A powerful rebounder and proven scorer, Clarence Weatherspoon turned in four solid seasons for the Philadelphia 76ers before tailing off a bit in 1996-97. Midway through the 1997-98 campaign he was dealt to the Golden State Warriors, but he signed with the Miami Heat as a free agent and provided valuable depth in 1998-99even though his scoring average of 8.1 ppg was the lowest of his career.
A force at Southern Mississippi, Weatherspoon quickly adapted to the NBA despite the onus of having been tagged as "the next Charles Barkley" after being drafted by Philadelphia. He is similar to Barkley in that he is a stocky, 6-6 forward who outrebounds taller opponents and can score inside and outside, although his exploits have yet to match those of Sir Charles.
A three-time Metro Conference Player of the Year, Weatherspoon was the Golden Eagles' all-time leader in scoring (2,130 points), rebounding (1,320), and blocked shots (227). He played on U.S. squads at the 1990 Goodwill Games and the 1991 Pan-American Games and was the first basketball player at his school to have his jersey retired. The ninth overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft, Weatherspoon took Barkley's slot on the Philadelphia 76ers, who had just dealt Sir Charles to the Phoenix Suns.
Weatherspoon set a franchise rookie record with 1,280 points in 1992-93, contributing 15.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. In 1993-94, only his second NBA season, Weatherspoon was the best player on the Philadelphia roster. He led the Sixers in scoring (18.4 ppg) and rebounding (10.1 rpg) and finished second in the NBA Slam-Dunk Championship. He also registered 45 double-doubles to rank seventh in the NBA.
The arrival of Sharone Wright and Scott Williams in 1994 and Derrick Coleman in 1995 gave Weatherspoon the chance to play almost exclusively at small forward, after having logged time at power forward in his first two seasons. He responded by averaging 18.1 points and 6.9 rebounds per game in 1994-95 and 16.7 points and a team-high 9.7 rebounds per game in 1995-96.
His scoring averaged dipped to 12.2 ppg in 1996-97 as guards Allen Iverson and Jerry Stackhouse dominated Philadelphia's offense along with Coleman, but he was the only player to start all 82 games for the 76ers and he ranked second on the team in rebounding behind Coleman.
The 76ers' acquisition of Jim Jackson and drafting of Tim Thomas cut into Weatherspoon's playing time in 1997-98, and shortly before the trading deadline he was dealt along with Jackson to the Warriors for Joe Smith and Brian Shaw. He averaged 9.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
On January 24, 1999 he signed with Miami as a free agent. Playing in 49 games, almost exclusively as a reserve, he shot a solid .534 from the field and gave Pat Riley a veteran to turn to when his starting frontcourtmen needed a rest. In that role he made a significant contribution to Miami winning the Atlantic Division title, even though his averages of 8.1 points and 5.0 rebounds in 21.2 minutes per game were all career-lows.
2003-04:
Averaged 5.0 points with 3.9 rebounds in 52 games
with New York and Houston ... averaged 5.6 points
(on .503 shooting) and 4.2 rebounds in 37 games with
Houston ... scored a season-high 16 points on Apr. 2
at Denver ... scored 10 points with a season-high 10
rebounds for his lone double-double of the season on
Mar. 7 vs. Dallas ... set a season high with five assists
on Feb. 17 vs. Washington ... set a season-high with
three steals three times ... scored in double figures 10
times with the Rockets ... led Houston in rebounding
three times ... averaged 3.6 points in 15 games with
New York, scoring in double figures twice with the
Knicks ... acquired by the Rockets on Dec. 30 in
exchange for Moochie Norris and John Amaechi.
2002-03:
Averaged 6.6 points and 7.6 rebounds with New York ... grabbed a career-high 24 rebounds vs. Orlando on Feb. 28, marking the sixth 20-rebound effort of his career ... scored his 10,000th career point on Mar. 21 vs. Detroit.
2001-02:
Averaged 8.8 points and 8.2 rebounds in his first season with the Knicks.
2000-01:
Averaged 11.3 points and 9.7 rebounds with Cleveland.
1999-2000:
Notched 14 points and 10 rebounds in a 103-85 win at New Jersey on 4/7 ... Posted 14 points and 12 rebounds in an 85-76 win over New York on 2/28 ... Recorded 13 points and 16 rebounds in an 87-82 win over Cleveland on 2/25 ... Registered 15 points and 5 rebounds in a 92-87 win in Denver on 1/14 ... Notched 11 points and 10 rebounds in a 98-88 win over Sacramento on 11/29 ... Grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds and added 15 points, in a 128-122 double-overtime victory against Detroit on 11/2.
