Vin Baker shoots a free throw
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Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
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Born |
Lake Wales, Florida |
November 23, 1971 ||||||||||||||||||
Nationality | American | ||||||||||||||||||
Listed height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) | ||||||||||||||||||
Listed weight | 232 lb (105 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||||||||
High school |
Old Saybrook (Old Saybrook, Connecticut) |
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College | Hartford (1989–1993) | ||||||||||||||||||
NBA draft | 1993 / Round: 1 / Pick: 8th overall | ||||||||||||||||||
Selected by the Milwaukee Bucks | |||||||||||||||||||
Playing career | 1993–2006 | ||||||||||||||||||
Position | Power forward / Center | ||||||||||||||||||
Number | 42, 34 | ||||||||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||||||||
1993–1997 | Milwaukee Bucks | ||||||||||||||||||
1997–2002 | Seattle SuperSonics | ||||||||||||||||||
2002–2004 | Boston Celtics | ||||||||||||||||||
2004–2005 | New York Knicks | ||||||||||||||||||
2005 | Houston Rockets | ||||||||||||||||||
2006 | Los Angeles Clippers | ||||||||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||
Career NBA statistics | |||||||||||||||||||
Points | 11,839 (15.0 ppg) | ||||||||||||||||||
Rebounds | 5,867 (7.4 rpg) | ||||||||||||||||||
Assists | 1,509 (1.9 apg) | ||||||||||||||||||
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |||||||||||||||||||
Medals
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Vincent Lamont "Vin" Baker (born November 23, 1971) is an American retired professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He appeared in four consecutive All-Star Games before his career was damaged due to substance abuse.
Baker played for Old Saybrook High School in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. Baker was passed over by the bigger Division I schools and signed a scholarship offer from the Hartford Hawks.
During Baker's inaugural season in 1989, he averaged on 4.7 points and 2.9 rebounds per game, which earned him a place on the North Atlantic Conference All-Rookie Team. Named a starter for his sophomore season, Baker averaged 19.7ppg and 10.4rpg and a first team All-NAC spot. As a junior, Baker averaged 27.6 ppg (2nd in the country), 9.9 rpg, and 3.7 blocks per game (5th in the country), though the team finished with an abysmal 6-21 record. Entering his final season, Baker was called "America's Best-Kept Secret" by Sports Illustrated and the conference's most dominant player since Reggie Lewis by Street & Smith's College/Prep Basketball Preview in 1992. Baker averaged 28.3ppg (4th in the country) and finished with 792 points in only 28 games, a conference record that still remains in the NAC (now America East Conference). He finished with 2,238 points, a school record that still stands. However, Baker was not able to translate his immense scoring abilities into team success, as none of his teams ever made the NCAA tournament, and the best his Hartford teams ever finished in a season was .500 (14-14).
Baker's jersey (#42) hangs on the east wall of Chase Arena in the Reich Family Pavilion.
After a college career at the University of Hartford, not far from where he grew up in Old Saybrook, Baker was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 8th pick of the 1993 NBA draft. He played four seasons in Milwaukee.