Detlef Schrempf

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Detlef Schrempf (born January 21, 1963, in Leverkusen, Germany) is a former NBA basketball player.

[edit] High school and college career

Schrempf moved to the U.S. his junior year of high school, attending Centralia High in Washington state for two years, leading the Tigers to the state title in his senior year in 1981 by defeating the Blazers of Timberline High School.

He played college basketball for the University of Washington Huskies, where he was named to the All-Pac-10 Team and The Sporting News All-America Second Team. At college, he was a member of the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity and majored in International Business.

[edit] NBA career

Originally selected eighth overall by the Dallas Mavericks in the 1985 NBA Draft, Schrempf became a regular after being traded to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for veteran center Herb Williams. During his first few years with the Pacers, he was one of the NBA's best substitutes, winning consecutive NBA Sixth Man Awards in 1990 and 1991. He became known as one of the most effective long-range shooters in the league, finishing second in the NBA with a .478 three-point percentage in 1987, and eventually worked his way into the starting lineup. In the 1992-93 season, he was selected to the first of his three National Basketball Association All-Star Games. He was the only player in the NBA in 1992-93 to finish in the top 25 in scoring (19.1 ppg), rebounding (9.5 rpg) and assists (6.0 apg).^[1]

Following the 1992-93 NBA season, Schrempf was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics for forward Derrick McKey and guard/forward Gerald Paddio. He quickly reestablished himself as one of the league's best long-range shooters, ranking second in the NBA in three-point accuracy during the 1994-95 season with a 51.4 three-point field goal percentage. During his tenure with the Sonics, the team became one of the most successful in the NBA. Together with Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp, Sam Perkins, and Hersey Hawkins, among others, the team became extremely successful and reached the NBA Finals in 1996 where they lost to Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls in six games. Schrempf became the first (and one of only two, to date, along with Dirk Nowitzki) German-born NBA player to reach the NBA Finals. While with the Sonics, Schrempf played in his final two NBA All-Star games.

He was released in 1999 and signed the same day by the Portland Trail Blazers, with whom he played until his retirement from professional basketball in 2001. On January 24, 2006, the Seattle SuperSonics (coached by Bob Hill, whom Schrempf played for in Indiana), hired Schrempf as an assistant coach.^[2]

[edit] International career

Schrempf played for the West Germany national team in the 1984 Olympics, the 1983 and 1985 European championships. In 1992, he played for the German Olympic team.

[edit] Charitable work

Schrempf established the Detlef Schrempf Foundation in 1996 to benefit local charities. The foundation hosts the Detlef Schrempf Celebrity Golf Classic at McCormick Woods Golf Course in Port Orchard, Washington every summer.

[edit] TV work

In 2004, Schrempf appeared in a commercial for IBM. He also appeared in two episodes of the German soap opera Gute Zeiten Schlechte Zeiten.

[edit] Personal life

Schrempf is married to Mari Wagner, a former hurdler on the former West German National Team. They have two sons.

[edit] Other

A song entitled "Detlef Schrempf" appears on the 2007 album Cease to Begin by American indie rock group Band of Horses.

[edit] Notes

1. ^ Detlef Schrempf on nba.com
2. ^ Schrempf Perfect Fit For Sonics

[edit] External links

• Detlef Schrempf on nba.com
• Schrempf's official site
• Detlef Schrempf Player Profile (InterBasket)