Shawn Bradley
Shawn Paul Bradley (born
March 22,
1972 in
Landstuhl,
West Germany, now Germany) is a 7ft. 6in. (2.29 m) former professional
basketball player who played center for the
Dallas Mavericks (
NBA). His nicknames are "The Stormin'
Mormon", "The Deathstick", "Missionary Impossible", the "Mormon Mantis", the "Praying Mantis" and "Siggi" (during his time in the German national basketball team).
Born in
Germany, Bradley grew up in
Castle Dale,
Utah, in the
United States and has
dual citizenship. Bradley has competed internationally for
Germany; he and Dallas teammate
Dirk Nowitzki were members of the
German national basketball team that finished third (ahead of the USA) at the
2002 FIBA World Championships in
Indianapolis.
Bradley was highly regarded as an NBA prospect after playing well for
Brigham Young University. In the
1993 NBA Draft, he was the second pick overall. During his first years with the
Philadephia 76ers, Bradley established himself as a decent pivot, sporting a nice touch around the basket (averaging 10-12 points per game) and intimidating shotblocking abilities, denying an average 3.5 shots per game.
However, the rail-thin Bradley had a tough time against the physical centers and forwards of his generation and had a reputation for being inconsistent, and not aggressive when it comes to defense. He was also known for getting into
foul trouble (at times, he averaged over 4 fouls per game at just under 30 minutes of playing time), mainly stemming of lack of coordination, even compared to other players of his size, such as
Yao Ming,
Gheorghe Muresan or
Manute Bol. He so frequently became the target of vicious slam dunks that ESPN Sportscenter even featured a clip
Top 10 Dunks on Shawn Bradley.
After a couple of decent years with the
Dallas Mavericks, Bradley developed knee problems, which caused him to lose more of his athletic abilities. His input steadily declined, and after acquiring the new center
Erick Dampier in 2004, Bradley found himself on the bench most of the time. Bradley announced his retirement from professional basketball in June 2005 so that he could start a chicken farm in
Utah.
On
January 25,
2000, during a game against the
Golden State Warriors, Bradley was picked up by Warriors forward
Mark Davis and slammed on the court. For his part in the scuffle, he was fined $3,000 by the league.
Bradley is a deeply
religious person. When he was 19, he served for two years as a
Mormon missionary for the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in
New South Wales,
Australia. Bradley often donates to charities and is a big fan of
country music.
As of 2006, his wife Anette and he have six children.
*
Shawn Bradley at Basketball-Reference.com
*
Shawn Bradley at
NBA.com
