NBA.com: Cedric Ceballos Bio

Cedric Ceballos has the talent to rank among the best small forwards in the NBA, but hasn't always played up to his potential and has battled injuries throughout his career. After beginning his career as a reserve with the Phoenix Suns, Ceballos became a starter and an All-Star with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1995, twice averaging over 21 points per game, then rejoined the Suns midway through the 1996-97 season. He was dealt to Dallas midway through 1997-98, and after sitting out most of 1998-99 with fractures to both wrists, averaged 16.6 ppg and led the Mavericks in rebounding in 1999-2000. Ceballos came out of Cal State-Fullerton, where in only two seasons he became the sixth-leading scorer and fourth-leading rebounder in school history. Both years he was named to the All-Big West First Team as the Titans captured back-to-back conference titles. His average of 22.1 points per contest was the highest ever recorded at the school. As a senior, his average of 12.5 rebounds per game ranked in the nation's top 10. Ceballos went to Phoenix as the 48th overall selection in the second round of the 1990 NBA Draft. With Tom Chambers, Xavier McDaniel and Dan Majerle already aboard, Ceballos saw little playing time in his first two seasons, playing only about 12 minutes per contest in 1990-91 and 1991-92. As a rookie, he gained some notoriety by scoring the Suns' 100th point in the first half of a game against the Denver Nuggets. The following season he became the NBA's slam-dunk champion with a blindfolded "hocus-pocus" jam. By 1992-93 McDaniel had left and Chambers was over 30 years old. That season Ceballos appeared in 74 games, posting several career highs and leading the league with a .576 field goal percentage. During the Western Conference Finals against the Seattle SuperSonics, however, he suffered a stress fracture in his left foot that kept him out of the NBA Finals against the Chicago Bulls. The Suns lost in six games. Ceballos seemed poised to have a breakthrough season in 1993-94, but he again broke his left foot in the preseason and missed the Suns' first 29 games. That only delayed matters, however, and upon his return, Ceballos sizzled to the tune of 19.1 points per game in 53 outings. With Kevin Johnson and Charles Barkley hobbled by injuries, Ceballos was often the Suns' main man. Twice he scored 40 points in a game. When the Suns signed free-agent Danny Manning in the 1994 offseason, they no longer had room for Ceballos at small forward, so they traded him to the Lakers for a first-round draft pick. Ceballos was a perfect fit for the young, fast-paced Lakers team. Together with rookie Eddie Jones and point guard Nick Van Exel, he helped bring "Showtime" back to Los Angeles, transforming the Lakers from a lottery team in 1994 into a conference semifinalist in 1995. Ceballos led the Lakers in scoring with a career-high 21.7 ppg in 1994-95 despite missing 22 games with a torn ligament in his right thumb. He was named to the Western Conference All-Star Team but missed the game because of the injury. The NBA's Player of the Month for December (27.8 ppg, 9.0 rpg, .532 field goal shooting for the month), he erupted for 50 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves on December 20. Ceballos again led the Lakers in scoring in 1995-96, this time averaging 21.2 ppg. He became the first Los Angeles player since James Worthy in 1989-90 and 1990-91 to average 20 points in consecutive seasons. He ranked 13th in the NBA in scoring and 12th in field goal percentage (.530). He got off to a slow start with the Lakers in 1996-97, averaging just 10.8 points in eight games before going on the injured list due to a partially torn patella tendon of the right knee suffered on Nov. 13. He missed 28 games, and when he returned it was not as a Laker but as a Sun--he was traded back to Phoenix with Rumeal Robinson for Robert Horry and Joe Kleine on January 10, 1997. Ceballos averaged 15.3 points in 42 games with the Suns, ranking second on the team in scoring behind Kevin Johnson among players who finished the season with Phoenix. That raised his season average to 14.6 ppg, and he also contributed 6.6 rpg to rank among the team's leading rebounders. He split the 1997-98 campaign between Phoenix and Dallas, appearing in a total of 47 games including 12 as a Maverick. He averaged 11.4 ppg and 4.7 rpg overall but 16.9 ppg and 6.0 rpg for Dallas. In his first full season in Dallas, however, he suffered fractures to both wrists early in the year and managed to play in just 13 games. He came back strong in 1999-2000, when he was used as a sixth man and occasional starter. He averaged 16.6 ppg, his best mark since 1996, and led the Mavericks with 6.7 rebounds per game.

