NBA.com: Bryant Stith Bio

A physical guard/forward with shooting ability, Bryant Stith has built upon a fine career at the University of Virginia to become a sound NBA player with the Denver Nuggets, scoring a a career-high 14.9 ppg in 1996-97. He was injured for most of the 1997-98 season, appearing in just 31 games, before starting more than half of the 1998-99 season at small forward. He played a reserve role in 1999-2000 and his scoring average dipped to a career-low 5.6 ppg. He finished his college career as Virginia's all-time leader in scoring (2,516 points), minutes (4,391) and free throws made (690). Remarkably for a 6-5 player, Stith also finished second on the Cavaliers' all-time rebounding list with 859 boards. As a senior, he led Virginia to a 20-13 mark while averaging 20.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists. He left school ranked No. 4 on the all-time Atlantic Coast Conference scoring list. Stith upped his place in the 1992 NBA Draft by collecting the MVP Award at the NBA's predraft Orlando All-Star Classic in April 1992. The Denver Nuggets subsequently selected him with the 13th overall pick. Stith's rookie season was marred by injuries. In his professional debut on November 7, 1992, Stith scored 20 points and had four steals in Denver's double-overtime victory over the San Antonio Spurs. He stepped into the starting lineup 12 days later against the Detroit Pistons but broke a bone in his right foot early in the game and was sidelined for the next 32 contests. Upon returning he played in 32 games before breaking the second metacarpal in his right hand on April 4, an injury that knocked him out for the remainder of the 1992-93 campaign. Stith finished the season with averages of 8.9 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. In 1993-94 Stith showed his durability by joining Dikembe Mutombo as the only Nuggets players to start all 82 regular-season games and all 12 playoff contests. He finished the season as the Nuggets' No. 4 scorer with an average of 12.5 points per outing. He was No. 2 on the team with an .829 free throw percentage, and he averaged 4.3 rebounds, one of the highest marks for a guard in the league. Stith had a career-high 33 points on December 11 against the San Antonio Spurs, and he scored 22 points in 50 minutes of a second-round playoff game versus the Utah Jazz on May 17. In 1994-95 Stith found himself part of a deep Nuggets backcourt that also included Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Dale Ellis, Jalen Rose and Robert Pack. Stith's production slipped to 11.2 points per game, although he helped Denver to the playoffs for the second straight year. He averaged 13.6 ppg in 1995-96 when he was the only Nugget to appear in all 82 games, starting 77 of them. He also posted career highs in rebounding and assists. He improved his scoring to a career-high 14.9 ppg in 1996-97 when he started all 52 games in which he played, but he missed 10 games due to a sprained left foot, then sat out the final five weeks of the season with a bone spur in his left foot. He was plagued by injuries to his left foot and ankle in 1997-98, playing 31 games including 15 starts and averaging 7.6 ppg. He appeared in 46 games in 1998-99, making 32 starts at guard and small forward, and averaged 7.0 ppg. His averaged dipped to a career-low 5.6 ppg in 1999-2000, when he played in 45 games, all but six as a reserve.

1999-2000 REGULAR SEASON
Placed on the injured list on 3/3 with a a right quadriceps contusion Netted 21 points (4-5 3-FG) in a 123-117 OT win over Sacramento on 2/21 Registered 27 points (10-16 FG) in a 107-96 loss in Dallas on 1/29 Totaled 14 points in 15 minutes in a 101-99 loss to Phoenix on 1/21 Posted 14 points in an 86-84 win over San Antonio on 12/18

1998-1999 REGULAR SEASON
Scored 14 points against the Houston Rockets on 5/5 Posted a team-high 20 points (4-6 3FG), 5 assists and 3 rebounds against the Phoenix Suns on 4/29 Registered 15 points (2-2 3FG) and 3 rebounds in a 100-88 victory over the Seattle SuperSonics on 3/29 Recorded a season and team-high 23 points (6-11 FG, 2-5 3FG, 9-9 FT) and 4 rebounds against the Phoenix Suns on 2/15

1997-1998 REGULAR SEASON
On the injured list from 11/24 to 2/20, missing 42 games, after undergoing surgery on 12/10 to remove a bone spur on his left ankle Recorded 22 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists against the Vancouver Grizzlies on 11/21 Scored a team-high 18 points, adding 5 rebounds and 3 steals, against the New York Knicks on 11/11

