Wikipedia

Theo Ratliff

Theophalus Curtis Ratliff[1] (born April 17, 1973) is an American former professional basketball player who played 16 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Theo Ratliff
Ratliff with the Pistons in 2008
Personal information
Born (1973-04-17) April 17, 1973 (age 51)
Demopolis, Alabama, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High schoolDemopolis (Demopolis, Alabama)
CollegeWyoming (1991–1995)
NBA draft1995: 1st round, 18th overall pick
Selected by the Detroit Pistons
Playing career1995–2011
PositionCenter / power forward
Number42, 50
Career history
1995–1997Detroit Pistons
1997–2001Philadelphia 76ers
2001–2004Atlanta Hawks
2004–2006Portland Trail Blazers
2006–2007Boston Celtics
2007–2008Minnesota Timberwolves
2008Detroit Pistons
2008–2009Philadelphia 76ers
2009–2010San Antonio Spurs
2010Charlotte Bobcats
2010–2011Los Angeles Lakers
Career highlights and awards
As player:

As owner:

  • 2× WBA champion (2005, 2006)
Career statistics
Points5,809 (7.2 ppg)
Rebounds4,596 (5.7 rpg)
Block1,968 (2.4 bpg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference
Medals
Men's Basketball
Representing  United States
FIBA U21 World Championship
Gold medal – first place 1993 Valladolid National team

Born in Alabama, Ratliff played for and graduated from the University of Wyoming, before being selected by the Detroit Pistons in the 1995 NBA draft. He also played for the Philadelphia 76ers, the Atlanta Hawks, the Portland Trail Blazers, the Boston Celtics, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Detroit Pistons, the San Antonio Spurs, the Charlotte Bobcats and the Los Angeles Lakers. Primarily a center, he was widely regarded as an excellent shot-blocker and led the league three times in blocks per game. As of 2024, he was ranked 20th all-time in career blocks.[2]

College career

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Recruited by Benny Dees, Ratliff played for the Wyoming Cowboys beginning in 1991. He saw limited playing time his freshman year, playing with frontcourt upperclassmen Brian Rewers, Reggie Slater, and Tim Breaux. Following Slater and Breaux's graduations, Ratliff saw increased playing time his sophomore season, and would establish himself as Wyoming's starting center for his junior and senior year. During his senior year, Ratliff accumulated 144 blocks in 28 games, averaging 5.14 per game.[3]

Ratliff finished his college career as the second leading shot blocker in NCAA Division I history behind only Alonzo Mourning. His 425 blocked shots in his career as a Cowboy still stands as the most in school history, as of 2024.[4] Ratliff was inducted into the University of Wyoming Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005.[5]

NBA career

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Ratliff after being traded to Minnesota in 2007

Ratliff was selected with the 18th overall pick in the 1995 NBA draft by the Detroit Pistons, for whom he played 2½ seasons. In December 1997, Ratliff alongside teammate Aaron McKie, were traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Eric Montross and Jerry Stackhouse.[6][7][8][9] In Detroit, Ratliff had played mostly off the bench; Sixers first year coach Larry Brown immediately inserted Ratliff into his starting lineup and Ratliff's usage and production went up. On March 22, 1998, Ratliff scored a career-high 27 points during a 108–90 loss against the Boston Celtics.[10]

In his first full season in Philadelphia, Ratliff posted 11.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game, while being named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. Alongside McKie, Eric Snow and Allen Iverson, they helped lead Philadelphia to the playoffs for the first time in eight years, where they would win the opening series against the Orlando Magic before falling to the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the playoffs.

The following season, Ratliff only played 57 games due to a stress fracture in his left ankle,[11][12][13] but averaged 11.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game to help the Sixers back to the playoffs, where they would again lose to the Indiana Pacers in the second round.

Ratliff was voted to his first All-Star Game in 2001,[14] averaging 12.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, and a league-leading 3.7 blocks per game. Ratliff however was injured just prior to the All Star game and unable to play, instead requiring season-ending surgery.[15][16] On February 22, Ratliff was traded to the Atlanta Hawks with Toni Kukoč, Nazr Mohammed, and Pepe Sánchez for Roshown McLeod and Dikembe Mutombo.

Though a fan favorite in Philadelphia and arguably a better fit for the team than Mutombo, Larry Brown decided to move forward with the trade once it was determined Ratliff would not be back in time for the playoffs.[17] The 2000–01 Sixers would eventually make it to that season's NBA Finals after starting 36–14 with Ratliff[18] and finishing 15–11 with Mutombo in his place.

Ratliff played just three games due to a hip injury the following season.[19][20] Coming off back-to-back season ending injuries, Ratliff responded by averaging 8.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and a league-leading 3.2 blocks in 81 games during the 2002–03 season.

Midway through the 2003–04 season, he was dealt to the Portland Trail Blazers, along with Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Dan Dickau, for Rasheed Wallace and Wesley Person.[21] Due to the timing of the trade and how far Atlanta and Portland were into their respective 82 game schedules, Ratliff would end up achieving an NBA rarity by playing 85 games in the season.[22] He also posted 307 blocks for the year; as of 2023, this is the only season a player eclipsed 300 blocks for a year since Dikembe Mutombo in 1996.[23] Despite being traded, this would represent Ratliff's best individual season; for the third time in four seasons he led the NBA in blocks, and for the second time in his career he was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team.

