NBA.com: Chris Gatling Bio

With his colorful headbands and frenetic playing style, Chris Gatling has become a widely recognized figure in the NBA. Dubbed "the Energizer" while at Golden State, Gatling is one of the highest percentage shooters in the NBA. He was one of the most productive bench players in the league for Dallas in the first half of 1996-97 and earned a berth in the 1997 All-Star Game before being traded to New Jersey and then on to Milwaukee, Orlando, Denver and Miami. A two-time Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year, Gatling averaged 21.0 points and 11.1 rebounds as a senior at Old Dominion. He missed few shots as a collegian, posting a .620 field-goal percentage in his senior year and never averaging below 20 points in any of his three seasons. His career field-goal percentage of .606 is the highest in conference history. The Warriors made Gatling the 16th overall pick in the first round of the 1991 NBA Draft, one pick before they selected Victor Alexander of Iowa State. Gatling contributed immediately in 1991-92, averaging 5.7 points on .568 shooting from the floor in 54 regular-season games. He elevated his game in a first-round playoff series against the Seattle SuperSonics, averaging 12.5 points and 6.3 rebounds in the postseason. Gatling's development continued over the next two seasons as he increased his total rebounds, assists, points, and blocks in both 1992-93 and 1993-94. Appearing in all 82 games in 1993-94, he posted a career-high .588 field-goal percentage and averaged 8.2 points and 4.8 rebounds in almost 16 minutes of playing time per game. Starting at center in 23 of the season's final 29 contests, Gatling helped the Warriors to a 15-8 record in games in which he started. His numbers again improved in the postseason, as he averaged 8.7 points and 5.7 rebounds in three playoff games against the Phoenix Suns. Gatling missed 24 games in 1994-95 but led the league in field-goal percentage at .633, scoring 13.7 points per game. He was one of the most productive players on the Golden State roster, averaging a point for about every two minutes of court time. Gatling was traded by Golden State to Miami midway through the 1995-96 season and had two highly productive months with the Heat, finishing second in the NBA in field goal percentage. In the offseason he was signed by the Dallas Mavericks, who were seeking a solid veteran to shore up their front line. Gatling played the best ball of his pro career in his role as the Mavericks' sixth man in the first half of 1996-97, earning a place on the Western Conference All-Star team and averaging over 19 ppg for Dallas. But he was traded to New Jersey in the nine-player deal on February 17, 1997 that brought center Shawn Bradley to Dallas, and played just three games for the Nets before being sidelined for the remainder of the year due to an ear infection. He missed 25 games in 1997-98, 22 of them due to a stress fracture in his right leg, and his scoring average dipped to 11.5 ppg. He split the 1998-99 season between New Jersey and Milwaukee, going to the Bucks in the three-team deal that brought point guard Stephon Marbury from Minnesota to the Nets. He played in 48 games for the two teams and averaged 5.7 ppg, matching his career-low set as a rookie. On August 19, 1999 he was traded along with Armon Gilliam to Orlando in exchange for Danny Manning and Dale Ellis. He split the 1999-2000 campaign between Orlando and Denver, which acquired him on Feb. 1, 2000 along with Tariq Abdul-Wahad and a first round draft pick for Chauncey Billups, Ron Mercer and Johnny Taylor. He played in a total of 85 games for the two teams, all as a reserve, and averaged a combined 11.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. On June 27, 2000 he was traded to the Miami Heat along with a second round draft pick in exchange for Voshon Lenard and Mark Strickland.

1999-2000 REGULAR SEASON
Hit the game-winning bucket in a 112-110 win at New Jersey on 3/26 Posted 25 points and 10 rebounds in a 118-108 loss to the L.A. Lakers on 3/13 Netted 21 points in a 123-117 OT win over Sacramento on 2/21 Traded to the Denver Nuggets on 2/1, along with Tariq Abdul-Wahad and a lottery-protected, future first round draft pick, in exchange for Chauncey Billups, Ron Mercer and Johnny Taylor Notched 21 points and 9 rebounds in a 109-106 loss to Miami on 12/29 Totaled 28 points and 11 rebounds in a 107-103 victory in Atlanta on 11/20 Scored a game-high 31 points (9-11 FG, 12-14 FT) and grabbed 10 rebounds in a 125-117 loss in Dallas on 11/13 Registered team-highs with 22 points and 16 rebounds in a 102-97 victory in Houston on 11/8 Tallied a game-high 21 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in a 104-99 loss to Cleveland on 11/5

1998-1999 REGULAR SEASON
Scored his 5,000th career point, recording 7 points and 5 rebounds, in a 115-102 victory over the Toronto Raptors on 4/28 Registered 13 points and a team-high 11 rebounds in a 99-91 victory over the Washington Wizards on 4/26 Posted 16 points (8-9 FG) and 3 rebounds, in 17 minutes, in a 107-105 victory over the Washington Wizards on 3/30 Totaled 16 points (7-11 FG), 5 rebounds and 4 assists in a 115-86 victory over the Detroit Pistons on 3/22 Made his Bucks debut, recording 10 points and 8 rebounds, against the New York Knicks on 3/15 Grabbed his 2,500th career rebound against the Cleveland Cavaliers on 2/20 Registered 14 points and 10 rebounds in a 79-69 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on 2/7

