Tyson Chandler
From Hoopedia
Tyson Cleotis Chandler (born October 2, 1982 in Hanford, California) is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets. Standing 7'1", he plays at the power forward and center positions.
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High School
Chandler attended Dominguez High School in Los Angeles. He earned accolades from Parade Magazine, USA Today and was selected to the McDonald's High School All-America Team. As a 6'11" freshman, he was profiled on current affairs TV program 60 Minutes. Chandler led Dominguez to a state championship before declaring as an early entry candidate in the 2001 NBA Draft.
Professional Career
Chandler was selected 2nd overall by the Los Angeles Clippers, who immediately traded his rights to the Chicago Bulls for former NBA Rookie of the Year Award recipient Elton Brand. The Chicago Bulls intended to pair Chandler with fellow high school phenom Eddy Curry in the frontcourt. However, while both players had stretches of success during their time with the Bulls, they rarely coincided. In Chandler's case, back problems were a recurring issue throughout his career, particularly during the 2003-04 season. His mental approach was an issue as well. During the early part of his career, Chandler feuded with Brendan Haywood of the Washington Wizards and Amare Stoudemire of the Phoenix Suns. Later, although the feuds became less frequent, Chandler struggled with foul trouble, which limited his playing time.
Chandler also played a major role in the resurgent Bulls' playoff run in the 2004-05 season. Finding a role as a fourth quarter defensive specialist, with notable game-saving blocks against stars like Paul Pierce and Carmelo Anthony, he was rewarded with a long-term deal to remain with the Chicago Bulls for the next six years, reportedly worth close to 63 million dollars. With Curry's departure after the 2004-05 season, Chandler became the last member on the Bulls left from the Jerry Krause era.
During the 2005-2006 season, Chandler's biggest impact was on defense, but he struggled with foul problems and averaged only 5.3 points per game. Due in part to his sub-par playoff performance and the Bulls' signing of Four-Time Defensive Player of the Year Ben Wallace in the offseason after the 2004-2005 season, Bulls GM John Paxson began to consider moving Chandler. On July 5, 2006, the Bulls and the Hornets verbally agreed to a trade that would send Chandler to the Hornets in exchange for J.R. Smith and P.J. Brown. The deal was finalized the following week. So far during the 2006-2007 season he seems to be more confident and has become an even more prolific rebounder, ranking second in the league at the beginning of March.
Personal
Chandler got married in the offseason of 2005 to high school sweetheart Kimberly Brown. Several NBA players attended, including then Bulls teammate Ben Gordon, and former high school teammate Tayshaun Prince of the Detroit Pistons. Chandler has a daughter, Sacha Marie, born May 2006
