Chris Porter (basketball)

Chris Porter

Small forward/Power forward
Personal information
Date of birth	May 9, 1978 (1978-05-09) (age 33)
Place of birth	Abbeville, Alabama
Nationality	American
High school	Abbeville (Alabama)
Listed height	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight	218 lb (99 kg)
Career information
College	Chipola Junior College Auburn University
NBA Draft	2000 / 2nd round, 26th pick
Selected by the Golden State Warriors
Pro career	2000–present
Career history
Golden State Warriors (NBA) 2000–01 Dakota Wizards (CBA (US)) 2001-05 Carifac Fabriano (Serie A) 2002-03 Oliveirense Simoldes (LCB) 2003-04 Oklahoma Storm (USBL) 2002-03,2004-05 Barangay Ginebra Kings (PBA) 2005-06 Powerade Tigers (PBA) 2010-11
Stats at NBA.com

Chris Porter (born May 9, 1978 in Abbeville, Alabama) is an American professional basketball player currently playing for the Powerade Tigers of the Philippine Basketball Association. 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.[1] 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.[2][3]

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[4] and limited playing time (22 minutes per game[5]). 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[6], 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.[7] 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.[8] 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.[9] Porter was 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.[10] He later played for the Powerade Tigers of the Philippine Basketball Association. The team went winless in the 2011 PBA Governors Cup 0-8 and did not compete in the semi-final round.

Drug arrests

Chris Porter has been arrested numerous times for drugs. The first time happen in the summer of 2001 when Alabama police found small plastic bags of cocaine and marijuana in the car he was driving. [11] He eventually plead guilty to a misdemeanor marijuana charge. In 2006, Alabama police charged him with driving under the influence and second-degree possession of marijuana. [12] In November 2010, he pled guilty to a misdemeanor marijuana charge and was sentenced to a year in jail which he is expected to begin serving once the basketball season in China finishes. [13]

External links

• Chris Porter historical page at NBA.com
• Fujian Sturgeons Team Roster
• FIBA Europe Player Stats
• Italian Serie A Player Stats
• Chris Porter: "I still think about returning to the NBA" by Jorge Sierra September 5, 2003
• BasketballReference.com College & NBA Player Stats
• Sports Illustrated Player Bio
• ESPN NBA Draft 2000 Player Bio
• Google Video: Auburn Mix

Preceded by Sean Lampley

Barangay Ginebra Kings Fiesta Conference import player 2005-06

Succeeded by Rod Nealy

Persondata
Name	Porter, Chris
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	May 9, 1978
Place of birth	Abbeville, Alabama
Date of death
Place of death