Rod Strickland
Rod Strickland was born in The Bronx, New York, United States on July 11th, 1966 and is the Basketball Player. At the age of 57, Rod Strickland biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.
At 57 years old, Rod Strickland has this physical status:
Rodney Strickland (born July 11, 1966) is an American basketball executive and retired National Basketball Association (NBA) player.
He is currently the program manager for the NBA G League's professional path.
Strickland played college basketball at DePaul University, where he was awarded All-American honors.
He then enjoyed a long career in the NBA, playing from 1988 to 2005.
Strickland was an assistant coach for the South Florida Bulls, under Orlando Antigua from 2014 to 2017.
He formerly served in an administrative role for the University of Kentucky basketball team under head coach John Calipari and was the director of basketball operations at the University of Memphis under Calipari.
He is the godfather of current NBA player Kyrie Irving.
Personal life
Strickland is the godfather of the 2011 NBA draft first overall pick and 2012 Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving. Strickland's son, Tai, currently plays college basketball for Temple after transferring from Wisconsin.
High school career
Strickland, a Bronx boy, starred for the New York Gauchos. He led Truman High School in Co-Op City to the state championship and was named one of the top ten high school recruits in the country as a junior. As a senior, he was accepted at Oak Hill Academy in Virginia.
College career
Strickland made his college debut at DePaul University, where he appeared in 87 games. After averaging 20.0 points and 7.8 assists as a freshman, he became a First Team All-American. Strickland, a 1987 and 1988 All-America pick, has helped the Blue Demons win three straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 1985–88, including Sweet Sixteen shows in 1986 and 1987. The three-time Blue Demon letterwinner is ranked among the program's top scorers in scoring average (8th; 16.6 ppg), assists (3rd; 557) and robbery (204). During his college career, he averaged 3.4 rebounds while shooting 54%.
NBA career
He was drafted in the first round of the 1988 NBA draft by his hometown New York Knicks, where he backed up point guard Mark Jackson, the 1988 NBA Rookie of the Year. Since the Knicks had Jackson, he was seen as a strange pick by some analysts. However, Jackson and Strickland both worked together that season. In 16.8 minutes per game where he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team, Strickland played in all 82 games and averaged 8.9 points and 3.9 assists.
The Knicks traded veteran Maurice Cheeks to the San Antonio Spurs in the middle of the 1989-1990 season, knowing that having both Jackson and Strickland in the same position would not work. In San Antonio, the Strickland flourished. With him in the starting lineup, the Spurs went 18–6. In ten playoff games, he led the Spurs in assists 26 times and averaged 12.3 points and 11.2 assists.
When healthy, Strickland lived up to his hopes as a dynamic performer. He missed 24 games this year due to a strained ankle and a fractured bone in his right hand. Strickland had 13.8 points and 8.0 assists in his 58 games played, shooting.482 from the field and.763 from the free throw line. He was a leader in assists 46 times and 30 times in stealings. Strickland finished the year tied for 12th in assists with Terry Porter for 12th in the NBA. In a four-game series loss to the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the 1991 NBA Playoffs, he had a game-day average of 18.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 8.8 assists, and 2.25 steals in 42.0 minutes per game.
Strickland didn't play in the first 24 games of the season beginning in 1991–92 as a result of a labour dispute with the Spurs' leadership. He finally signed on December 23, continued 53 of 57 games and averaged 13.8 points, 8.6 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.07 steals in 36.0 minutes per game. On eight occasions, he scored in double figures 48 times and scored 20 or more points. He scored a career-high 28 points against the Indiana Pacers on February 6 and had a career-high 19 assists against the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 3. Strickland appeared in two playoff games against the Phoenix Suns before missing the third due to a fractured bone in his left hand. In three games, the Suns dominated the series.
Strickland signed as a free agent with the Portland Trail Blazers before the 1992-1993 season.
During a 135-113 victory over the Phoenix Suns on April 5, 1994, Strickland set a Trail Blazers record of 20 assists in a single game.
In a 105-99 loss to the Knicks, Strickland set a career high with 36 points scored on 15-21 shooting from the field on January 24, 1995. In a first round loss to the Suns, Strickland averaged 23.3 points and 12.3 assists per game during the previous year's playoffs.
In a 110-102 Game 1 loss to the Utah Jazz on April 5, 1996, Strickland scored 27 points and 12 assists. The Trail Blazers eventually lost the series 3-2, and the series was not won until Game 5, when Strickland scored only 10 points after missing 11 of his 16 shots as the Jazz defeated 102-64.
Despite regular season success in Portland, Strickland, and the Trail Blazers, he never made it to the first round in the playoffs during his time as a player. Strickland averaged 17 points and 8.6 assists per game in four seasons with the Blazers.
Strickland and teammate Harvey Grant were traded to the Washington Bullets for Rasheed Wallace and Mitchell Butler in 1996, a move that has initially benefitted both franchises. Strickland's first season in Washington, Washington, saw him win the playoffs for the first time in eight seasons.
Strickland had the best season of his career in 1997–98, averaging 17.8 ppg and a league-leading 10.5 apg. During the year, Strickland became the NBA's 25th player to reach 10,000 points and 5,000 assists. Strickland was selected to the Second Team All-NBA. Although his individual stats increased over the next two seasons, the Wizards' team got worse, leading to a buyout of his contract.
In 2001, Strickland was back to the Portland Trail Blazers. He spent his time with the Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, Orlando Magic, Toronto Raptors, and the Houston Rockets. He appeared in 1,094 games (740 starts) and scored over 14,000 points and nearly 8,000 assists, as well as tallying over 10,000 assists. In 1991–92 (th), 1993–94 (th), 1995–96 (t), 1998–99 (2nd), and 1995–99 (2nd), both ranked among the top ten assists per game in the NBA.
Strickland's average was 13.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.5 steals, and 30.7 minutes of floor time per game.
Coaching career
Strickland was recruited as an assistant coach at USF under former Kentucky assistant coach Orlando Antico from 2014 to 2017. He spent time at the University of Kentucky as an administrative under Coach John Calipari prior to that. Strickland began his teaching career at the University of Memphis as director of basketball operations, taking over the position held by former NBA player Milt Wagner. Strickland was inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame in September, alongside NBA players Kenny Anderson and Sam Perkins, coach Pete Gillen, and pioneers Lou Bender and Eddie Younger.