1997-1998 REGULAR SEASON
Posted 18 points and 10 rebounds in a 114-101 victory over the Detroit Pistons on 4/19 Totaled 25 points and a game-high 12 rebounds against the Charlotte Hornets on 4/15 Registered 18 points and a game-high 11 rebounds in a 125-115 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on 4/6 Recorded 15 points and a game-high 14 rebounds in a 105-90 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on 3/31 Scored a game-high 24 points (8-9 FG, 8-10 FT) and grabbed 7 rebounds in a 108-93 win over the Dallas Mavericks on 3/14 Posted 17 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals against the New York Knicks on 3/3 On the injured list from 12/17 to 1/24 after suffering a proximal fibula stress fracture in his right leg against the Miami Heat on 12/8 Totaled a game-high 23 points and 10 rebounds in a 93-87 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on 11/22 Registered 17 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists in a 108-100 victory over the Boston Celtics on 11/19 Recorded game-highs of 24 points and 12 rebounds in a 99-87 victory over the Miami Heat on 11/7 Scored 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in a 113-109 overtime victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on 11/1

1996-1997 REGULAR SEASON
Gatling's play in the first half of 1996-97 earned him a berth on the All-Star team. In 44 games for the Mavericks he averaged 19.1 points and 7.9 rebounds, shooting .533 from field to rank among the league leaders. On Feb. 17 Gatling was traded to New Jersey in the nine-player swap that brought center Shawn Bradley to the Mavericks. But he played in only three games for New Jersey, averaging 17.0 ppg and 7.3 rpg, before contracting an ear infection that sidelined him for the remainder of the season. He finished the season with averages of 19.0 points and 7.9 rebounds and a shooting percentage of .525. While with the Mavericks, Gatling scored a career-high 35 points against Chicago on Nov. 29 and grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds against Utah on Nov. 16. He played 12 minutes in the All-Star Game, scoring two points and grabbing two rebounds.

1994-1995 REGULAR SEASON
Gatling's career season had a miserable ending when he missed the last 11 games with inflamed hemorrhoids. He led the league in field-goal percentage at .633, attempting 512 shots on the year and missing only 188. Before Gatling, the last Warriors player to lead the league in field-goal percentage had been none other than Wilt Chamberlain, who did it for the Philadelphia Warriors in 1962-63. Gatling's mark was the best field-goal percentage in the NBA in 10 years, since James Donaldson of the Los Angeles Clippers shot .637 in 1984-85. Gatling also posted career numbers in scoring (13.7 ppg) and rebounding (7.6 rpg). He had never before averaged better than 10 points or 5 rebounds in any of his three NBA seasons. But like most of the Warriors, Gatling struggled with injuries, playing in only 58 games, his lowest total since his 1991-92 rookie year. On March 19 against the Detroit Pistons he registered the best performance of his career, with career highs in points (29) and rebounds (15) to go with 3 blocked shots. Gatling was the team's leading rebounder despite playing only 25 minutes per game; his rebounding average improved in each of his first four seasons in the league. Gatling also introduced a new look during the season: the headband. In his first game with the headband, a nationally televised tilt against the Orlando Magic on December 16, he totaled 25 points and 8 rebounds.

1993-1994 REGULAR SEASON
One of three lefthanded players on the Golden State roster in 1993-94 (along with Chris Mullin and Sarunas Marciulionis), Gatling led the undefeated Warriors team in the 1993 Rocky Mountain Revue Summer League with averages of 17.4 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. Workouts with former Boston Celtics star center Dave Cowens had a favorable effect on his game. Gatling carried his summer success into the regular season, shooting a career-high .588 from the floor. He would have ranked among the NBA leaders but did not have the required minimum of 300 field goals made. For the season, Gatling averaged 8.2 points and 4.8 rebounds in only 15.8 minutes per game. The former Old Dominion standout alternated between starting and reserve duty. He contributed double figures in scoring 29 times, including a pair of 21-point outings. He also twice tied a career high with 15 rebounds.

1992-1993 REGULAR SEASON
Gatling showed across-the-board improvement in his second season, starting 11 games and serving as the first man off the bench a team-high 25 times. He averaged 9.3 points and 4.6 rebounds, shooting .539 in 70 games. He scored a point every 1.9 minutes; only Chris Mullin and Sarunas Marciulionis were quicker draws on the team. Gatling blocked 53 shots, sharing the team lead with Victor Alexander. Gatling scored in double figures 32 times and grabbed 10-plus rebounds four times while leading the team in boards on nine occasions. He paced the team in scoring for the first time on March 1 with a career-best 29 points against the Philadelphia 76ers. Gatling missed one game after being suspended for fighting with Danny Manning of the Los Angeles Clippers on February 26, 1993. He missed the final seven games of the season with a strained neck, suffered in the second quarter of a game against the Denver Nuggets on April 12.

1991-1992 REGULAR SEASON
On April 13, 1985, Chris Gatling struck his head in a fall off the front of a van that he was working on with his father. The resulting blood clot caused slurred speech and paralysis on the right side of his body. Gatling had an operation to remove the clot but needed a second one, which included the implant of a plate, to fully recover. A two-time Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year at Old Dominion, Gatling was a member of the bronze-medal-winning U.S. team at the 1990 World Championship of Basketball in Argentina. He was the first of three players taken by the Warriors in the first round of the 1991 NBA Draft and got off to a slow start. He played in only 3 of the team's first 19 games, missing 7 while on the injured list with a sprained left ankle and strained left shoulder. He also missed a game with an upper respiratory infection. Gatling progressed as the season wore on. He averaged 4.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 10.0 minutes in the first five months. In the last nine regular-season contests he improved those numbers to 10.0 points on .681 shooting, 5.8 rebounds, and 18.1 minutes per game. In four playoff games Gatling averaged 12.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 20.3 minutes. Gatling scored in double figures 12 times, including six of his last nine games. His best game came against the Dallas Mavericks on April 8, when he collected 18 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 2 steals in 26 minutes.