Tony Arnel Massenburg (born July 31, 1967) 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. Massenburg was on the active roster of 12 different teams, which was an NBA record shared with Joe Smith, Jim Jackson,

Chucky Brown Clarence "Chucky" Brown Jr. (born February 29, 1968) is an American men's college basketball coach and former professional basketball player. A 6'7" forward from North Carolina State, Brown was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the secon ...

, and Ish Smith; until Ish played with 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 ...

, his 13th team, in the 2022–23 season. In 2005, while on 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 ...

, Massenburg became the first player in NBA history to win a championship after playing for at least 12 different franchises.

College career

Massenburg played in college for 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 ...

from 1986 to 1990, playing under three different head coaches: Lefty Driesell, Bob Wade, and

Gary Williams Gary Bruce Williams (born March 4, 1945) is an American university administrator and former college basketball coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Maryland, the Ohio State University, Boston College, and American University. ...

. He had a career field goal shooting percentage of 52.3% and averaged 12.1 points per game in his four-year career with the Terrapins. In his senior season, in which he was featured on the cover of the team's handbook on an aircraft carrier, he averaged 18 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. He was one of only two players in the

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the ACC's eighteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athlet ...

to average double figures in both categories that season. His efforts in his senior season earned him a spot on the All-ACC Second Team.

Professional career

Early career and move to Italy (1990-1991)

Massenburg was selected with the 43rd pick in the second round of the

1990 NBA draft The 1990–91 NBA season, 1990 NBA draft took place on June 27, 1990, in New York City, New York. One of the standouts of this draft is Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Basketball Hall of Famer Gary Payton. He became a nine-time All-Sta ...

by the

. During his first stint with the Spurs, he was able to play alongside NBA legend

David Robinson David Maurice Robinson (born August 6, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the San Antonio Spurs in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1989 to 2003, and minority owner of the Spurs. Nicknamed ...

. He played in 35 games with the Spurs during the

1990–91 NBA season The 1990–91 NBA season was the 45th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Chicago Bulls winning their first NBA Championship, eliminating the Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals. This season wo ...

. As part of his first career NBA injury's rehabilitation program, Massenburg went to the Italian League in 1991, where he averaged almost 23 points and 10 rebounds per game in four games with the Italian club

Pallacanestro Reggiana Pallacanestro Reggiana, also simply known as Reggiana or Reggio Emilia, currently known for sponsorship reasons as Unahotels Reggio Emilia, is an Italian professional basketball team based in Reggio Emilia, Emilia-Romagna. It plays in the LBA as ...

Return to NBA (1991-1992)

Massenburg returned to the NBA and his former team the Spurs, however he only played one game for the franchise as he was waived on November 2, 1991, in the beginning of the 1991-1992 season. On December 11, 1991, Massenburg signed with the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team ...

where he played for three games before being waived again on January 7, 1992. On January 10, 1992, Massenburg signed a 10-day contract with 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), ...

for seven games. On February 13, 1992, he signed another 10-day contract with the

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 ...

for another seven games; ending his season with a total of 18 games and 90 minutes played with four franchises that season.

Move to Spain (1992-1994)

Massenburg played in the Spanish League with Unicaja-Mayoral for the 1992–1993 season. He also played for another Spanish team

FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly known as FC Barcelona and colloquially as Barça (), is a professional Football club (association football), football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of ...

during the 1993–94 season. He won both the Spanish King's Cup championship and the Catalan League championship with Barcelona in 1994.

Second return to NBA (1994-2004)

Massenburg returned to the NBA again in the 1994 offseason when he was signed by 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 ...

on June 27, 1994. Massenburg came just short of playing an entire NBA season for the first time in his career during the 1994–95 season for 80 games. Massenburg was taken in the NBA

expansion draft An expansion draft, in professional sports, occurs when a sports league decides to create one or more new expansion teams or sports franchising, franchises. This occurs mainly in Sports in North America, North American sports and closed leagues. O ...

in 1995 by the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...

. After 24 games there, he was shipped to 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 ...

, where he played 30 games. During the 1996-97 season, Massenburg once again came very close to playing an entire NBA season, seeing action in 79 games with yet another team, the

New Jersey Nets New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

. Massenburg returned to Canada for the 1997–98 season, playing with the

Brian Winters Brian Joseph Winters (born March 1, 1952) is an American former basketball player and coach. Career Winters attended academic and athletic powerhouse Archbishop Molloy High School in Queens, New York, graduating in 1970. He then played collegi ...

-coached

Vancouver Grizzlies The Vancouver Grizzlies were a Canadian professional basketball team based in Vancouver. The Grizzlies competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Midwest Division (NBA), Midwest Division of the Western Conference ( ...