1996-1997 REGULAR SEASON
Stith raised his scoring average to a career-high 14.9 ppg in 1996-97 and also averaged 4.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.15 steals, the latter being tops among regulars. He shot a career-high .863 from the foul line to rank 13th in the NBA. He also sank 70 three-pointers and shot .385 from behind the arc, both career highs. His 70 treys surpassed his total of 63 in his first four NBA seasons, and he shot a sizzling .430 from three-point range over his last 37 games. Stith started all 52 games in which he played. He missed a total of two games during two stretches of January and early February due to a sprained left foot. He also missed the final 20 games of the season because of a bone spur in his left foot, undergoing surgery for its removal on March 17. Stith scored in double figures in all but seven of the games in which he played, reaching 30 points on three occasions. He scored a career-high 37 points, including 26 in the second half, in a 115-104 loss to Portland on Dec. 5, had 36 points including a career-high eight three-pointers in a 112-109 overtime win at Phoenix on Dec. 23 and had 31 points plus a season-high nine rebounds in a 107-103 loss at Utah on Nov. 27.

1995-1996 REGULAR SEASON
Stith enjoyed his best pro season in 1995-96 as he posted career highs of 13.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists. He was the only Denver player to appear in all 82 games, starting 77 of them, and his 2,810 minutes also were a career high. He posted five double-doubles, reaching double figures in scoring 64 times and getting at least 20 points 14 times. His .844 free throw percentage ranked 19th in the NBA, and he sank a career-high 41 three-pointers after making just 22 in his first three NBA seasons combined. Stith, who has missed just one game over the past three seasons, scored a season-high 27 points against Golden State on March 9. He had a season-high 11 rebounds to go along with 15 poins against Boston on Feb. 18.

1994-1995 REGULAR SEASON
When Stith was not in the Denver Nuggets' starting lineup on February 14, 1995, his string of 138 consecutive starts came to an end. For the season, he played in 81 games and started 51, averaging 11.2 points (down from his 1993-94 average of 12.5), 1.9 assists, 1.12 steals, and 3.3 rebounds. Stith had 91 steals on the year to finish third on the squad in that department. He shot .472 from the floor, the best field-goal percentage of his three-year career, but only .294 from three-point range. An excellent free-throw shooter, Stith slipped to the lowest free-throw percentage of his career at .824. Stith came off the bench for most of the second half of the season (behind Jalen Rose and Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf), although he poured in 27 points on 11-for-15 shooting while starting in place of Abdul-Rauf on April 14 against the Phoenix Suns. Stith also showed his leadership capability, becoming the Nuggets' team captain. After starting six of the last seven regular-season games, Stith started only once in a first-round playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs. He wound up playing 28.3 minutes per game in that series and led the team in scoring (16.7 ppg) in the postseason. He shot .531 from the floor but made only 1-of-6 from three-point range as the Nuggets were swept by the Spurs in three games.

1993-1994 REGULAR SEASON
During the 1993-94 season Bryant Stith and Dikembe Mutombo were the only Nuggets to start every game. Stith tied Mutombo for the club lead in minutes played (34.8 per game) and ranked second in steals (1.41 per game) and fourth in scoring (12.5 ppg). Stith especially proved his mettle as a big-game player. In a game against the San Antonio Spurs on December 11, he poured in a career-high 33 points. Against the Chicago Bulls on February 18, he scored a game-high 28 points, and against the New York Knicks on February 25, he totaled 17 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal in 38 minutes. The Nuggets shocked the basketball world and the Seattle SuperSonics by defeating the Western Conference's No. 1 seed in the first round of the playoffs. Denver then succumbed to the Utah Jazz in the conference semifinals. Stith contributed 11.3 points per game in 12 postseason contests.

1992-1993 REGULAR SEASON
Bryant Stith was an All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection for three consecutive seasons at Virginia, finishing his career as the Cavaliers' all-time leader in scoring, minutes, and free throws made. He was selected by the Denver Nuggets in the first round (13th pick overall) of the 1992 NBA Draft. A fishing enthusiast, Stith made a splash in his Denver Nuggets debut with 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals in a double-overtime victory over the San Antonio Spurs on November 7. He was such a hit that he moved into the starting lineup on November 19 against the Detroit Pistons-only to suffer a broken fifth metatarsal in his right foot early in the game. He missed the next 32 games, then returned to play 32 contests before breaking the second metacarpal in his right hand on April 4 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. That ended his season. Stith played in 39 games, starting 12, and finished the year averaging 8.9 points and 3.2 rebounds. He was Denver's No. 3 free-throw shooter at .832 (99-for-119) and scored a season-high 24 points at Milwaukee on April 2.