1999-2000 REGULAR SEASON
Posted a game-high 33 points in a 110-96 loss at Phoenix on 3/4 Tallied 31 points and 10 rebounds in a 107-96 win over Denver on 1/29 Netted 36 points (17-26 FG) and snared 8 rebounds in a 98-95 loss in New Jersey on 1/21 Totaled a season-high 39 points and 9 rebounds in a 121-111 loss to Houston on 1/17 Logged 29 points and 12 rebounds in a 109-102 win at Golden State on 1 /11 Recorded 27 points and 10 rebounds in a 111-93 loss to San Antonio on 12/14 Posted 25 points and 12 rebounds in a 103-84 win in Minnesota on 12/4 Totaled 22 points and 13 rebounds in a 120-97 victory at Golden State on 11/6 Registered a game-high 34 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in a 106-96 loss in Seattle on 11/4 Scored a game-high 27 points in a 108-96 win over Golden State on 11/2

1998-1999 REGULAR SEASON
Placed on the injured list on 2/26 and underwent surgery on 3/2 to to repair fractures in both wrists, suffered against the Denver Nuggets on 2/25, and will be sidelined the rest of the season Played in his 500th career game, totaling team-highs of 20 points and 13 rebounds, in a 90-81 win over the Denver Nuggets on 2/25 Recorded a game-high 21 points (3-5 3FG) and 6 rebounds against the Phoenix Suns on 2/22 Scored 7 of his game-high 26 points in the 2nd overtime, and grabbed 8 rebounds, in a 102-99 double-overtime win over the Golden State Warriors on 2/7

1997-1998 REGULAR SEASON
Recorded season-highs of 25 points, 13 rebounds and 3 blocked shots and added 3 assists in a 104-97 overtime win over the Chicago Bulls on 3/12 Totaled 24 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists against the Houston Rockets on 3/10 Scored a team-high 22 points ands grabbed 6 rebounds in a 110-99 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on 3/3 Posted 21 points (17-18 FT), 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals against the Detroit Pistons on 3/2 Registered 21 points and 10 rebounds in a 103-77 victory over the Washington Wizards on 2/28 Traded by the Suns to the Dallas Mavericks for Dennis Scott on 2/18 On the injured list from 1/30 to 2/12 due to a strained right calf Recorded a team-high 21 points (7-12 FG), 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals in a 100-90 win over the Boston Celtics on 12/30 Scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds against the Seattle SuperSonics on 12/28 Totaled a team-high 22 points (9-13 FG) and 3 rebounds, in 24 minutes, in a 118-100 win over the Vancouver Grizzlies on 12/26 Posted 22 points and 10 rebounds against the Chicago Bulls on 12/15 Registered 20 points (9-13 FG) and 4 rebounds against the Minnesota Timberwolves on 12/13 Recorded 21 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists, in 23 minutes, in a 107-85 win over the Vancouver Grizzlies on 12/9 Totaled 10 points (5-6 FG) and 4 rebounds in 18 minutes, in his Suns debut, in a 106-84 win over the Utah Jazz on 11/14

1996-1997 REGULAR SEASON
Ceballos played in eight games for the Lakers, averaging 10.8 points, before suffering a partially torn patella tendon of the right knee on Nov. 13 and going on the injured list. He was traded back to the Suns along with Rumeal Robinson for Robert Horry and Joe Kleine on Jan. 10. He scored 26 points against Dallas in his first game for Phoenix on Jan. 13 and went on to average 15.3 points in 42 games for the Suns. He scored 20+ points 15 times for Phoenix and had 10 double-doubles, getting season-highs of 32 points in a 105-98 victory over New York on Jan. 18 and 16 rebounds in a 105-101 loss to Toronto on March 11. He was slowed by a knee injury in March, but in the final five games of the regular season he averaged 18.5 ppoints and 5.3 rebounds in just 19.0 minutes. He finished the season with averages of 14.6 points and 6.6 rebounds in 28.5 minutes, appearing in a total of 50 games. He started 40 of those games, eight for Los Angeles and 32 for Phoenix. Ceballos came off the bench in all five playoff games for Phoenix and averaged 6.6 points and 5.2 rebounds in 21.4 minutes, getting 16 points in Game 4 of the series against Seattle.

