- Chris Washburn
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Chris Washburn No. 8, 50 Center Personal information Date of birth May 13, 1965 Place of birth Hickory, North Carolina Nationality American High school Laurinburg Institute
(Laurinburg, North Carolina)Listed height 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) Listed weight 225 lb (102 kg) Career information College North Carolina State (1984–1986) NBA Draft 1986 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3rd overall Selected by the Golden State Warriors Pro career 1986–1994 Career history 1986–1987 Golden State Warriors 1987–1988 Atlanta Hawks 1990–1991 Tulsa Fast Breakers (CBA) 1992 Miami Tropics (USBL) 1993 Westchester Stallions (USBL) 1994 Miami Tropics (USBL) Stats at NBA.com Stats at Basketball-Reference.com Christopher Scott Washburn (born May 13, 1966[1] in Hickory, North Carolina) is an American former professional basketball player.
Contents
College career
A 6'11" center, Washburn was one of the top three high school recruits in the country in 1984 along with John Williams (LSU) and Danny Manning (Kansas). He signed with North Carolina State University in Raleigh along with future NBA stars Vinny Del Negro and Nate McMillan to form one of the best recruiting classes in the nation on a team that also included Spud Webb. An incredibly gifted athlete, Washburn combined incredible size with blazing speed for a big man with soft hands.
According to some of his former teammates, however, Washburn was a student in name only. It is alleged that he almost never attended classes. Even so, Washburn remained eligible to play. During his time at N.C. State, he was caught stealing a stereo, which resulted in his being sentenced to 46 hours in jail, a five-year suspended prison term and five years of probation. During his trial, the Wake County district attorney introduced as evidence Washburn's SAT scores, which were below 500 (out of 1600, with 400 being the starting score).[2] "The coaches over there told me, ‘You already signed, you’re already in school, you just have to take the test just to get into college,’ ” Washburn said later. When they told me it didn’t matter what score I was getting, I went in for about 22 minutes. I just marked down [answers] … mark, mark, mark."[3]
His work ethic was also called into question.[4] Recruiting analyst Bob Gibbons claimed that Washburn was "never as good as his reputation," even as a high-school All-American. Gibbons was blasted by many N.C. State fans for suggesting that Washburn was going to break the Wolfpack basketball program, in response to coach Valvano's claim that Washburn would make the program.[5]
The one full season Washburn played with the Wolfpack demonstrated his potential. He averaged 17.6 points a game and 6.7 rebounds, sharing time in the front court with future NBA players Charles Shackleford and Chucky Brown. Washburn's best outing was against future top NBA draft pick Brad Daugherty and UNC on Feb. 23, 1986. Before a nationally-televised audience, Washburn scored 26 points as the Wolfpack upset the then-ranked #1 Tar Heels 76-65.
Washburn's case was one of many detailed by Peter Golenbock in his book, Personal Fouls, that effectively ended Valvano's career in 1990. While several errors in the book eventually led publishing house Simon and Schuster to drop the book, (it was finally published by Pocket Books), no one disputed Washburn's poor status as a student. In January 1989, Richard Lauffer, a former chair of the physical-education department at N.C. State, claimed Washburn's grades had been altered to maintain the player's eligibility.[6]
NBA career and present
Washburn left N.C. State after the 1985-86 season and was selected by the Golden State Warriors with the 3rd overall pick of the 1986 NBA Draft. Washburn was the third consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference player taken in the 1986 draft, following UNC center Brad Daugherty (Cleveland Cavaliers) and Maryland forward Len Bias (Boston Celtics).
The Warriors brought in center Joe Barry Carroll to help with Washburn's development, but it was to no avail. The highlight of Washburn's career may have come during an October exhibition game in his rookie season against the Knicks. During a 23-point loss, Washburn scored 16 points. Tendinitis in his knee resulted in Washburn taking anti-inflammatory medicine which led to a kidney infection in January 1987. On January 28, 1987, Washburn checked into a Van Nuys, California drug rehabilitation clinic, admitting he had a cocaine problem. After returning to the Warriors in late March, Washburn was still ineffective.
He played 72 games over two seasons (one and a half with the Warriors and part of another with the Atlanta Hawks), averaging 3.1 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. He is widely considered to be one of the biggest busts in NBA draft history. In 2005 Sports Illustrated named him the second-biggest NBA draft bust of all time.[7]
During his time with the Hawks, Washburn was asked by the media how he felt about the team playing an exhibition game in The Soviet Union. Washburn snarled "Russia? I ain't going to no Russia!"[8]
Washburn was banned from the NBA for life in June 1989 after failing three drug tests in three years. By the mid-1990s, Washburn was still trying to scrape together a basketball career in various minor professional leagues.
Washburn has reformed from his drug habit since 2000, and working in the mortgage business in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.[9] He speaks to addicts weekly at the Dallas Life Foundation Center.
References
- ^ Ex-NC State star Chris Washburn hopes his story will help others
- ^ State's Washburn wasn't recruited on basis of academic qualifications
- ^ http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=Ao8Snl6NBNoxWMm5_xduBRS8vLYF?slug=mc-washburnlife071510
- ^ Will The Sleeping Giant Ever Awake?
- ^ Off-court problems derail Washburn, by Ray Glier @ usatoday.com, May 7, 2002
- ^ Rough Week for Valvano and North Carolina St.
- ^ NBA Draft Busts
- ^ Washburn says no to Soviet jaunt
- ^ Marc J. Spears, 'Washburn traveled long road to recovery', Yahoo! Sports, July 15, 2010.
External links
1986 NBA Draft First round Brad Daugherty · Len Bias · Chris Washburn · Chuck Person · Kenny Walker · William Bedford · Roy Tarpley · Ron Harper · Brad Sellers · Johnny Dawkins · John Salley · John Williams · Dwayne Washington · Walter Berry · Dell Curry · Maurice Martin · Harold Pressley · Mark Alarie · Billy Thompson · Buck Johnson · Anthony Jones · Scott Skiles · Ken Barlow · Arvydas SabonisSecond round Mark Price · Greg Dreiling · Dennis Rodman · Larry Krystkowiak · Johnny Newman · Nate McMillan · Joe Ward · Cedric Henderson · Kevin Duckworth · Johnny Rogers · Milton Wagner · Steve Mitchell · Panagiotis Fasoulas · Lemone Lampley · Rafael Addison · Augusto Binelli · Otis Smith · Ron Kellogg · Dave Feitl · David Wingate · Keith Smith · Jeff Hornacek · Michael JacksonCategories:- 1965 births
- Living people
- African American basketball players
- American basketball players
- Basketball players from North Carolina
- McDonald's High School All-Americans
- Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)
- NC State Wolfpack men's basketball players
- Golden State Warriors draft picks
- Golden State Warriors players
- Atlanta Hawks players
- People from Hickory, North Carolina
- People from Atlanta, Georgia
- People from Dallas, Texas
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