Latrell Sprewell

1970-

American basketball player

Latrell Sprewell, a gutsy floor leader, became an unexpected, and at times highly unpopular, star in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He did not play organized basketball until he was a senior in high school, and his college play, although outstanding, drew little recognition. Even after posting stellar numbers as a rookie playing for the Golden State Warriors in 1992, few people knew who he was. That all changed on December 1, 1997 when he twice attacked his coach, P.J. Carlesimo, during practice.

The Back Roads to the NBA

Latrell Sprewell was born on September 8, 1970 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As a young child Sprewell's parents, Pamela Sprewell and Latoska Field, moved the family to Flint, Michigan. When his parents separated during Sprewell's sophomore year in high school, he moved back to Milwaukee with his mother, where he attended Washington High School. Sprewell did not play organized basketball until his senior year, when he was approached by the basketball coach in the hallway and invited to try out for the team. Not only did Sprewell make the team, he scored an average of twenty-eight points per game.

With only one, albeit impressive, year of high school experience, Sprewell had little name recognition and was not highly recruited by colleges. As a result, he enrolled in Three Rivers Junior College, where he played junior college ball for the next two years. Earning a reputation as a hard worker and defensive specialist, Sprewell was invited to transfer to the University of Alabama, where he played his last two years of college eligibility. During his senior year he averaged 17.8 points, 5.2 rebounds,

and 1.8 steals per game. Despite being named to the All-Southeastern Conference team, Sprewell entered the 1992 NBA draft without much fanfare.

Selected by the Golden State Warriors as the twenty-fourth pick of the draft, Sprewell made an impressive start during his rookie season. He became the first rookie in Golden State's history to accumulate 1,000 points, 250 rebounds, 250 assists, 100 steals, and fifty blocks in a season. He also led his team in minutes played with 2,741. His efforts earned him a place on the second team of the 1993 NBA All-Rookie Team. In his second season with Golden State, Sprewell continued to excel, finishing the 1993-94 season with a per-game average of twenty-one points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 2.2 steals. He was named to the 1994 All-NBA First Team.

A Tarnished Reputation

During the 1994-95 season, Sprewell, who was having trouble forgiving the Warriors' management for trading away friends Chris Webber and Billy Owens, was twice suspended during the season for conduct deemed detrimental to the team. Yet, because his play on the court remained impressive, the Warriors agreed to a four-year contract in 1996 worth $32 million. During the 1996-97 season, Sprewell averaged over twenty-four points per game and was the Western Conference's leading scorer in the 1996 NBA All-Star game, with nineteen points. Despite Sprewell's efforts, the Warriors were floundering badly at the beginning of the 1997-98 season, and Sprewell's frustration erupted into a career altering confrontation with his coach, P.J. Carlesimo.

Sprewell did not react positively to Carlesimo's in-your-face coaching style and made known openly his lack of respect for his coach. Carlesimo benched Sprewell during a blowout against the Los Angeles Lakers early in the season because Sprewell refused to stop laughing during a timeout. Two days after that incident, Sprewell was tossed out of practice for ignoring Carlesimo's instructions. Then in November, Sprewell was fined for missing the arrival deadline for a game. Two days later during practice, after being reprimanded for his lackluster effort, Sprewell physically attacked Carlesimo when the coach tried to approach him. Reportedly Sprewell grabbed Carlesimo by the throat, demanded to be traded, and threatened to kill him if he wasn't. Pulled off by other players, Sprewell removed himself to the locker room but returned to the court fifteen minutes later and once again lunged at Carlesimo, this time punching him in the neck, a charge the Sprewell later denied.

Initially the team responded to the incident by suspending Sprewell for ten games, but then decided to terminate his $32 million contract for failing to abide by the basic conduct clause of the player agreement. After losing the last three years of a contract valued at nearly $25 million, Sprewell was then suspended from basketball for one year by NBA Commissioner David Stern. Sprewell also lost an endorsement contract with Converse. After the NBA players' association filed a grievance on behalf of Sprewell, arguing that the punishment was too harsh, the matter went before an arbitrator who eventually ruled that the Warriors could not terminate Sprewell's contract and reduced the suspension to the remainder of the 1997-98.

Chronology

Sprewell did not help redeem his image when he was arrested three days before the arbitration decision for reckless driving, after being in a car accident that injured two people. In an out-of-court settlement, Sprewell was fined $1,000 and sentenced to three months home detention and two years probation. Although he apologized publicly to fans and supporters for his behavior, Sprewell did not allow the matter to drop. He filed suit against the NBA for anti-trust and civil rights violations, suing the league for $30 million; however, the suit was thrown out in July of 1998 by a federal judge.

A New Start in New York

Cleared to return to the court for the 1998-99 season, Sprewell remained sidelined by a players' strike that lasted until January 1999, at which time he was traded from the Warriors to the New York Knicks. Joining the Knicks gave Sprewell a much-needed chance to redeem himself and his career. In his first game in a Knicks uniform, Sprewell scored a game-high twenty-four points. As the Knicks continued to win, memories of Sprewell's past altercations began to fade from the public mind. He became a popular player in New York and the team's emotional leader, helping his team reach the 1999 NBA championship series, which the Knicks lost to the San Antonio Spurs.

During the next three seasons, Sprewell averaged 18.6 points per game for the Knicks, despite the team's downward spiral in the league standings. Although he continues to incur occasional fines for being late or absent from required team functions, Sprewell quietly pays his fines. The final chapter of his career has yet to be written. Whether history will judge him as a misunderstood nice guy who tries to mind his own business for the most part or yet one more overpaid egomaniacal professional athlete remains to be seen.

Career Statistics

Awards and Accomplishments

CONTACT INFORMATION

Address: New York Knicks, Two Pennsylvania Plaza, New York, New York 10121. Phone: (212) 465-5867.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Books

Oblender, David G., and Shirelle Phelps, eds. Contemporary Black Biography, Volume 23. Detroit: Gale Group, 1999.

Who's Who Among African Americans, 14th ed. Detroit: Gale Group, 2001.

Periodicals

Ballantini, Brett. "The New York State of Mind: Sully Spree." Basketball Digest (December 2002): 6+.

Brennan, John. "The Real Sprewell." Sporting News (February 26, 2001): 22.

D'Alessandro, Dave. "Despite Choking His Coach, Sprewell will be in Demand." Sporting News (November 30, 1998): 92.

D'Alessandro, Dave. "Talk is Cheap, But Sprewell Ruling was on the Money." Sporting News (March 16, 1998): 63.

"His Daze in Court." Sports Illustrated (June 1, 1998): 22.

Kertes, Tom. "All's Well That Ends Well." Basketball Digest (April 2002): 20+.

Lavnick, Mitchell. "Why Can't I Have a Team Full of Sprees?" Basketball Digest (March 2001): 28.

McCallum, Jack. "Spree for All." Sports Illustrated (May 15, 2000): 62+

Starr, Mark, and Allison Samuels. "Hoop Nightmare." Newsweek (December 15, 1997): 26.

Stein, Joel. "Tall Men Behaving Badly." Time (December 15, 1997): 91-92.

Taylor, Phil. "Center of the Storm." Sports Illustrated (December 15, 1997): 60.

Other

Biography Resource Center Online. Gale Group, 1999. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: The Gale Group, 2002. http://www.galenet.com/servlet/BioRC/ (December 11, 2002).

"Latrell Sprewell." National Basketball Association. http://www.nba.com/ (December 11, 2002)

Sketch by Kari Bethel