1998-1999:
Led the Heat in field-goal percentage (.534) and shot .643 from the field in 3 games as a starter ... Recorded a team-high 18 points, on 9-of-9 field-goal shooting, and 4 rebounds against the New York Knicks on 5/5 ... Registered a team-high 19 points (6-8 FG, 7-9 FT), 3 rebounds and 3 steals against the Boston Celtics on 4/29 ... Made his first start for the Heat, posting 12 points and a team-high 9 rebounds, in a 95-76 victory over the New Jersey Nets on 4/27 ... Played in his 500th career game, scoring 12 points (4-6 FG, 4-4 FT), in a 94-85 win over the Washington Wizards on 3/16 ... Totaled 22 points (9-10 FG) and 5 rebounds in an 83-73 victory over the Toronto Raptors on 3/11 ... Recorded 12 points (4-4 FG, 4-4 FG) , 8 rebounds and 3 assists in a 91-83 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on 2/24 ... Registered 13 points and a game-high 10 rebounds against the Boston Celtics on 2/9.
1997-1998:
Posted 18 points and 7 rebounds against the Portland Trail Blazers on 3/29 ... Registered 14 points (5-6 FG, 4-4 FG), 13 rebounds and 3 steals in a 98-91 win over the Seattle SuperSonics on 3/26 ... Recorded 20 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocked shots against the L.A. Clippers on 3/17 ... Totaled 18 points, a season-high 20 rebounds, including 10 offensive boards, and 3 assists against the Toronto Raptors on 3/13 ... Posted 17 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals against the Cleveland Cavaliers on 3/1 ...
Registered 13 points and 10 rebounds in an 87-82 victory over the New York Knicks on 2/24 ... Recorded 11 points and 7 rebounds, in his Warriors debut, in a 95-88 victory over the Denver Nuggets on 2/20 ... Traded by the 76ers with Jim Jackson to the Golden State Warriors for Joe Smith and Brian Shaw on 2/17 ... Scored 14 points and grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds against the Utah Jazz on 1/6 ... Totaled 14 points and 13 rebounds against the Miami Heat on 12/3 ... Posted 18 points and a game-high 10 rebounds against the Indiana Pacers on 11/30 ... Registered 13 points, 9 rebounds and 5 blocked shots against the Boston Celtics on 11/15 ... Recorded 11 points (4-5 FG) and 13 rebounds against the Seattle SuperSonics on 11/9 ... Totaled 19 points and a team-high 14 rebounds against the Atlanta Hawks on 11/5.
1996-1997:
The arrival of Allen Iverson changed Philadelphia's offensive scheme in 1996-97. Weatherspoon, despite starting all 82 games, managed only 811 field goal attempts, over 200 less than the previous season and over 400 fewer than in 1994-95 ... As a result his scoring average dipped to 12.2 ppg, a career-low ... His rebounding dropped a bit as well, although he did rank on the team behind Derrick Coleman at 8.3 rpg, down from 9.7 rpg the year before ... Rcorded 19 double-doubles, reaching double figures in rebounding a total of 27 times ... He scored a season-high 34 points in a 128-115 loss to Golden State on Jan. 15 and grabbed a seaon-high 15 rebounds three times, including twice within the span of three games in early November ... Had 15 rebounds in an 83-81 loss to Detroit on Nov. 5, a 112-95 win over Phoenix on Nov. 9 and a 105-93 win at Orlando on April 1.
1995-1996:
Was Philadelphia's second-leading scorer at 16.7 points per game and its leading rebounder at 9.7 rebounds per game, ranking 14th in the NBA in that category ... Appeared in 78 games, starting 75, and averaged a team-high 39.7 minutes per game ... Led the Sixers with 108 blocks, 1.38 per game, and 112 steals, 1.44 per game ... Scored 20 points or more 28 times and grabbed double-figure rebounds a team-high 32 times ... His total of 31 double-doubles was nearly half of Philadelphia's team total of 73 ... Capped his season with a career-high 35 points plus 14 rebounds against Toronto on April 21 ... Other big games included 20 points and 20 rebounds at Vancouver on Jan. 5, 14 points and 20 rebounds against Washington on Jan. 10, 27 points and 12 rebounds at Dallas on Feb. 27, 24 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high six blocks at Houston on Feb. 29 and 26 points and 13 rebounds against the Clippers on March 10 ... Scored at least 20 points in 12 of the last 16 games and had at least nine rebounds in 40 of the final 52 ... Was one of only five players in the NBA to have at least 100 points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks, joining Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, Robert Horry and Oliver Miller ... He, Olajuwon, Robinson and Shawn Kemp are the only players to do it twice in the last three seasons, Weatherspoon having also done it in 1993-94 ... Joined Charles Barkley and Billy Cunningham as the only Sixers ever to reach 5,000 points and 2,500 rebounds in their first four seasons in Philadelphia.
