Olden Polynice

From Hoopedia

Olden Polynice (born November 21, 1964 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti) is a retired professional basketball center.

Polynice played with the Seattle SuperSonics, Los Angeles Clippers, Detroit Pistons, Sacramento Kings, and Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After graduating from All Hallows High School in the Bronx, he played college basketball at the University of Virginia. After graduating, he was selected 8th overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 1987 NBA Draft. Polynice was traded for Scottie Pippen, before either player had ever stepped on an NBA court.

In 15 NBA seasons, Polynice averaged 23.5 minutes, 7.8 points, and 6.7 rebounds per game, with a respectable career PER of 13.2. At 6'11", Olden was often signed by teams in need of a good rebounder and tough interior player, and Polynice ranks among the NBA's all-time leaders in offensive rebounds. Polynice retired from the NBA in 2004 after a brief return to the Clippers that season. He played 2004-05 for the minor professional Los Angeles Aftershock.

In 2000, Polynice was involved in an incident in which he was falsely accused of impersonating a police officer.Polynice was involved in a minor traffic accident in which his car was struck by a speeding motorist who drove off after striking Polynice. Polynice chased after the car and ended up having a confrontation with the driver of the other car.The situation was resolved at the scene without the police being involved, but a few days later he was informed that he was being charged with impersonating a police officer. He would eventually plead guilty to the offense (a class B misdemeanor), and served a one-game suspension during the 2000-01 season.

He is now the coach of the ABA's Long Beach Breakers.