After the season, he signed a three-year contract extension with the Blazers.[24] Ratliff missed games over the next two seasons dealing with nagging injuries, and eventually lost his starting job to Joel Przybilla.

In June 2006, the Boston Celtics acquired Ratliff along with Sebastian Telfair from the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for the draft rights of Randy Foye, power forward–center Raef LaFrentz, and point guard Dan Dickau.[25]

In July 2007, he was traded along with Gerald Green, Ryan Gomes, Al Jefferson, Sebastian Telfair, and draft picks, to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Kevin Garnett.[26] In February 2008 Ratliff was waived by the Timberwolves,[27] and he rejoined the Detroit Pistons in March.[28] In Detroit, Ratliff returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2000, as the Pistons advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Ratliff signed with the 76ers for 2008–09 season.[29] Returning to Philadelphia now a veteran on the relatively young team, Ratliff was named team captain along Andre Miller and Andre Iguodala.

In the offseason he was signed by the San Antonio Spurs.[30] In February 2010, he was traded to the Charlotte Bobcats for a projected second round draft pick in 2016.[31] This reunited him with former Sixers, now Bobcats coach Larry Brown; the frontcourt rotation of Ratliff, Tyson Chandler and Boris Diaw helped the Bobcats to the number one ranked defense in the NBA,[32] their first ever winning record, and first playoff appearance in team history.[33]

Ratliff was signed by the Los Angeles Lakers on July 22, 2010, to a one-year deal.[34]

In December 2011, Ratliff retired from basketball.[35]

Awards and honors

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Ratliff won numerous awards during his career. The following are some of his collegiate achievements:[5]

  • First Team All-Western Athletic Conference (1994, 1995)
  • Inducted into the University of Wyoming Athletics Hall of Fame (2005)

Personal life and business ventures

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Ratliff played basketball at Demopolis High School in Demopolis, Alabama, and later graduated from the University of Wyoming. He created The Theo Ratliff Center in Demopolis, Alabama which is a recreation center with a basketball court.

Ratliff was the owner of the Rome Gladiators basketball team.

In 2020, Ratliff wrote and published Theo The Hero, a children's book on how to deal with bullying.[36]

NBA career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
 *  Led the league

Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1995–96 Detroit 75 2 17.4 .557 .000 .708 4.0 .2 .2 1.5 4.5
1996–97 Detroit 76 38 17.0 .531 .000 .698 3.4 .2 .4 1.5 5.8
1997–98 Detroit 24* 12 24.4 .514 .000 .683 5.0 .6 .5 2.3 6.5
1997–98 Philadelphia 58* 55 32.1 .512 .000 .706 7.3 .7 .7 3.5 11.2
1998–99 Philadelphia 50* 50* 32.5 .470 .000 .725 8.1 .6 .9 3.0 11.2
1999–00 Philadelphia 57 56 31.5 .503 .000 .771 7.6 .6 .6 3.0 11.9
2000–01 Philadelphia 50 50 36.0 .499 .000 .760 8.3 1.2 .6 3.7* 12.4
2001–02 Atlanta 3 2 27.3 .500 .000 .545 5.3 .3 .3 2.7 8.7
2002–03 Atlanta 81 81 31.1 .464 .000 .720 7.5 .9 .7 3.2* 8.7
2003–04 Atlanta 53* 52* 31.1 .458 .000 .653 7.2 1.0 .6 3.1 8.3
2003–04 Portland 32* 31* 31.8 .540 .000 .629 7.3 .6 .8 4.4* 7.3
2004–05 Portland 63 45 27.5 .447 .000 .692 5.3 .5 .4 2.5 4.8
2005–06 Portland 55 19 23.7 .571 .000 .651 5.1 .5 .3 1.6 4.9
2006–07 Boston 2 2 22.0 .333 .000 .750 3.5 .0 .5 1.5 2.5
2007–08 Minnesota 10 6 21.4 .511 .000 .680 3.9 .7 .3 1.9 6.3
2007–08 Detroit 16 3 13.9 .450 .000 .667 3.1 .4 .3 1.1 3.0
2008–09 Philadelphia 46 0 12.6 .531 .000 .600 2.8 .2 .4 1.0 1.9
2009–10 San Antonio 21 3 8.7 .444 .000 .500 1.9 .4 .1 .9 1.6
2009–10 Charlotte 28 26 22.3 .466 .000 .783 4.2 .6 .3 1.5 5.1
2010–11 L.A. Lakers 10 0 7.0 .167 .000 .000 1.3 .3 .2 .5 .2
Career 810 533 25.5 .496 .000 .710 5.7 .6 .5 2.4 7.2

