Wayne Monte "Tree" Rollins (born June 16, 1955) 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 court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player who played 18 seasons in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues i ...

(NBA) for 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 league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

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 league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

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 league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...

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 team of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Divisio ...

, and Orlando Magic.

Career

The ,

Clemson University Clemson University () is a public land-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university in the student population in South Carolina. For the fall 2019 semester, the university enr ...

graduate played center, and gained high esteem for his defense, particularly his rebounding and shot- blocking ability. On February 21, 1979, Rollins blocked a career high 12 shots in a 106-83 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. In all, he finished in the top three in blocked shots six times, including leading the league during the

1982–83 NBA season __NOTOC__ Year 198 (CXCVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sergius and Gallus (or, less frequently, year 951 ''Ab u ...

, during which he would finish second in NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award voting. At the time of his retirement in

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake strike ...

, he was fourth all-time in career blocked shots, behind only Hakeem Olajuwon,

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kareem (alternatively spelled Karim or Kerim) ( ar, کریم) is a common given name and surname of Arabic origin that means "generous", "noble", "honorable". It is also one of the Names of God in Islam in the Quran. Given name Karim * Karim ...

and Mark Eaton, with a total of 2,542. He currently holds the ninth highest total of career blocked shots, having been passed on the list by Dikembe Mutombo, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Tim Duncan, and

Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program '' Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the great ...

. During his playing career, Rollins was given the nickname "The Intimidator". In 1983, as a member of the

, playing in Game 3 of the first round, he got into a fight with Danny Ainge of 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 league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of ...

. In retaliation for allegedly being called a "sissy", Rollins elbowed Ainge in the face. Ainge subsequently tackled Rollins to the ground and the two began to wrestle. Rollins then bit Ainge's middle finger so badly that it required a couple of stitches. After the fight, Ainge was ejected and Rollins was not. However, the Celtics went on to win the series 2–1. The incident inspired opposing fans to occasionally hold up signs referring to the incident with sayings like "If you can't beat 'em, eat 'em" during some of his subsequent games. In the late 1980s, still with the Hawks, Rollins was asked how he felt about the team playing an exhibition game in the Soviet Union. Rollins replied that he had already been to the Soviet Union, "and I don't need to go back." Rollins was a

player-coach A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the sq ...

with the Orlando Magic, serving as an assistant coach from 1993–1999 and backup center during the 1993–94 and 1994–95 seasons. He was an assistant coach for 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 league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...

and

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first est ...

and one-time coach of the now-defunct

Greenville Groove The Greenville Groove were a National Basketball Development League (NBDL) team based in Greenville, South Carolina. Playing their home games at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena, the Groove was a charter franchise of the league, which had four team ...

of the National Basketball Development League (NBDL). Rollins joined the WNBA's

Washington Mystics The Washington Mystics are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Mystics compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference ...

in 2006 as an assistant coach. On June 1, 2007, he was named interim head coach following Richie Adubato's resignation early in the season. Rollins led the Mystics to a 17–14 record. On July 19, 2008, following lopsided losses to the

New York Liberty The New York Liberty are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Liberty compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as part of the league's Eastern Conference. The team was ...

and Detroit Shock, which put the Mystics at 8–14 on the season and 2.5 games out of playoff position, he was relieved of his duties. The Mystics' aggregate record under Rollins over the two seasons was 25–28, second best in Mystics history. He was replaced on an interim basis by one of his assistants, Jessie Kenlaw. In 2013, Rollins became an assistant coach with the WNBA's Chicago Sky. One small distinction for Rollins was that he was the last player to wear canvas

Converse All Stars Chuck Taylor All-Stars or Converse All Stars (also referred to as "Converse", "Chuck Taylors", "Chucks", "Cons", "All Stars", and "Chucky Ts") is a model of casual shoe manufactured by Converse (a subsidiary of Nike, Inc. since 2003) that was i ...

(leather ones were worn in 1982 by Micheal Ray Richardson) in the NBA when in the 1979–80 season he laced up modified Chuck Taylors which had the Circle Star patch removed on the inside ankle. Instead these had star chevrons sewed to the sides of the canvas similar to the Converse All Star II that had been sold earlier.

Achievements

* First athlete in any sport at Clemson to have jersey number retired * Only Clemson basketball player to average double-double in four straight seasons * NBA All-Defensive Second Team, 1982–83 season * NBA All-Defensive First Team, 1983–84 season

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

, 80 , , , , 22.4 , , .487 , , , , .703 , , 6.9 , , 1.0 , , .7 , , 2.7 , , 7.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , , , 23.5 , , .535 , , , , .631 , , 7.3 , , .6 , , .6 , , 3.1 , , 8.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , , , 25.9 , , .558 , , , , .714 , , 9.4 , , .9 , , .7 , , 3.0 , , 8.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 40 , , , , 26.1 , , .552 , , .000 , , .807 , , 7.2 , , .9 , , .7 , , 2.9 , , 7.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 79 , , 39 , , 25.5 , , .584 , , , , .612 , , 7.7 , , .7 , , .4 , , 2.8 , , 6.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , 80 , , 30.9 , , .510 , , .000 , , .726 , , 9.3 , , .9 , , .6 , , style="background:#CFECEC;', 4.3* , , 7.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 77 , , 76 , , 30.5 , , .518 , , , , .621 , , 7.7 , , .8 , , .5 , , 3.6 , , 8.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 70 , , 60 , , 25.0 , , .549 , , , , .720 , , 6.3 , , .7 , , .5 , , 2.4 , , 6.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 74 , , 61 , , 24.1 , , .499 , , .000 , , .767 , , 6.2 , , .6 , , .5 , , 2.3 , , 5.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 75 , , 58 , , 23.5 , , .546 , , , , .724 , , 6.5 , , .3 , , .6 , , 1.9 , , 5.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 76 , , 59 , , 23.2 , , .512 , , , , .875 , , 6.0 , , .3 , , .4 , , 1.7 , , 4.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U ...

