Kareem Rush

Kareem Rush

Rush with the Clippers in October 2009
Personal information
Born (1980-10-30) October 30, 1980
Kansas City, Missouri
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight 200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school The Pembroke Hill School
(Kansas City, Missouri)
College Missouri (1999–2002)
NBA draft 2002 / Round: 1 / Pick: 20th overall
Selected by the Toronto Raptors
Playing career 2002–2014
Position Shooting guard
Career history
2002–2004 Los Angeles Lakers
2004–2006 Charlotte Bobcats
2006–2007 Lietuvos rytas (Lithuania)
2007–2008 Indiana Pacers
2008–2009 Philadelphia 76ers
2009–2010 Los Angeles Clippers
2012 Los Angeles D-Fenders (D-League)
2012–2013 Los Angeles Slam (ABA)
Career highlights and awards

Kareem Lamar Rush (born October 30, 1980) is a retired American professional basketball player. Rush's younger brother, Brandon, plays for the Golden State Warriors, while older brother JaRon played college basketball for UCLA.[1]

College career

After graduating from Pembroke Hill School in Kansas City, Rush attended the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri, where he was a standout guard on the basketball team. Rush averaged 19.8 points per game as a junior, leading the Tigers to the Western Regional finals in the NCAA tournament, where they lost to Oklahoma. As a sophomore in 2000–01, he led the Big 12 in scoring, averaging 21.1 points per game. During this time, Rush worked with world-renowned conditioning coach Istvan Javorek.

Professional career

Kareem Rush handling the ball for the Charlotte Bobcats.

Los Angeles Lakers (2002–2004)

Rush entered the 2002 NBA Draft after his junior season and was selected with the 20th pick overall by the Toronto Raptors, who immediately traded his rights to the Los Angeles Lakers. Rush was projected to be a top 10 pick, but much like what happened to Kareem's elder brother JaRon—a former UCLA star—Kareem slipped down much further than anticipated. At the 2000 draft, JaRon, who left the Bruins after his sophomore season, was not selected. "No one wants to see something like that happen to his brother", JaRon said, weeping. "I mean, I knew he was going to get drafted eventually, but it was still hard."

Over his first two seasons, he played a limited, back-up role on the Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant-led club. However, due to his three-point shooting accuracy, he would become a more frequently used reserve player in the 2003–2004 playoffs for coach Phil Jackson. Although the Lakers would lose to the Pistons in the NBA Finals, Rush was able to make somewhat of a name for himself as a sharpshooter, averaging 14 minutes per game and hitting 40% of his three-point shots in the playoffs. He was a major contributor in helping the Lakers clinch the Western Conference Finals against Kevin Garnett and the Minnesota Timberwolves, when he scored 18 points in the sixth and final game, all from 3-point range, where he was 6 for 7.[2]

Charlotte Bobcats (2004–2006)

Fourteen games into the 2004–05 season, the Lakers traded Rush to the Charlotte Bobcats for two future second-round draft picks. In Charlotte, Rush found a larger role, often starting and averaging more than 25 minutes and 11.5 points per game. He set a then-Bobcats franchise record by scoring 35 points against the Indiana Pacers. His season ended March 2 when he strained his MCL during a game in New Orleans.[3]

Seattle SuperSonics (2006)

During the 2006–07 offseason, Rush signed with the Seattle SuperSonics,[4] but recovered slowly from a groin injury. In November 2006, the club waived him to make room for a replacement for two frontcourt players who had sustained injuries.[5]

Lithuania (2006–2007)

Rush spent the next season playing in Lithuania. On December 21, 2006, he signed with ULEB Cup participant Lietuvos rytas from Vilnius. He was chosen by the Slovenian coach Zmago Sagadin and led his team to the cup final. On February 24, 2007, Rush was named the MVP of the 2007 LKL All-Star Game. On April 21, Rush's team became the champion of the Baltic Basketball League; he was named the Final Four MVP.

