BATON ROUGE — The NBA preseason got underway this week with nine former Tigers on NBA rosters.
The players include Brandon Bass (Orlando), Glen Davis (Boston), Ronald Dupree (Toronto), Tasmin Mitchell (Cleveland), Shaquille O’Neal (Boston), Anthony Randolph (New York), Garrett Temple (San Antonio), Tyrus Thomas (Charlotte) and Marcus Thornton (New Orleans).
O’Neal enters his 19th season in the NBA. The 15-time All-Star and four-time NBA Champion begins his first season with the Boston Celtics after spending last year with Cleveland.
Joining O’Neal in Boston is Davis, the former SEC Player of the Year. The Baton Rouge native is entering his fourth season in the league, all with the Boston Celtics. Davis helped lead the Celtics to the 2007-2008 NBA championship his rookie season and the NBA Finals last season.
After spending last season playing in Germany, Dupree returns to the NBA this season with the Toronto Raptors. In his five-year NBA career, Dupree has spent time with Detroit, Chicago, Minnesota and Seattle.
Bass enters his second season with the Orlando Magic. The five-year NBA veteran helped lead the Magic to the Eastern Conference Finals a year ago.
Thomas, the 2006 SEC Freshman of the Year, returns this season with the Charlotte Bobcats. After playing his first three seasons in the NBA with Chicago, Thomas was traded mid-season last year to Charlotte. He helped lead the franchise to their first ever playoff appearance.
Part of a mid-summer trade, Randolph enters his first season with the Knicks. The 14th selection in the 2008 NBA Draft, Randolph spent his first two seasons with Golden State.
Thornton, the 2009 SEC Player of the Year, enters his second season with the Hornets after a successful rookie season. He averaged 14.5 points in 73 games for New Orleans last season.
After splitting his rookie season between Houston, Sacramento and San Antonio, Temple returns to San Antonio for the 2010-2011 campaign. In 13 games for the Spurs last year, Temple averaged 6.2 points per game in helping lead the Spurs to the second round of the NBA playoffs.
An undrafted free agent, Mitchell signed a contract over the summer with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The former All-SEC player spent the summer playing for Cleveland’s summer league team, where he averaged 5.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.
The 2010-2011 NBA regular season begins Oct. 26. Check back to LSUsports.net for weekly ‘Tigers in the NBA’ updates.
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Former Tigers in the NBA – Preseason
Brandon Bass – Orlando Magic
Glen Davis – Boston Celtics
Ronald Dupree – Toronto Raptors
Tasmin Mitchell – Cleveland Cavaliers
Shaquille O’Neal – Boston Celtics
Anthony Randolph – New York Knicks
Garrett Temple – San Antonio Spurs
Tyrus Thomas – Charlotte Bobcats
Marcus Thornton – New Orleans Hornets