Personal information | |||||||||||||
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Born |
Flint, Michigan |
September 7, 1977 ||||||||||||
Nationality | American | ||||||||||||
Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||
Listed weight | 205 lb (93 kg) | ||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||
High school |
Flint Northern (Flint, Michigan) |
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College | Michigan State (1996–2000) | ||||||||||||
NBA draft | 2000 / Round: 1 / Pick: 14th overall | ||||||||||||
Selected by the Detroit Pistons | |||||||||||||
Playing career | 2000–2009 | ||||||||||||
Position | Point guard | ||||||||||||
Number | 24, 8 | ||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||
2000–2001 | Detroit Pistons | ||||||||||||
2001–2003 | Sacramento Kings | ||||||||||||
2003–2004 | Huntsville Flight | ||||||||||||
2004 | Cleveland Cavaliers | ||||||||||||
2004 | Huntsville Flight | ||||||||||||
2004–2006 | Seattle SuperSonics | ||||||||||||
2006 | Fayetteville Patriots | ||||||||||||
2006–2007 | UNICS Kazan | ||||||||||||
2007 | Bakersfield Jam | ||||||||||||
2007–2008 | Panionios | ||||||||||||
2008–2009 | Bakersfield Jam | ||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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Medals
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Mateen Ahmad Cleaves (born September 7, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player who played in six NBA seasons. He is currently a music talent manager and an analyst on the television program Inside College Basketball on CBS Sports Network.
Cleaves is best remembered for his career with the Michigan State University Spartans (MSU).
He was a heavily recruited high school athlete. His recruiting trip with the Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team touched off a major scandal after he was a passenger in a rollover accident. Cleaves eventually agreed to attend Michigan State University, the University of Michigan's in-state rival. He is one of the four MSU players from Flint, Michigan dubbed "The Flintstones."
Cleaves, a three-time Michigan State captain, led the Spartans to the 2000 national championship, and was named Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four.
The school's only three-time All-American, Cleaves was named Big Ten Player of the Year twice. He led MSU and the conference in career assists with 816, and is Michigan State's all-time steals leader (193). In his final home game on senior night in East Lansing, Cleaves dished out 20 assists, breaking the Big Ten single-game and career assist marks.