Brad Sellers

From Hoopedia

Bradley Donn Sellers (born December 17, 1962 in Warrensville Heights, Ohio) is an American former professional basketball player. A 7'0" power forward/center from Ohio State University, he was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the first round (ninth pick overall) of the 1986 NBA Draft.

Sellers was a controversial selection among the Bulls' staff and players. General manager Jerry Krause was attracted to Sellers because of his above-average shooting ability, which was rare in a player of Seller's size. Michael Jordan and others, however, had wanted Krause to draft Johnny Dawkins, a hard-playing guard from Duke University and a friend of Jordan. Sellers eventually became a part-time starter for the Bulls, but he never averaged more than 9.5 points or 4.7 rebounds in a season, and with the emergence of forward Scottie Pippen during the 1988 NBA Playoffs, he began to see his playing time diminish. In 1989, he was finally traded to the Seattle SuperSonics for the 18th overall pick of the NBA Draft, which would become B.J. Armstrong.

Though widely considered a disappointment among Bulls fans, Sellers did have an important role in one of the Bulls' most famous plays: he inbounded the ball to Michael Jordan for The Shot, Jordan's series-clinching jump shot against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1989 NBA Playoffs. It should also be noted that none of the players selected after Sellers in the first round of the 1986 draft–including Johnny Dawkins–ever became NBA All-Stars.

Sellers also played briefly for the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Detroit Pistons before leaving the NBA in 1993 to embark on a lengthy overseas career. Sellers played in Spain, Israel, Greece, and France before retiring in 2000 to become community liaison director for his hometown.