Playoffs

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1996 Detroit 1 0 4.0 .000 .000 .000 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0
1997 Detroit 3 0 6.0 .750 .000 .500 1.3 .3 .3 1.3 2.7
1999 Philadelphia 7 7 29.1 .465 .000 .579 7.3 .9 .7 2.6 7.3
2000 Philadelphia 10 10 37.4 .475 .000 .723 7.9 .9 1.0 3.0 13.0
2008 Detroit 12 0 10.9 .500 .000 .500 2.3 .1 .1 .9 1.3
2009 Philadelphia 6 0 15.7 .818 .000 .500 3.8 .0 .2 .7 3.3
2010 Charlotte 4 4 11.8 .375 .000 .500 .8 .3 .5 .0 1.8
2011 L.A. Lakers 1 0 1.0 .000 .000 .000 1.0 .0 .0 .0 .0
Career 44 21 19.8 .497 .000 .643 4.3 .4 .5 1.5 5.3

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Theo Ratliff Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  2. ^ ESPN.com - All-Time Leaders-Blocks
  3. ^ Hudson, David L. (October 31, 2005). "Sultans of Swat". Basketball's Most Wanted™ II: The Top 10 Book of More Hotshot Hoopsters, Double Dribbles, and Roundball Oddities. Potomac Books. ISBN 9781612340401.
  4. ^ "History & Records 2013-2014" (PDF).
  5. ^ a b "Cowboy Hoops All-Century Team Announced". December 16, 2004. Archived from the original on May 29, 2013.
  6. ^ "Philadelphia 76ers Trade Guard Jerry Stackhouse and Center Eric Montross to the Detroit Pistons". Associated Press. December 18, 1997. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
  7. ^ "PRO BASKETBALL; 76ers Send Stackhouse and Montross to Pistons". The New York Times. Associated Press. December 19, 1997. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  8. ^ "76ers Give Up on Backcourt, Deal Stackhouse to Pistons". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. December 19, 1997. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  9. ^ "Stackhouse to Pistons". The Washington Post. December 19, 1997. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  10. ^ 76ers 90-108 Celtics (Mar 22, 1998) Final Score
  11. ^ "PLUS: PRO BASKETBALL -- PHILADELPHIA; Stress Fracture Sidelines Ratliff". The New York Times. Associated Press. October 19, 1999. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
  12. ^ White, Lonnie (November 6, 1999). "Defense Will Get Tougher Tests". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  13. ^ "Ratliff on IL, Mohammed Activated". United Press International. December 20, 1999. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  14. ^ "Four selected for first All-Star Game". ESPN. January 31, 2001. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 21, 2017.
  15. ^ "Iverson Keeps 76ers Going with 49 Points". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. February 14, 2001. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  16. ^ "Theo Ratliff Has Wrist Surgery". United Press International. February 21, 2001. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  17. ^ "Theo Ratliff talks about 'crushing blow' of his 2001 trade". Liberty Ballers. June 15, 2023. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
  18. ^ "Theo Ratliff Goes on Injured List". United Press International. February 5, 2001. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  19. ^ "Theo Ratliff Goes on Injured List". United Press International. November 5, 2001. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
  20. ^ "Hawks Center Out 6-8 Weeks". United Press International. November 16, 2001. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  21. ^ "Trail Blazers Acquire Two All-Stars From Atlanta". NBA.com. February 9, 2004. Retrieved February 22, 2010.
  22. ^ Theo Ratliff Per Game Stats
  23. ^ "NBA All-Time Blocks Leaders: Single Regular Season Totals". LandOfBasketball.com. January 15, 2024. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
  24. ^ "Blazers sign center Theo Ratliff to contract extension". ESPN. September 28, 2004. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
  25. ^ "Celtics Acquire Telfair and Ratliff". NBA.com. June 28, 2006. Retrieved February 22, 2010.
  26. ^ "Wolves Acquire Five Players and Picks for KG". NBA.com. July 30, 2007. Retrieved February 22, 2010.
  27. ^ "Wolves Waive Theo Ratliff". NBA.com. February 29, 2008. Retrieved February 22, 2010.
  28. ^ "Pistons Sign Center Theo Ratliff". NBA.com. March 4, 2008. Retrieved February 22, 2010.
  29. ^ "Former All-Star Center Theo Ratliff Returns to Sixers". NBA.com. August 20, 2008. Retrieved February 22, 2010.
  30. ^ "Spurs Sign Theo Ratliff". NBA.com. July 25, 2009. Retrieved February 19, 2010.
  31. ^ "Bobcats acquire Theo Ratliff from Spurs". NBA.com. February 18, 2010. Archived from the original on February 19, 2010. Retrieved February 19, 2010.
  32. ^ "The Charlotte Bobcats had the lowest defensive rating by a team in 2009-10, with a 102.8 rating". StatMuse. June 19, 2010. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
  33. ^ "Brown's Patchwork Defense May Weave Playoff Tale". nytimes.com. March 27, 2010. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
  34. ^ "LAKERS SIGN THEO RATLIFF". NBA.com. July 22, 2010. Retrieved July 23, 2010.
  35. ^ Bob Hammond."Success story". Laramie Boomerang. January 18, 2012. Retrieved on January 21, 2012.
  36. ^ Former NBA All-Star Theo Ratliff talks Allen Iverson and bullying
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