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| New York Knicks – No. 34 | |
| Center | |
| Born: December 5, 1982 Harvey, Illinois |
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| Nationality | American |
|---|---|
| Height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
| Weight | 285 lb (129 kg) |
| League | NBA |
| High school | Thornwood |
| College | None |
| Draft | 4th overall, 2001 Chicago Bulls |
| Pro career | 2001–present |
| Former teams | Chicago Bulls (2001–2005) |
| Profile | Info Page |
Eddy Curry Jr. (born December 5, 1982) is an American professional basketball player in the NBA currently with the New York Knicks. He was born in Harvey, Illinois. He is 6'11" (2.11 m) and 285 lb (130 kg), and has a wingspan of 7'6½" (2.30 m).[1]
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Basketball career
High school
Prior to becoming considered one of the best high school basketball players in the nation as a senior at Thornwood High School in South Holland, Illinois, Curry aspired to be a gymnast and did not pick up basketball until the seventh grade when he reluctantly went out for the school team. In 2001, Curry led his team to second place in the IHSA State Playoffs. He was named to the 1998, 1999 and 2000 State Farm Holiday Classic all-tournament teams.
Curry is one of three current professional athletes who call Thornwood their alma mater, the others being MLB pitcher Mark Mulder and outfielder Cliff Floyd.
NBA Draft
Curry had signed a letter of intent to play at DePaul University but declared himself eligible for the 2001 NBA Draft in which the Chicago Bulls made him the fourth overall pick. The decision to draft Curry and pair him alongside fellow rookie Tyson Chandler was a major surprise to many basketball fans[who?] given that both players were high school seniors.
Professional career
Curry's contribution was limited during his rookie year due to limited minutes. Curry improved in his second year, leading the NBA in field goal percentage (58.5%) and becoming the first Bull to lead the league in a major statistical category since Michael Jordan in 1998. His 2002–03 season was widely considered a disappointment as he failed to live up to expectations after a strong finish to the previous year. In the 2004–05 season the Bulls improved by 28 wins and made the playoffs as the 22-year-old Curry led the team in scoring before being hospitalized with an irregular heartbeat. This caused him to miss the last 13 games of the regular season and the entire playoffs. On June 24, 2005, heart specialists cleared Curry to resume practice. On October 3, 2005, after refusing on privacy grounds to submit to a DNA test, as requested by Bulls management, to assess whether he has a congenital heart condition, Curry was traded to the New York Knicks. The trade included the Bulls' Antonio Davis, as well as the Knicks' Mike Sweetney, Tim Thomas, and Jermaine Jackson.[2] First-round draft picks were also exchanged in the trade - which later came back to haunt the Knicks as they had a poor 2005–06 season in which Curry averaged 13.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per game (numbers that were significantly down from the previous season). Curry's inability to defend and rebound was a source of frustration for former coaches Scott Skiles and Larry Brown. When asked by a reporter in 2003 what Curry needed to do to become a better rebounder, Skiles simply replied: "Jump."[3] The 2006–07 season saw a resurgence in Curry's performance under new coach Isiah Thomas, with Curry anointed the team's primary offensive option, averaging career highs in points (19.6), rebounds (7.1), and minutes (34.9) per game. On April 7, 2007 Curry scored a career-best 43 points in an overtime win over the Milwaukee Bucks; his first three-pointer of the season forcing the game into the extra period.[4] Curry is 2 for 2 (100%) from three-point range in his NBA career.[4] In the 2007–2008 season, Curry was expected to form a great frontcourt with Zach Randolph, however both of them saw a regression in their games. Curry showed up to training camp in October 2008 out of shape for the second year in a row, incensing new head coach Mike D'Antoni. Curry not only lost his job, but was not even in D'Antoni's rotation at the beginning of the 2008–2009 season. Curry was also bothered by a sore right knee for much of the season. Curry played his first game of the season on January 8, 2009 against the Dallas Mavericks and played in two other games later in the season.
During the 2009 off-season Curry began working with a trainer on a fitness and weight-loss regimen. As of mid-July he had reportedly lost 30 pounds, but according to the trainer it would be "delusional" for coaches to think he could get down to his listed weight of 285 pounds.[5]
Cardiac problems
Several prominent cardiologists cleared Curry to play, but Barry Maron, a world-renowned specialist in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, suggested the DNA test.[6] During the team's media day, Bulls General Manager John Paxson said he understood the privacy issues involved but insisted the Bulls did not have an ulterior motive; they simply do not want a situation similar to those of former Boston Celtics guard Reggie Lewis or Loyola Marymount star Hank Gathers—players with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy who collapsed and died.
Personal life
Curry is married and has six children. One from a previous marriage, Eddy III, and three with his wife, Patrice - Reign, Reigan, and Reiganna. Curry's other two children were with former girlfriend Nova Henry - Noah and Ava (who is deceased). Curry has primary custody of Noah.[7]
Sexual harassment accusation
On January 12, 2009, Curry was sued by his former chauffeur, David Kuchinsky. Kuchinsky accused Curry of trying to solicit gay sex from him. According to court papers, Curry repeatedly approached Kuchinsky "in the nude," saying, "Look at me, Dave, look" and, "Come and touch it, Dave." The Manhattan federal court suit also stated that Curry made Kuchinsky perform "humiliating tasks outside the scope of his employment, such as cleaning up and removing dirty towels [into which Curry had ejaculated] so that his wife would not see them." Kuchinsky also said Curry called him racial slurs, including "f- - - ing Jew," "cracker," "white slave," "white devil" and "grandmaster of the KKK."
