Theophalus Curtis Ratliff (born April 17, 1973) 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 who played 16 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). Born in

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 ...

, Ratliff played for and graduated from the

University of Wyoming The University of Wyoming (UW) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Laramie, Wyoming, United States. It was founded in March 1886, four years before the territory was admitted as the 44th state, ...

, before being selected by the

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 ...

in the 1995 NBA draft. He also played for the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

, 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 ...

, 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 ...

, the

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), ...

, 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 ...

, the Detroit Pistons, 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 ...

, the Charlotte Bobcats and 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 ...

. Primarily a center, he was widely regarded as an excellent shot-blocker and led the league three times in blocks per game. , he was ranked 20th all-time in career blocks.

College career

Recruited by Benny Dees, Ratliff played for the Wyoming Cowboys beginning in 1991. He saw limited playing time his freshman year, playing with frontcourt upperclassmen Brian Rewers, Reggie Slater, and Tim Breaux. Following Slater and Breaux's graduations, Ratliff saw increased playing time his sophomore season, and would establish himself as Wyoming's starting center for his junior and senior year. During his senior year, Ratliff accumulated 144 blocks in 28 games, averaging 5.14 per game. Ratliff finished his college career as the second leading shot blocker in NCAA Division I history behind only Alonzo Mourning. His 425 blocked shots in his career as a Cowboy still stands as the most in school history, . Ratliff was inducted into the University of Wyoming Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005.

NBA career

Ratliff was selected with the 18th overall pick in the 1995 NBA draft by the

, for whom he played 2½ seasons. In December 1997, Ratliff alongside teammate Aaron McKie, were traded to the

in exchange for Eric Montross and Jerry Stackhouse. In Detroit, Ratliff had played mostly off the bench; Sixers first year coach Larry Brown immediately inserted Ratliff into his starting lineup and Ratliff's usage and production went up. On March 22, 1998, Ratliff scored a career-high 27 points during a 108–90 loss against the

. In his first full season in Philadelphia, Ratliff posted 11.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game, while being named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. Alongside McKie, Eric Snow and Allen Iverson, they helped lead Philadelphia to the playoffs for the first time in eight years, where they would win the opening series against the Orlando Magic before falling to the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the playoffs. The following season, Ratliff only played 57 games due to a stress fracture in his left ankle, but averaged 11.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game to help the Sixers back to the playoffs, where they would again lose to the Indiana Pacers in the second round. Ratliff was voted to his first All-Star Game in 2001, averaging 12.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, and a league-leading 3.7 blocks per game. Ratliff however was injured just prior to the All Star game and unable to play, instead requiring season-ending surgery. On February 22, Ratliff was traded to the

with Toni Kukoč, Nazr Mohammed, and Pepe Sánchez for Roshown McLeod and

Dikembe Mutombo Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo (June 25, 1966 – September 30, 2024) was a Congolese-American professional basketball player. He played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Mount Mutombo ...

. Though a fan favorite in Philadelphia and arguably a better fit for the team than Mutombo, Larry Brown decided to move forward with the trade once it was determined Ratliff would not be back in time for the playoffs. The 2000–01 Sixers would eventually make it to that season's NBA Finals after starting 36–14 with Ratliff and finishing 15–11 with Mutombo in his place. Ratliff played just three games due to a hip injury the following season. Coming off back-to-back season ending injuries, Ratliff responded by averaging 8.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and a league-leading 3.2 blocks in 81 games during the 2002–03 season. Midway through the 2003–04 season, he was dealt to the

, along with Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Dan Dickau, for Rasheed Wallace and Wesley Person. Due to the timing of the trade and how far Atlanta and Portland were into their respective 82 game schedules, Ratliff would end up achieving an NBA rarity by playing 85 games in the season. He also posted 307 blocks for the year; as of 2023, this is the only season a player eclipsed 300 blocks for a year since Dikembe Mutombo in 1996. Despite being traded, this would represent Ratliff's best individual season; for the third time in four seasons he led the NBA in blocks, and for the second time in his career he was named to the

NBA All-Defensive Second Team The NBA All-Defensive Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1968–69 NBA season to the best defensive players during the regular season. The All-Defensive Team is generally composed of ten players in two ...

. After the season, he signed a three-year contract extension with the Blazers. Ratliff missed games over the next two seasons dealing with nagging injuries, and eventually lost his starting job to Joel Przybilla. In June 2006, the

acquired Ratliff along with Sebastian Telfair from the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for the draft rights of Randy Foye, power forward–center Raef LaFrentz, and point guard Dan Dickau. In July 2007, he was traded along with Gerald Green, Ryan Gomes, Al Jefferson, Sebastian Telfair, and draft picks, to the

for

Kevin Garnett Kevin Maurice Garnett ( ; born May 19, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player who played 21 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Big Ticket," Garnett is considered one of the greatest power f ...

. In February 2008 Ratliff was waived by the Timberwolves, and he rejoined the

in March. In Detroit, Ratliff returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2000, as the Pistons advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals. Ratliff signed with the 76ers for 2008–09 season. Returning to Philadelphia now a veteran on the relatively young team, Ratliff was named team captain along Andre Miller and

Andre Iguodala Andre Tyler Iguodala ( ; born January 28, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player who played for 19 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The swingman was an NBA All-Star in 2012 and was named to the NBA All ...