, 60 , , 2 , , 9.7 , , .449 , , .000 , , .632 , , 2.3 , , .3 , , .2 , , .6 , , 2.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 48 , , 19 , , 14.0 , , .456 , , .000 , , .688 , , 3.2 , , .5 , , .3 , , 1.1 , , 2.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

, 37 , , 0 , , 5.5 , , .424 , , , , .571 , , 1.1 , , .1 , , .1 , , .5 , , 1.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Houston Houston (; ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in Texas, the Southern United States#Major cities, most populous city in the Southern United States, the List of United States cities by population, fourth-most pop ...

, 59 , , 5 , , 11.8 , , .535 , , , , .867 , , 2.9 , , .3 , , .2 , , 1.1 , , 2.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 42 , , 0 , , 5.9 , , .268 , , .000 , , .750 , , 1.4 , , .2 , , .1 , , .4 , , .7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures r ...

, 45 , , 1 , , 8.5 , , .547 , , , , .600 , , 2.1 , , .2 , , .2 , , .8 , , 1.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 51 , , 3 , , 9.4 , , .476 , , , , .677 , , 1.9 , , .2 , , .1 , , .7 , , 1.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 1,156 , , 463 , , 20.8 , , .522 , , .000 , , .700 , , 5.8 , , .6 , , .4 , , 2.2 , , 5.4

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;", 1978 , style="text-align:left;",

, 2 , , , , 25.5 , , .583 , , , , .250 , , 4.5 , , .5 , , .5 , , 2.0 , , 8.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1979 , style="text-align:left;",

, 9 , , , , 23.6 , , .412 , , , , .692 , , 7.9 , , .6 , , .3 , , 2.7 , , 5.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1980 , style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , , , 26.8 , , .581 , , , , .600 , , 7.6 , , .6 , , .4 , , 2.8 , , 8.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C., Un ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 2 , , , , 32.5 , , .333 , , , , .750 , , 4.0 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , 3.0 , , 3.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1983 , style="text-align:left;",

, 3 , , , , 39.3 , , .481 , , , , .333 , , 10.0 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 3.3 , , 9.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1984 , style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , , , 30.4 , , .400 , , , , .625 , , 6.8 , , .2 , , .4 , , 2.0 , , 5.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1986 , style="text-align:left;",

, 9 , , 9 , , 27.6 , , .553 , , , , .636 , , 8.7 , , .3 , , .2 , , 1.7 , , 6.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1987 , style="text-align:left;",

, 9 , , 9 , , 24.6 , , .536 , , , , .714 , , 5.9 , , .3 , , .3 , , 1.8 , , 4.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1988 , style="text-align:left;",

, 12 , , 12 , , 27.8 , , .556 , , , , .867 , , 5.9 , , .5 , , .8 , , 1.6 , , 4.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1989 , style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , 0 , , 14.8 , , .750 , , , , .600 , , 3.2 , , .2 , , .6 , , 1.4 , , 3.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1990 , style="text-align:left;",

, 3 , , 0 , , 12.7 , , .333 , , , , .750 , , 2.7 , , .3 , , .7 , , .3 , , 2.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 6 , , 0 , , 5.3 , , 1.000 , , , , , , .5 , , .0 , , .2 , , .2 , , .7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 6 , , 0 , , 2.7 , , .000 , , .000 , , , , .7 , , .0 , , .3 , , .0 , , .0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson Ma ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 3 , , 0 , , 9.7 , , .400 , , , , , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .3 , , .3 , , 1.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 14 , , 0 , , 5.8 , , .600 , , , , .250 , , .4 , , .0 , , .0 , , .4 , , .5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 93 , , 30 , , 19.4 , , .505 , , .000 , , .624 , , 4.6 , , .3 , , .4 , , 1.4 , , 3.9

References

External links

Coach profile
@ NBA.com

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rollins, Tree 1955 births Living people African-American basketball coaches African-American basketball players All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Atlanta Hawks draft picks Atlanta Hawks players Basketball coaches from Florida Basketball players at the 1975 Pan American Games Basketball players from Florida Centers (basketball) Chicago Sky coaches Clemson Tigers men's basketball players Cleveland Cavaliers players Detroit Pistons players Greenville Groove coaches Houston Rockets players Indiana Pacers assistant coaches Medalists at the 1975 Pan American Games Orlando Magic assistant coaches Orlando Magic players Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States Pan American Games medalists in basketball Player-coaches Sportspeople from Winter Haven, Florida United States men's national basketball team players Washington Mystics head coaches Washington Wizards assistant coaches 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople

Career

Achievements

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

See also

References

External links