. In Vancouver, Massenburg backed up center

Bryant Reeves Bryant Reeves (born June 8, 1973) is an American former professional basketball player. Reeves spent his entire career with the National Basketball Association's Vancouver Grizzlies, playing with the team from 1995 until 2001. He was nicknamed " ...

. He played two seasons in Vancouver before being traded before the 1999-2000 season to the

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

. With the Rockets, he played in ten games, then was promptly returned to the Grizzlies before the 2000-2001 campaign. When the franchise relocated to Memphis in 2001, so did Massenburg. During the Grizzlies' first season on U.S. soil, Massenburg played in 73 games, averaging 5.5 points per game. In successive years, he was a member of the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

and the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

NBA championship and retirement

Massenburg returned to the Spurs for the 2004-05 season and with them he won an NBA championship ring that year, when the Spurs defeated 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 ...

four games to three in the

2005 NBA Finals The 2005 NBA Finals was the NBA Finals, championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2004–05 NBA season, 2004–05 season, and the culmination of the 2005 NBA playoffs, season's playoffs. The Western Conference (NBA), Wes ...

. During the series Massenburg mainly observed from the bench as his teammates clinched the Spurs' third NBA title in seven years. Unfortunately however, six weeks after the finals ended, a late-night auto accident badly damaged Massenburg's ankle, leaving him unable to play the following two seasons.Massenburg, 40, waived by possible 13th team Wizards.
updated October 21, 2007. After being out with the ankle injury for two seasons, Massenburg attempted an NBA comeback in the year 2007 with 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 ...

, but he was waived by the team before the season started. He then signed with the Arecibo Captains, a Puerto Rican team, but was released shortly after. In his NBA career, Massenburg participated in 683 NBA games over 15 seasons. He scored 4,238 points in his career for a career average of 6.2 points per game. He collected 2,964 rebounds in his career for a career average of 4.3 rebounds per game. He had 266 assists in his career, for a career average 0.4 assists per game.

Later life

In 2010, Massenburg started a sports bar in the Kentlands area of

Gaithersburg, Maryland Gaithersburg ( ) is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. At the time of the 2020 United States census, Gaithersburg had a population of 69,657, making it the third-largest incorporated city and the ninth-most populous communit ...

called 44 Sports Bar, which reflected Massenburg's jersey number. In December 2013, Tony Massenburg's jersey number was retired at Sussex Central High School (VA), along with that of Reginald Givens (a former NFL linebacker). These two men were the only two athletes from the school ever to play a sport professionally. Massenburg now contributes to CSN Mid-Atlantic's Washington Wizards coverage.

Works

* Tony Massenburg, Walt Williams, ''Lessons from Lenny: The Journey Beyond a Shooting Star'', Whyde Range Productions, 2018.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, 7 , , 0 , , 6.6 , , .444 , , , , .500 , , 1.3 , , .0 , , .0 , , .1 , , 1.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 7 , , 0 , , 3.1 , , .625 , , , , .667 , , 1.7 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 2.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 80 , , 50 , , 26.6 , , .469 , , .000 , , .753 , , 5.7 , , .8 , , .6 , , .7 , , 9.3 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2, , style="text-align:left;",

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

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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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New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

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Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

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Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, 10 , , 0 , , 10.9 , , .444 , , , , .875 , , 2.7 , , .3 , , .2 , , .5 , , 4.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 52 , , 20 , , 15.8 , , .462 , , , , .700 , , 4.0 , , .2 , , .2 , , .5 , , 4.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Memphis , 73 , , 31 , , 17.1 , , .456 , , 1.000 , , .718 , , 4.4 , , .4 , , .4 , , .4 , , 5.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

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Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

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, 61 , , 6 , , 11.5 , , .407 , , , , .762 , , 2.7 , , .2 , , .3 , , .3 , , 3.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 683 , , 233 , , 18.0 , , .470 , , .091 , , .705 , , 4.3 , , .4 , , .4 , , .5 , , 6.2

Playoffs

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1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

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2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

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, 5 , , 0 , , 14.0 , , .476 , , , , .556 , , 4.2 , , .4 , , .0 , , .8 , , 5.0 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;",

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 ...

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References

External links

*
NBA.com's Massenburg page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Massenburg, Tony 1967 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Canada American expatriate basketball people in Italy American expatriate basketball people in Spain American men's basketball players Basketball players from Virginia Boston Celtics players Baloncesto Málaga players Charlotte Hornets players FC Barcelona Bàsquet players Golden State Warriors players Houston Rockets players Liga ACB players Los Angeles Clippers players Maryland Terrapins men's basketball players Memphis Grizzlies players New Jersey Nets players Pallacanestro Reggiana players People from Sussex County, Virginia Philadelphia 76ers players Power forwards Sacramento Kings players San Antonio Spurs draft picks San Antonio Spurs players Toronto Raptors expansion draft picks Toronto Raptors players Utah Jazz players Vancouver Grizzlies players