1995-1996 REGULAR SEASON
Ceballos played in a career-high 78 games, all but seven of them starts, and led the Lakers in scoring at 21.2 ppg to become the first Los Angeles player since James Worthy in 1989-90 and 1990-91 to average 20+ points in consecutive seasons. He ranked 13th in the NBA in scoring and 12th in field goal percentage (a team-high .530) and also averaged 6.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists and a career-high 1.21 steals in 33.7 minutes per game. His 215 offensive rebounds were a career high, as were his free throw percentage of .804, his 329 free throws made and his 409 attempts. Ceballos scored 30 points or more 10 times, including a season-high 38 points against Portland on Nov. 21, the most points scored by a Laker player all season. He led the team in scoring 40 times, scoring in double figures in 74 of his 78 games and had 25 points or more in six consecutive games, Nov. 7-15, 1995, the first Laker since Magic Johnson in 1987 to do that. He was named the NBA's Player of the Week on Nov. 19. He grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds at Houston on Dec. 6 and had a career-high six steals against Indiana on Dec. 3. He led the Lakers in scoring in the 1996 NBA Playoffs with a career playoff-high 19.0 ppg. He also set a career playoff-high by averaging 8.0 rebounds per game.

1994-1995 REGULAR SEASON
Ceballos enjoyed a breakthrough season in 1994-95, landing a spot on the Western Conference All-Star Team and becoming the first Los Angeles Lakers player to put up more than 20 points per contest (21.7 ppg) since James Worthy in 1990-91. Integral to Los Angeles's stunning turnaround, Ceballos recorded career highs in scoring (21.7 ppg), rebounding (8.0 rpg), assists (1.8 apg), minutes (35.0 per game), and three-pointers (58). Ceballos's season was packed with highlights. He rained in a career-high 50 points on December 20 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, becoming the first Los Angeles player since Gail Goodrich in 1975 to reach the 50-point plateau in a regular-season game. Before Goodrich, only six other Lakers had ever scored 50 or more points in a regular-season contest. Ceballos's 50-point effort helped earn him Player of the Month honors for December, a month in which he averaged 27.8 points and 9.0 rebounds and shot .532 from the floor. No other Los Angeles player had captured the award since Magic Johnson in February 1990. Other memorable moments for Ceballos included a club-record-tying 9 field goals in one quarter against the New Jersey Nets on November 29 and a career-high 16 rebounds against the Golden State Warriors on December 2. Ceballos had made only 2 three-pointers in his previous four seasons combined, but in 1994-95 he canned 58-of-146 for a .397 percentage. He hit for 7 treys in a game twice in the season's final five contests. At midseason Ceballos was named a reserve for the All-Star Game, but he didn't play because of a torn ligament in his right thumb. The injury shelved him for 22 games. In 58 total outings he hit the 30-point mark 13 times and reached the 20-point plateau on 32 occasions. In games in which he hit for 25 points or better, the Lakers went 16-4. Ceballos registered 19 double-doubles and paced the Lakers in rebounding 18 times; his rebounding average ranked second behind Scottie Pippen among the league's small forwards. Ceballos went cold (14.2 ppg, 6.1 rpg) in the postseason, however. He did notch a playoff-career-high 25 points against the Seattle SuperSonics in Game 2 of the opening round and a career-playoff-best 10 rebounds against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of the conference semifinals. The Lakers lost to the Spurs in six games.