Indiana Pacers (2007–2008)

On July 3, 2007, Rush signed with the Indiana Pacers, who cited their need for a shooter.[6]

Philadelphia 76ers (2008–2009)

On July 28, 2008, Rush signed a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers.[7]

Los Angeles Clippers (2009–2010)

Rush eventually signed for the Los Angeles Clippers, because of injuries to other players on the roster.[8] However, Rush himself suffered an ACL tear in his right knee on November 18, 2009.[9] Rush was waived by the Clippers on January 22, 2010.[10]

Los Angeles D-Fenders (2012)

On March 12, 2012, Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA D-League acquired Rush.[11]

Los Angeles Slam (2012–2013)

For the 2012–13 season, Rush played for the Los Angeles Slam of the ABA.

Los Angeles D-Fenders (2013–2014)

In November 2013, he was re-acquired by the Los Angeles D-Fenders.[12]

On January 22, 2014, Rush left the D-Fenders, citing his desire to formally retire from basketball.

NBA career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2002–03 L.A. Lakers 76 0 11.5 .393 .279 .696 1.2 .9 .1 .1 3.0
2003–04 L.A. Lakers 72 15 17.3 .440 .348 .596 1.3 .8 .5 .3 6.4
2004–05 L.A. Lakers 14 0 6.5 .200 .200 1.000 .7 .2 .1 .1 .9
2004–05 Charlotte 34 22 25.8 .396 .386 .761 2.3 1.9 .5 .2 11.5
2005–06 Charlotte 47 25 23.6 .386 .348 .714 2.2 1.1 .8 .3 10.1
2007–08 Indiana 71 15 21.2 .401 .389 .714 2.4 1.3 .6 .3 8.3
2008–09 Philadelphia 25 1 8.0 .345 .303 1.000 .6 .6 .2 .0 2.2
2009–10 L.A. Clippers 7 0 8.3 .364 .333 .000 .9 .6 .3 .4 1.3
Career 346 78 17.2 .400 .358 .703 1.7 1.0 .4 .2 6.4

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2003 L.A. Lakers 9 0 7.1 .379 .364 1.000 .3 .2 .1 .0 3.3
2004 L.A. Lakers 22 0 14.3 .385 .400 .667 .7 .8 .5 .1 3.7
Career 31 0 12.2 .383 .393 .857 .6 .6 .4 .1 3.6

Singing career

In 2010, Rush embarked on an R&B singing career, releasing his debut single "Hold You Down".[13]

Notes

  1. ↑ Where Brothers Faltered, Rush Hopes to Carry On
  2. ↑ Kareem Rush Statistics - Basketball-Reference.com
  3. ↑ NBA Player File
  4. ↑ KUsports.com - Sonics add ex-Tiger Rush
  5. ↑ "Sonics sign Glyniadakis, adding depth to thin frontcourt". Associated Press. November 5, 2006. Retrieved 2007-07-06.
  6. ↑ Brunt, Cliff (July 3, 2007). "Pacers sign former first-round pick Kareem Rush". Associated Press. Archived from the original on November 1, 2010. Retrieved 2007-07-06.
  7. ↑ "Sixers sign former first-round pick Kareem Rush". July 28, 2008. Archived from the original on October 14, 2012. Retrieved 2008-07-28.
  8. ↑ Dillman, Lisa (October 4, 2009). "Ready or not, let the games begin for Clippers". The Los Angeles Times.
  9. ↑ "Clippers' G Rush tears his right ACL against the Hornets". Associated Press. November 18, 2009. Retrieved on November 19, 2009.
  10. ↑ "Clippers sign JamesOn Curry to 10-day contract". LA Times Blogs - Sports Now. 2010-01-22. Retrieved 2014-02-17.
  11. ↑ "D-Fenders Acquire Kareem Rush". NBA.com. Retrieved 2014-02-17.
  12. ↑ 2013-14 Training Camp Roster
  13. ↑ "Kareem Rush Will "Hold You Down"". Yardbarker. Retrieved 2014-02-17.

External links

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