Terrell Brandon

Brandon was selected 11th overall in the 1991 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. After a strong rookie season, Brandon was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team.[3] He spent his first three and a half seasons as the backup to All–Star point guard Mark Price. On December 21, 1993, Brandon scored 18 points and recorded 14 assists coming off the bench in a win over the Utah Jazz.[4] Filling in for an injured Price during the 1994–95 season, Brandon responded by leading Cleveland on an 11–game winning streak. After the season, Cleveland traded Price to Washington. On February 15, 1995, Brandon scored 31 points on 12–15 shooting from the field, alongside recording 8 assists and 4 rebounds, in a 100–99 win against the Orlando Magic.[5]

As Cleveland's starting point guard, Brandon earned consecutive All-Star Game appearances in 1996 and 1997, the second of which Cleveland hosted. Between these selections, on December 22, 1996, Brandon scored 33 points, recorded nine assists, grabbed six rebounds, and stole the ball four times in a 100–94 win over the Utah Jazz, which was notable as he was primarily guarded by all-time great John Stockton.[6] Sports Illustrated labeled him "The Best Point Guard in the NBA" in a 1997 issue, the year he led the Cavaliers in points, assists and steals.[7] He was also awarded the NBA Sportsmanship Award in 1997, for his work with underprivileged youth.[8]

In September 1997, Cleveland traded Brandon to the Milwaukee Bucks. In the trade, Cleveland also sent Tyrone Hill and a top 10 protected draft pick to the Bucks; Milwaukee sent Sherman Douglas to Cleveland and Vin Baker to the Seattle SuperSonics, who dealt Shawn Kemp to Cleveland.[9] Though Cleveland was not looking to trade Brandon, the team felt they could not pass over the opportunity to trade for a superstar of Kemp's caliber.[10][11] On December 7, 1997, Brandon scored 20 points, recorded 13 assists, and grabbed seven rebounds in a 97–91 win over the SuperSonics.[12] On January 5, 1998, Brandon again helped lead the Bucks to a victory, scoring 16 points and recording 15 assists in a 98–92 win against the Portland Trail Blazers.[13]

Despite success on the court, injuries limited him to just 50 games in his first season with the Bucks, and Milwaukee struggled without him playing.[14] Brandon was among the league leaders in steals and led the team in assists during his two-year stint with the Bucks. Though he expressed interest in playing in Milwaukee long-term with Ray Allen, the Bucks feared they would be unable to re-sign Brandon or continue to lose his playing time to injuries and did not want to risk losing him without return.[15]

On March 12, 1999, after just 15 games in his second Milwaukee season, Brandon was traded to Minnesota in a three-team, nine player trade that sent Sam Cassell to Milwaukee and Stephon Marbury to the New Jersey Nets.[16]

Paired with Kevin Garnett, Brandon helped lead Minnesota to their first 50-win season in 1999–2000 with averages of 17 points, 9 assists and 2 steals per game. However, he was often plagued by injuries and on February 13, 2002, he was placed on the injury list by the Timberwolves, from which he did not return. It was during his stint with the Timberwolves that Brandon would get to team up and mentor Chauncey Billups.[17]

On July 23, 2003, Brandon was traded to the Atlanta Hawks for salary cap purposes.[18] He was waived by the Hawks on February 19, 2004, two years and 13 days after his last game, and he subsequently announced his retirement.[19]

Brandon finished his career averaging 13.8 points, three rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game, and came within six points of scoring 10,000 in his career. His career-high for assists registered in a game was 16, which he accomplished five times. He was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.[20]

In late February 2008, Brandon and former NFL defensive back Anthony Newman were the victims of an extortion attempt. Both Brandon and Newman received letters demanding money. Brandon and his friend, Timothy Upshaw, went along with the letter's request for Brandon to leave a bag outside of his garage with money inside (though they only placed a single dollar bill and plain paper in the bag). Bobby Hayes, the man responsible for the letters, arrived to retrieve the bag when he was confronted by Upshaw. Police were later called to the scene after a resident heard men talking about killing someone. Bobby Hayes was brought into custody and later released on bail, receiving orders not to contact Brandon, Newman or their families.[25]