According to the New York Post, Curry, said he was "shocked" at the allegations. "It's false, and everyone who knows me knows I'm not a racist," he said Jan. 12 after the Knicks beat the Hornets 101–95 in New Orleans. "I've never made a comment like that, playing, or nothing. ... That's incredible, man." Kuchinsky worked for Curry from October 2005 through October 2008 and was hired as a 24/7 chauffeur, living in the basement of Curry's Chicago mansion. Shortly after starting work, Kuchinsky "progressively became Curry's 'house-boy,'" the former chauffeur's suit says. Kuchinsky claimed he was owed $68,000 in unpaid wages, as well as $25,000 in expenses for which Curry never repaid him. Those expenses, he said, included cellphones that Curry had him buy as gifts and hotel and club bills. Kuchinsky is also a convicted felon who served a three-year prison sentence for a 1992 burglary in New Jersey. He also got three years' probation in a 2004 resisting-arrest case in New Jersey.[8] Curry's lawyer, Kelly A. Saindon, called Kuchinsky's claims "preposterous" and "extortion".[9]
Ex-girlfriend's murder
Curry's ex-girlfriend, Nova Henry, and their nine-month-old daughter Ava were found murdered in Chicago on January 25, 2009. A paternity test proved that Ava was the daughter of Curry and Henry. Their three-year old son Noah was found unharmed at the scene.[10] Two counts of first degree murder were brought against 36-year-old attorney Frederick Goings on February 22, 2009;[11] Goings had served as Henry's attorney in a custody case about Ava against Curry.[12]
Foreclosure
Curry's Chicago mansion is in foreclosure, as he of June 2009 owes close to $220,000 in mortgage payments. Curry took out a nearly $4 million mortgage on the property in 2006, which included monthly house payments of more than $25,000. [13]
Awards and accomplishments
High school
- USA Today First Team All-American
- PARADE High School Player of the Year
- Earned Illinois Mr. Basketball honors
- MVP of the McDonald's All-American game after scoring 28 points with 8 rebounds and 4 blocked shots in leading the West to a 131–125 victory
- Led Thornwood High School to the Illinois State Championship game, averaging 22.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 6.0 blocked shots, shooting .640 from the floor, including 25.0 points and 10.0 rebounds in the state tournament. Averaged 24.6 points and 11.2 rebounds, along with 4.8 blocks, as a junior.
- Was selected to the State Farm Holiday Classic all-tournament team in 1998, 1999 and 2000.
NBA
- Led league in field goal percentage, 2002–03
NBA career statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001–02 | Chicago | 72 | 31 | 16.0 | .501 | .000 | .656 | 3.8 | .3 | .2 | .7 | 6.7 |
| 2002–03 | Chicago | 81 | 48 | 19.4 | .585 | .000 | .624 | 4.4 | .5 | .2 | .8 | 10.5 |
| 2003–04 | Chicago | 73 | 63 | 29.5 | .496 | 1.000 | .671 | 6.2 | .9 | .3 | 1.1 | 14.7 |
| 2004–05 | Chicago | 63 | 60 | 28.7 | .538 | .000 | .720 | 5.4 | .6 | .3 | .9 | 16.1 |
| 2005–06 | New York | 72 | 69 | 25.9 | .563 | .000 | .632 | 6.0 | .3 | .4 | .8 | 13.6 |
| 2006–07 | New York | 81 | 81 | 35.2 | .576 | 1.000 | .615 | 7.0 | .8 | .4 | .5 | 19.5 |
| 2007–08 | New York | 59 | 58 | 25.9 | .546 | .000 | .623 | 4.7 | .5 | .2 | .5 | 13.2 |
| 2008–09 | New York | 3 | 0 | 4.0 | 1.000 | .000 | .333 | 1.3 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 1.7 |
| Career | 504 | 410 | 25.7 | .546 | 1.000 | .643 | 5.3 | .6 | .3 | .7 | 13.4 |
Notes
- ^ NBA.com : Eddy Curry Bio Page, National Basketball Association, accessed January 14, 2009.
- ^ Bulls Re-Sign Curry, Complete Sign-and-Trade with Knicks, National Basketball Association, accessed January 14, 2009.
- ^ New York Sports - NY Daily News, New York Daily News, accessed January 14, 2009.
- ^ a b Curry nets 43, grabs 13 boards and forces OT with 3-pointer, ESPN, April 8, 2007, accessed January 14, 2009.
- ^ Alan Hahn, Trainer: Don't expect Curry to slim down to 285, July 13, 2009
- ^ Medical News: Full Court Press on Hoop Star Curry to Get DNA Testing - in Cardiovascular, Arrhythmias from MedPage Today, MedPage Today, accessed January 14, 2009.
- ^ Grandmother: I've turned son over to Curry's lawyers Yahoo Sports, March 20, 2009
- ^ http://www.nypost.com/seven/01132009/news/regionalnews/knick_gets_called_for_sex_foul_149982.htm
- ^ Howard Beck,"Driver Sues Curry for Sexual Harassment", New York Times, January 12, 2009.
- ^ New York's Eddy Curry Was Father of Slain Baby ESPN.com, January 28, 2009, accessed January 30, 2009.
- ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3926761&campaign=rss&source=NBAHeadlines
- ^ Charges in Death of Eddy Curry's Ex-Girlfriend, Baby SI.com, February 23, 2009
- ^ Eddy's financial issues continue
External links
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