 , , .437 , , .750 , , 2.4 , , 6.1 , , .7 , , .1 , , 6.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , L.A. Lakers , 79 , , 0 , , 20.0 , , .359 , , .378 , , .867 , , 2.0 , , 2.2 , , .5 , , .0 , , 4.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , L.A. Lakers , 53 , , 5 , , 23.3 , , .377 , , .335 , , .778 , , 1.6 , , 3.3 , , .7 , , .0 , , 5.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , L.A. Lakers , 45 , , 13 , , 26.1 , , .422 , , .421 , , .771 , , 2.9 , , 3.8 , , .8 , , .1 , , 7.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , L.A. Lakers , 27 , , 27 , , 33.0 , , .378 , , .397 , , .800 , , 3.8 , , 7.6 , , 1.3 , , .1 , , 9.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Golden State , 28 , , 1 , , 21.7 , , .375 , , .342 , , .625 , , 2.0 , , 3.6 , , .7 , , .2 , , 4.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Portland , 81 , , 0 , , 18.9 , , .373 , , .352 , , .707 , , 1.7 , , 3.6 , , .5 , , .1 , , 4.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, 58 , , 2 , , 17.0 , , .388 , , .344 , , .800 , , 1.5 , , 3.4 , , .4 , , .1 , , 4.4 , - , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 870 , , 347 , , 23.9 , , .401 , , .383 , , .779 , , 2.1 , , 4.0 , , .7 , , .1 , , 6.5

Playoffs

, - , align="left" ,

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

, align="left" , Washington , 4 , , 0 , , 4.3 , , .250 , , .000 , , .000 , , .8 , , .5 , , .0 , , .0 , , .5 , - , align="left" ,

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

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, 5 , , 5 , , 36.0 , , .452 , , .500 , , .000 , , 2.4 , , 4.6 , , .6 , , .0 , , 7.2 , - , align="left" ,

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

, align="left" , Portland , 6 , , 6 , , 38.5 , , .489 , , .417 , , .714 , , 4.0 , , 6.2 , , .8 , , .0 , , 9.8 , - , align="left" ,

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

, align="left" , L.A. Lakers , 9 , , 0 , , 16.1 , , .304 , , .333 , , .000 , , 1.6 , , 2.2 , , .6 , , .0 , , 2.2 , - , align="left" ,

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, align="left" , L.A. Lakers , 12 , , 0 , , 25.5 , , .419 , , .419 , , .714 , , 2.8 , , 2.3 , , .7 , , .2 , , 6.3 , - , align="left" ,

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

, align="left" , L.A. Lakers , 2 , , 2 , , 37.5 , , .393 , , .417 , , 1.000 , , 4.0 , , 2.5 , , 2.0 , , 1.5 , , 14.0 , - , align="left" ,

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, align="left" , Golden State , 6 , , 0 , , 7.5 , , .333 , , .300 , , .000 , , .7 , , .3 , , .0 , , .0 , , 1.8 , - , align="left" ,

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

, align="left" , Portland , 5 , , 0 , , 8.6 , , .182 , , .125 , , 1.000 , , .2 , , 1.6 , , .0 , , .2 , , 1.4 , - , align="left" ,

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...