Kareem Rush
Rush with the Clippers in October 2009
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born |
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 |
| 2007–2008 | Indiana Pacers |
| 2008–2009 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 2009–2010 | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 2012 | Los Angeles D-Fenders |
| 2012–2013 | Los Angeles Slam |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Kareem Lamar Rush (born October 30, 1980) is a retired American professional basketball player. Rush's younger brother, Brandon, plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves, while older brother JaRon played college basketball for UCLA.
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.
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.
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