Personal information | |||||||||||||
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Born |
Winter Haven, Florida |
June 16, 1954 ||||||||||||
Nationality | American | ||||||||||||
Listed height | 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) | ||||||||||||
Listed weight | 235 lb (107 kg) | ||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||
High school | Crisp County (Cordele, Georgia) | ||||||||||||
College | Clemson (1973–1977) | ||||||||||||
NBA draft | 1977 / Round: 1 / Pick: 14th overall | ||||||||||||
Selected by the Atlanta Hawks | |||||||||||||
Playing career | 1977–1995 | ||||||||||||
Position | Center | ||||||||||||
Number | 30, 15 | ||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||
As player: | |||||||||||||
1977–1988 | Atlanta Hawks | ||||||||||||
1988–1990 | Cleveland Cavaliers | ||||||||||||
1990–1991 | Detroit Pistons | ||||||||||||
1991–1993 | Houston Rockets | ||||||||||||
1993–1995 | Orlando Magic | ||||||||||||
As coach: | |||||||||||||
1993–1995 | Orlando Magic (assistant) | ||||||||||||
1999–2000 | Washington Wizards (assistant) | ||||||||||||
2000–2002 | Indiana Pacers (assistant) | ||||||||||||
2002–2003 | Greenville Groove | ||||||||||||
2006–2007 | Washington Mystics (assistant) | ||||||||||||
2007–2008 | Washington Mystics | ||||||||||||
2013–2015 | Chicago Sky (assistant) | ||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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Career NBA statistics | |||||||||||||
Points | 6,249 (5.4 ppg) | ||||||||||||
Rebounds | 6,750 (5.8 rpg) | ||||||||||||
Blocks | 2,542 (2.2 bpg) | ||||||||||||
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |||||||||||||
Medals
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Wayne Monte "Tree" Rollins (born June 16, 1954) is an American retired professional basketball player who played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets and Orlando Magic. The 7-foot-1-inch 275 pound Clemson graduate played center, and gained high esteem for his defense, particularly his rebounding and shot-blocking ability. He finished in the top three in blocked shots six times, leading the league during the 1982–83 NBA season. At the time of his retirement in 1995, he was fourth all-time in career blocked shots, behind only Hakeem Olajuwon, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Mark Eaton, with a total of 2,542. He currently holds the ninth highest total of career blocked shots, having been passed on the list by Dikembe Mutombo, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Tim Duncan, and Shaquille O'Neal. During his playing career, Rollins was given the nickname "The Intimidator".
In 1983, as a member of the Atlanta Hawks, playing in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, he got into a fight with Danny Ainge of the Boston Celtics. In retaliation for allegedly being called a sissy, Rollins elbowed Ainge in the face. Ainge subsequently tackled Rollins to the ground and the two began to wrestle. Rollins then bit Ainge's middle finger so badly that it required a couple of stitches. After the fight, Ainge was ejected and Rollins wasn't. However, the Celtics went on to win the series, 2-1. The incident inspired opposing fans to occasionally hold up signs referring to the incident with sayings like "If you can't beat 'em, eat 'em" during some of his subsequent games.