. In the offseason he was signed by the

. In February 2010, he was traded to the Charlotte Bobcats for a projected second round draft pick in 2016. This reunited him with former Sixers, now Bobcats coach Larry Brown; the frontcourt rotation of Ratliff, Tyson Chandler and Boris Diaw helped the Bobcats to the number one ranked defense in the NBA, their first ever winning record, and first playoff appearance in team history. Ratliff was signed by the

on July 22, 2010, to a one-year deal. Prior to the 2011-12 season, Ratliff announced he was retiring.

Awards and honors

Ratliff won numerous awards during his career. The following are some of his collegiate achievements: * First Team All-Western Athletic Conference (1994, 1995) * Inducted into the University of Wyoming Athletics Hall of Fame (2005)

Personal life and business ventures

Ratliff played basketball at Demopolis High School in Demopolis, Alabama, and later graduated from the

. He created The Theo Ratliff Center in Demopolis, Alabama which is a recreation center with a basketball court. Ratliff was the owner of the Rome Gladiators basketball team. In 2020, Ratliff wrote and published ''Theo The Hero'', a children's book on how to deal with bullying.Former NBA All-Star Theo Ratliff talks Allen Iverson and bullying
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NBA career statistics

Regular season

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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 ...

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, 76 , , 38 , , 17.0 , , .531 , , .000 , , .698 , , 3.4 , , .2 , , .4 , , 1.5 , , 5.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, style="background:#cfecec;", 24* , , 12 , , 24.4 , , .514 , , .000 , , .683 , , 5.0 , , .6 , , .5 , , 2.3 , , 6.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

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, style="background:#cfecec;", 50* , , style="background:#cfecec;", 50* , , 32.5 , , .470 , , .000 , , .725 , , 8.1 , , .6 , , .9 , , 3.0 , , 11.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 57 , , 56 , , 31.5 , , .503 , , .000 , , .771 , , 7.6 , , .6 , , .6 , , 3.0 , , 11.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 50 , , 50 , , 36.0 , , .499 , , .000 , , .760 , , 8.3 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 3.7* , , 12.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

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, 81 , , 81 , , 31.1 , , .464 , , .000 , , .720 , , 7.5 , , .9 , , .7 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 3.2* , , 8.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, style="background:#cfecec;", 53* , , style="background:#cfecec;", 52* , , 31.1 , , .458 , , .000 , , .653 , , 7.2 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , 3.1 , , 8.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Portland , style="background:#cfecec;", 32* , , style="background:#cfecec;", 31* , , 31.8 , , .540 , , .000 , , .629 , , 7.3 , , .6 , , .8 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 4.4* , , 7.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Portland , 63 , , 45 , , 27.5 , , .447 , , .000 , , .692 , , 5.3 , , .5 , , .4 , , 2.5 , , 4.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Portland , 55 , , 19 , , 23.7 , , .571 , , .000 , , .651 , , 5.1 , , .5 , , .3 , , 1.6 , , 4.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

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, 2 , , 2 , , 22.0 , , .333 , , .000 , , .750 , , 3.5 , , .0 , , .5 , , 1.5 , , 2.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

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, 46 , , 0 , , 12.6 , , .531 , , .000 , , .600 , , 2.8 , , .2 , , .4 , , 1.0 , , 1.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

, 21 , , 3 , , 8.7 , , .444 , , .000 , , .500 , , 1.9 , , .4 , , .1 , , .9 , , 1.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Charlotte , 28 , , 26 , , 22.3 , , .466 , , .000 , , .783 , , 4.2 , , .6 , , .3 , , 1.5 , , 5.1 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , L.A. Lakers , 10 , , 0 , , 7.0 , , .167 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , .2 , , .5 , , .2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 810 , , 533 , , 25.5 , , .496 , , .000 , , .710 , , 5.7 , , .6 , , .5 , , 2.4 , , 7.2

Playoffs

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1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

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, 1 , , 0 , , 4.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , - , align="left" ,

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

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, 3 , , 0 , , 6.0 , , .750 , , .000 , , .500 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , .3 , , 1.3 , , 2.7 , - , align="left" ,

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

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2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

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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 ...

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, 6 , , 0 , , 15.7 , , .818 , , .000 , , .500 , , 3.8 , , .0 , , .2 , , .7 , , 3.3 , - , align="left" ,

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

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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 , 1 , , 0 , , 1.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 44 , , 21 , , 19.8 , , .497 , , .000 , , .643 , , 4.3 , , .4 , , .5 , , 1.5 , , 5.3

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ratliff, Theo 1973 births Living people American men's basketball players Atlanta Hawks players Basketball players from Alabama Boston Celtics players Centers (basketball) Charlotte Bobcats players Detroit Pistons draft picks Detroit Pistons players Los Angeles Lakers players Minnesota Timberwolves players NBA All-Stars People from Demopolis, Alabama Philadelphia 76ers players Portland Trail Blazers players Power forwards San Antonio Spurs players Wyoming Cowboys basketball players 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen

College career

NBA career

Awards and honors

Personal life and business ventures

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

See also

References

External links