1994-1995:
Weatherspoon clocked in with another fine campaign for the Philadelphia 76ers in 1994-95. His average of 18.1 points per game neared his mark of 18.4 the previous season, although his rebounding average of 6.9 boards per contest was down from his 10.1 mark the season before. One explanation for the decrease in his rebounds was that he was used more at the small forward slot than at the power forward position, which was occupied mostly by new acquisitions Sharone Wright and Scott Williams.
Weatherspoon finished 26th in the league in scoring and 36th in rebounding. His .439 field-goal percentage was down from his career mark of .477. He shot .500 or better only 13 times in the season's first 49 games but then registered field-goal marks of .500 or higher in 13 of his final 25 outings. His passing improved compared to previous seasons. In 1994-95 he recorded 13 games with 5 or more assists; in his first two seasons he had totaled 9 contests with at least 5 assists. He matched his career high with 31 points on January 4 and logged 12 double-doubles in points and rebounds on the season.
An ankle injury sidelined him for a contest on April 8 and snapped a string of 213 consecutive starts, the third-longest streak in the NBA at the time. Weatherspoon finished the season with 4,159 career points in three campaigns. Only Hersey Hawkins (4,478) and Charles Barkley (4,315) had scored more in their first three seasons at Philadelphia. The Sixers finished at 28-54, 33 games out of first place, and had yet to reach the playoffs in Weatherspoon's three-year career.
1993-1994:
It is not often that a young player leads an established franchise the way Weatherspoon led the Philadelphia 76ers in 1993-94. The second-year forward was tops on the club in both scoring (18.4 ppg) and rebounding (10.1 rpg) while shooting .483 from the floor. In an otherwise difficult season for the Sixers, who finished at 25-57, Weatherspoon offered a glimmer of hope. By season's end he had started in all 164 games of his NBA career.
Weatherspoon scored a career-high 31 points versus the Cleveland Cavaliers on February 2 and grabbed a career-best 23 rebounds against the Orlando Magic on March 9. His 45 double-doubles ranked as the eighth-highest total for a Sixers player in a season.
1992-1993:
Clarence Weatherspoon left Southern Mississippi as the school's all-time leader in scoring (2,130 points), rebounding (1,320), and blocked shots (227). He is only the second athlete at that school (football's Ray Guy was the first) to have had his jersey retired.
Selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the ninth overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft, Weatherspoon opened eyes around the league by becoming Philadelphia's all-time leading rookie scorer with 1,280 points (15.6 ppg). He was the only Sixer to start all 82 games, leading the team in rebounding (7.2 rpg) and ranking third in scoring behind Hersey Hawkins (20.3 ppg) and Jeff Hornacek (19.1).
An explosive forward despite his 6-7 frame, Weatherspoon dazzled a national audience in the Slam-Dunk Championship at the NBA All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City, finishing second to the Miami Heat's Harold Miner. By season's end, he had earned league-wide recognition with a berth on the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.
Weatherspoon scored a season-high 30 points against the Nuggets at Denver on February 12 and had a season-high 17 rebounds also against the Nuggets on March 13.
In the Playoffs:
Possesses career postseason averages of 5.9 points and 3.9 rebounds in 17 games, participating twice with Miami and once with Houston ... 2004: Averaged 3.5 points and 2.0 rebounds in two games during Houston's first-round series vs. the L.A. Lakers ... 2000: Averaged a
playoff career-high 6.4 points and 4.1 rebounds in
10 games off the bench for the Heat ... set playoff
career highs with 18 points and 10 rebounds at
Detroit on Apr. 29 ... 1999: Averaged 5.8 points with
a playoff-career-high 4.2 rebounds in five games
as a reserve for Miami.
College:
Averaged 18.2 points (on .576 shooting) with 11.3
rebounds in four seasons at Southern Mississippi
... finished his career as the school's all-time leader
with 2,130 points, 1,320 rebounds and 227 blocks
... named the Metro Conference Player of the Year
in each of his last three seasons ... averaged 22.3
points and 10.5 rebounds as a senior.
