DeShawn Stevenson

DeShawn Stevenson

Washington Wizards  – No. 2
Shooting guard
Born	April 3, 1981 (1981-04-03) (age 28) Fresno, California
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight	218 lb (99 kg)
League	NBA
High school	Washington Union (California)
Draft	23rd overall, 2000 Utah Jazz
Pro career	2000–present
Former teams	Utah Jazz (2000–2004) Orlando Magic (2004–2006)
Profile	Info Page

DeShawn Stevenson (born April 3, 1981 in Fresno, California) is a shooting guard for the Washington Wizards of the NBA. He originally committed to the University of Kansas, but decided to enter the NBA directly from Washington Union High School in his hometown of Fresno, and was picked by the Utah Jazz with the 23rd selection of the 2000 NBA Draft. He is well known for his defense and his athleticism.

Early life

DeShawn Stevenson was born in Fresno, California to Genice Popps and Darryl C. Stevenson. A year after DeShawn's birth, Darryl Stevenson was hospitalized for threatening family members, allegedly attacking his brother with a butcher knife. DeShawn's parents never married, although when the boy was 3, his father signed a court order agreeing he had a duty to support his son. Two months after being released from a Fresno County mental health facility, Darryl Stevenson held up a gas station with an accomplice who held a knife to a woman's throat. Darryl was found incompetent to stand trial and wound up in Atascadero State Hospital. Psychiatrists diagnosed him as a paranoid schizophrenic. He eventually was placed on probation, but arrested again for kidnapping a woman in 1985 and jailed in April 1986. In 1993, When DeShawn was 12, his father Darryl murdered his own mother, Clara, by strangling her.^[1] Darryl Stevenson died in Corcoran State Prison of lung cancer at age 36 in 1999. Tattooed on his chest was one word: "DeShawn."^[2]

When DeShawn began his high school career, he lived with his Godparents so that he could establish residency in Easton. This was the same school that his father played at. He played varsity as a freshman and traveled in a summer league. College recruiters came to the farm town to see him play. In his junior year, DeShawn led the Division III team to a state championship. After DeShawn committed to play at Kansas, Head Coach Roy Williams called him the "most gifted recruit ever". DeShawn averaged 30.4 points, 9.7 rebounds and 6.2 assists a game his senior year. He led the West to a 146–120 win in the McDonald's All-American high school game in March with a game-high 25 points. He also won the slam-dunk crown. DeShawn flirted with skipping college and declaring his eligibility to go pro, a decision that upset his mother. The Jayhawks lost their future star when a surprisingly impressive jump in his SAT score caught the attention of the Educational Testing Service, which "red-flagged" it, making him temporarily ineligible to play. DeShawn could have appealed and explained how he had managed to improve his score from 450 as a sophomore to 1,150 as a senior.^[2] Instead, Stevenson took the SAT a second time and received less than a 650, well below the NCAA minimum of 820.^[3]

NBA career

Utah Jazz

DeShawn Stevenson was picked by the Utah Jazz with the 23rd selection of the 2000 NBA Draft. On draft night, Stevenson was signing autographs as a spectator at a high school all-star game when a melee broke out and he reportedly threw punches. He said he was jumped from behind.

Stevenson appeared in 222 regular season games during his time with Utah. He averaged 5.9 ppg., 1.9 rpg. and 1.2 apg. in 16.7 minpg. during that time. Stevenson played in five career playoff outings. At 19 years old, he became the youngest player to ever play and start for the Jazz during the 2000–01 season. In 2001, Stevenson finished second in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.^[4]. On Feb 15, 2002 Stevenson was suspended for three games by the NBA after pleading no contest to having sex with a minor.

On February 19, 2004 the Orlando Magic acquired guard DeShawn Stevenson and a future second round draft pick from the Utah Jazz in exchange for guard-forward Gordan Giricek.

Orlando Magic

Stevenson played with the Orlando Magic for 2 and a half seasons. He had his best year during the 2005–2006 season when he averaged 11.0 ppg, 2.9 rpg, and 2.0 apg. Stevenson opted out of the third and final year of his contract with Orlando and on August 3, 2006 he signed a two-year minimum contract with the Washington Wizards.^[5]

On the early morning of August 20, 2007, a 31-year-old man, Curtis Ruff, was shot and injured at Stevenson's home, following an argument with women that were invited from Destiny's Club in Orlando, Florida. Circumstances of the incident remain unclear.^[6]

Washington Wizards

Stevenson in a game against the Portland Trail Blazers, being defended by Brandon Roy.

On August 5, 2006 Stevenson signed a two-year contract worth the NBA minimum salary. Stevenson then changed agents and agreed to the deal with the Wizards after opting out of his contract with Orlando. Stevenson quickly adjusted to Eddie Jordan's system, averaging 11.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg, and 2.7 apg in his first season with Washington. During the off-season he began working more on his 3 point shot and attempted 483 3 pointers in 2007 as opposed to only 183 in 2006. In July 2007, Stevenson signed a 4-year deal with the Wizards for $15 million.^[7]

After Stevenson, with a sore knee, scored a career-high 33 points, including a game winning three-pointer as time expired in a February 25, 2008 victory over the New Orleans Hornets, Wizards coach Eddie Jordan described Stevenson by saying, "He's a warrior, man, a true warrior. His confidence is growing, he's making threes, he's just a true pro. This is a man's league and he is man. In the dictionary next to that word there is a picture of DeShawn Stevenson." In April 2008, rapper Jay-Z dissed Stevenson in a remix of Too Short's Blow the Whistle after Stevenson called LeBron James "overrated" before the first round of the NBA Playoffs.

At the start of the 2008–09 season, Stevenson struggled and could not bring his offensive game to the level it was in 2007. As a result Stevenson's minutes have dipped slightly with the development of 2nd year SG Nick Young and former Maryland standout SG Juan Dixon. He has struggled a lot going into 2009 and has begun coming off the bench. He has stated that he wants to try and get his "swag" back against other team's less talented players. Thus far he is underperforming, especially when compared to his career 2007–2008 season.

On February 2, 2007 DeShawn Stevenson and Gilbert Arenas took part in a friendly 3 point shooting contest in practice. Arenas shot with one hand from the college 3 point line, while Stevenson shot normally from the NBA 3 point line. Arenas won the game, and the video has received over 1.2 million views.Video

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

References

External links

• NBA.com Profile - DeShawn Stevenson
• Current Stats
• More Current Stats
• NBA Draft Profile