Chris Porter (born May 9,
1978 in Abbeville,
Alabama
) is an American
professional
basketball player. He is a former star
forward for the Auburn
University
men's
basketball team that made it to the NCAA
Sweet
Sixteen in 1998-1999, Porter's junior season. He was
named
SEC Player of the Year
and was selected to the
All-America
team. The following year Porter was pictured on the cover of
Sports Illustrated as
the
Auburn Tigers were picked to win
the national title. However, true to the
Sports Illustrated cover jinx,
the Tigers struggled and Porter was suspended for the last 8 games
of the season for accepting money from an agent while still in
college.
[294879] Porter reportedly accepted the $2500
to save his mother from being evicted from her home and claimed he
did not know the person was affiliated with any sports
agency.
[294880][294881]
Before attending Auburn University, Porter attended Abbeville High
School (where he was a 4A State Champion) and
Chipola Junior College (where he was named
JUCO All-American). Known for his large
afro hairstyle and giant
vertical leap, he created excitement with his
dunking and
rebounding abilities. Largely seen as
too undersized to play
power
forward at the
NBA level, his style fit in
perfectly with former
Auburn
basketball coach
Cliff Ellis' style
of full court pressure.
Professional career
Porter went on to be selected with the 26th pick in the 2nd round
(55th overall) of the
2000 NBA Draft
by the
Golden State Warriors.
During his 51 games as a rookie
small
forward for Golden State, Porter averaged 8.6 points and 3.7
rebounds per contest despite a nagging sprained left ankle
[294882] and limited playing time (22 minutes
per game
[294883]). However, showing up 3 days late for
summer camp followed by an off-the-court arrest soon clouded
Porter's contributions and the team decided to trade him to the
Charlotte Hornets
in a 3-team 8-player deal. After Porter missed his flight to
Charlotte
[294884], he was released from the team having
never played in a game and has since not returned to the NBA. Upon
his departure from the NBA, Porter has played for a number of
professional leagues. He joined the
Dakota Wizards of the
Continental Basketball
Association with whom he made an immediate impact. He led the
team to capture the 2002 CBA Championship their first season in the
league and again won the Championship in 2004. While playing
domestically in the CBA, Porter spent his summers playing for other
leagues (mostly overseas). In 2002 and 2004, he lent his skills to
the
Oklahoma Storm of the
United States Basketball
League with whom he won a 2002 Championship.
[294885] He played briefly in Italy for
Carifac Fabriano against
Euroleague teams and then later signed with the
Oliveirense Simoldes of the
Portuguese Basketball
League. During his time in Portugal, Porter competed in the
2004
FIBA EuroCup
Challenge and was also featured as the starting power forward
for the North team in the Portuguese All Star game. Following his
CBA and European success, Porter was contracted as an import player
for the
Barangay Ginebra
Kings of the
Philippine Basketball
Association. He led the team through the quarterfinals of the
2006 PBA Playoffs
before they lost their series 4-3 to rival and eventual Champion,
the
Red Bull Barako.
[294886] Porter left the PBA following the
2005-06 season when he was
drafted as an import player by the
Fujian Sturgeons with the 2nd pick in the
2nd round of the 2005
Chinese Basketball
Association International Player Draft. He quickly established
himself as the
marquee player of
Fujian. In fact, the team used its 1st round pick in the 2006 Draft
in order to re-sign Porter.
[294887] Porterrecently voted by the fans as a member
of the 2007 CBA All-Star team, chosen to play against the All-Star
team of the
Korean Basketball
League. Porter did not disappoint, scoring 30 points and
grabbing 17 rebounds in the two-game exhibition. In the 2007 CBA
Draft, Fujian again used their first round pick to retain Porter's
services.
[294888]
External links
Wikis
Map
Search