1993-1994 REGULAR SEASON
With Richard Dumas on the suspended list for substance-abuse problems, Ceballos looked to reclaim some of the minutes at small forward that he had lost the previous season with the Phoenix Suns. However, a stress fracture in his left foot sustained during a preseason game against the Hawks in Atlanta doomed the first half of his season. He finally joined the team on January 9, having missed the first 29 games. The rest of the way, however, Ceballos had a career year as one of the league's most potent offensive weapons. In 53 appearances (43 as a starter) he averaged 19.1 points and 6.5 rebounds in only 30.2 minutes per game. He ranked third on the team in scoring and rebounding and second in field-goal percentage (.535). After having led the league in field-goal percentage the year before, Ceballos placed seventh in 1993-94. During one remarkable stretch in January, when the Suns were missing both Kevin Johnson and Charles Barkley, Ceballos carried the team on his shoulders. In three consecutive games from January 22 to January 26 he scored 40, 34, and 40 points, respectively.

1992-1993 REGULAR SEASON
Ceballos's third year in the league proved to be his best yet. He improved in just about every statistical category, and the Suns advanced to the 1993 NBA Finals. He logged more minutes than in his previous two seasons combined, and he led the league in field-goal percentage (.576), the second player in Suns history to accomplish such a feat. He improved his averages in scoring (12.8 ppg) and rebounding (5.5 rpg), while mounting career bests in assists (77) and steals (54). Ceballos scored 40 points and added 12 rebounds and 3 blocks in a game against the Sacramento Kings on March 9. He hauled in a season-high 15 rebounds and added 26 points and 3 steals against the Philadelphia 76ers on March 28. He competed in his second consecutive NBA Slam-Dunk Championship and finished third. After a strong effort in the regular season, Ceballos watched the Suns' attempt at an NBA Championship from the bench. After playing in the team's first 16 postseason games, he aggravated a stress fracture in his left foot and was forced to sit out the seventh game of the Western Conference Finals as well as the entire NBA Finals against Chicago. Without Ceballos, the Suns lost to the Bulls in six games.

1991-1992 REGULAR SEASON
The highlight for Ceballos in his second NBA season was a victory in the Slam-Dunk Championship during the NBA All-Star Weekend in Orlando. Ceballos launched himself to NBA cult stardom when, in the competition's final round, he successfully pulled off a dunk while blindfolded. Following a promising rookie year, Ceballos made the transition from small forward to shooting guard in 1991-92. Despite the switch, he was still able to provide a spark off the bench for Phoenix as he averaged 7.2 points and 2.4 rebounds in only 11.3 minutes per game. He started only 4 games and came off the bench for another 60. Ceballos's best stretch came in April-he scored 20 points in 20 minutes against Seattle on April 9, tallied 22 points in 25 minutes versus the SuperSonics on April 14, and registered a season-high 27 points against the San Antonio Spurs on April 16. Ceballos improved his free-throw percentage from .663 in 1990-91 to .736 this season. He became a starter in the postseason and contributed 13.5 points and 6.4 rebounds per game as Phoenix advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals before bowing to the Portland Trail Blazers in five games.

1990-1991 REGULAR SEASON
Selected in relative obscurity with the 48th overall pick in the 1990 NBA Draft, Cedric Ceballos hoped to take advantage of the opportunity that the Phoenix Suns presented. Ceballos was a two-time Big West Conference scoring champion who finished his senior year ranked among the nation's top 10 in rebounding (12.5 rpg). In 1988 he had transferred from Ventura Junior College (where he had been a First-Team Junior College All-American) to Cal State Fullerton, where he holds the school record for career scoring average, with 22.1 points per game. His ascent to the pro ranks is made even more remarkable by the fact that in high school he had played only one year of varsity basketball. Ceballos enjoyed a promising rookie season with the Suns, providing the team with explosive offense off the bench. He finished the year with 519 points in 730 minutes, a 34.1 points-per-game projection over 48 minutes. He completed the year averaging 8.2 points, with high efforts of 34 points in 32 minutes against Denver on April 16 and 32 points in 23 minutes against the Nuggets on November 10.