Michael Finley
Michael Finley was born in Melrose Park, Illinois, United States on March 6th, 1973 and is the Basketball Player. At the age of 51, Michael Finley biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.
At 51 years old, Michael Finley has this physical status:
Michael Howard Finley (born March 6, 1973) is an American basketball player and current film director, as well as Vice President of Basketball Operations for the Dallas Mavericks.
He spent 15 years in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
He was a two-time NBA All-Star and won an NBA championship with the San Antonio Spurs in 2007.
Personal life
Finley began playing basketball in elementary school. Michael Jordan was his favorite player, and he would regularly attend Chicago Bulls games. At Wisconsin, he concentrated on company administration. Finley formerly attended the same high school as current Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers.
High school career
Finley attended Proviso East High School in Maywood, Illinois, graduating in 1991. Proviso East was crowned the 1991 IHSA class AA boys basketball tournament in Finley's senior season, and Finley was selected to the all-tournament team. Future NBA draftees Sherrell Ford and Donnie Boyce were among Finley's teammates, collectively called the "Three Amigos."
Finley was named one of the "100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament" in 2007.
College career
The Phoenix Suns' 5'7" shooting guard/small forward was originally drafted out of University of Wisconsin-Madison as the 21st overall pick of the 1995 NBA draft. Finley held the all-time scoring record at Wisconsin for ten years until Alando Tucker took the field on March 10, 2007.
NBA career
After averaging fifteen points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game, Finley was named to the 1995–96 NBA All-Rookie First Team and finished third in Rookie of the Year polling. He was only the third rookie in Suns history to reach over 1,000 points in a season. Finley missed all 82 games during his rookie season but did not participate in the playoffs. He was traded by the Suns on December 26, 1996 to the Dallas Mavericks, along with Sam Cassell, A. C. Green, and a second-round draft pick for Jason Kidd, Tony Dumas, and Loren Meyer.
Finley led the team in scoring, assists, and thefts in his first season with the Mavericks. He joined point guard Steve Nash and forward Dirk Nowitzki in a key role in the Mavericks' late '90s "run and gun" offense.
In 2000, he was selected to represent the Western Conference in the 2000 All-Star Game, in which he scored eleven points. Finley set a NBA record by recording eight steals in one half of a game on January 23, 2001. He was then selected again to represent the Western Conference on All-Star weekend in 2001. He competed for the United States national team in the 2002 FIBA World Championship, losing a record-three games and losing a championship for the first time in a major tournament since FIBA began international competitions to NBA players.
Although Finley's role as he aged and colleague Dirk Nowitzki blossomed, he remained a key player for the Mavericks as he aged and developed. He was allowed by Dallas to avoid luxury taxes in 2005 (as part of the league's new labor agreement). Finley became an unrestricted free agent, and after being pursued by Detroit, Miami, Minnesota, and Phoenix, he decided to stay in Texas with the San Antonio Spurs.
Finley, a San Antonio native, adapted well to a secondary role as Manu Ginóbili's backup, inventing and emphasizing his outside shooting. His former team was kicked out of the 2006 NBA playoffs by his former coach a year after he made the switch. Finley was punched below the belt by former teammate Jason Terry during Game 5, earning Terry Terry a suspension for the upcoming game in the series and the suspension decision irritated Cuban, the Mavericks' boss, but the Spurs lost Game 7 after an overtime.
Finley set the Spurs' record for three-point field goals in a playoff game against Denver in 2007. He surpassed teammate Bruce Bowen's record of seven in 2003. In his 12th NBA season, Finley captured his first NBA championship with the San Antonio Spurs in 2007.
The Spurs bought out the final year of his deal and released him on March 1, 2010, freeing him to join another team at Finley's request.
Finley reached a verbal agreement with the Boston Celtics on March 4, 2010 and will continue with the Boston Celtics for the remainder of the 2009–2010 season. On March 6, 2010, he signed with the Celtics. The Celtics will advance to the 2010 NBA Finals, but they will lose in seven games to the Los Angeles Lakers, the defending champion. Finley also confirmed that he would miss at the end of the season.
