NBA.com: Don MacLean Bio

Don MacLean is a 6-10 forward who makes his living with a quick and accurate medium-range jump shot. MacLean pumped in the shot with regularity in college, amassing 2,608 points to become the all-time leading scorer at UCLA. As a junior he joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton and Reggie Miller as the only players in school history to lead the squad in scoring for three straight seasons. In four years his scoring averages were 18.6, 19.9, 23.0 and 20.7 points per game, respectively, adding up to a career mark of 20.5 points per contest. In 1991-92 he was named to The Sporting News All-America Second Team, and he led all NCAA Division I players with a .921 free throw percentage. The Detroit Pistons selected MacLean with the 19th overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft, but through a series of deals that sent center Olden Polynice to Detroit and forward John Williams to the Los Angeles Clippers, MacLean landed in Washington for his rookie season. He did not excel in his first year, playing in 62 games and averaging 6.6 points and 2.0 rebounds while shooting .435 from the field. But that performance set the stage for MacLean's tremendous second season, which was capped by his selection as the NBA's Most Improved Player for 1993-94. His scoring average went from 6.2 to 18.2 points per contest to tie Rex Chapman for the team lead. MacLean scored in double figures in 63 of 75 games, averaged 6.2 rebounds, and registered a .502 mark from the field and an .824 percentage from the free throw line. In 1994-95 he was one of several Washington players hampered by injuries, and he had trouble finding his rhythm. He played in only 39 games and averaged 11.0 points per contest. Acquired by Denver along with guard Doug Overton in exchange for guard Robert Pack on Oct. 30, 1995, MacLean averaged 11.2 points in 19.8 minutes for the Nuggets, appearing in 56 games, all but five of them in a reserve role. A veteran free agent, he signed with the Philadelphia 76ers in the summer of 1996 and averaged 10.9 ppg for the Sixers in 1996-97, the team's fifth-leading scorer. Injuries limited him to 37 games, however, and following the season he was traded to New Jersey as part of an eight-player deal. He missed all but nine games of the 1997-98 season due to tendinitis in his knees, logging just 42 minutes for the Nets, scoring three points and grabbing five rebounds. The Nets traded him to Seattle on January 21, 1999 and he played in 17 games for the Sonics, averaging 10.9 ppg. Seattle traded him to Orlando on Draft Day, June 30, 1999, along with Dale Ellis, Billy Owens and the rights to 13th overall pick Corey Maggette for Horace Grant and two second-round picks. He never played for Orlando, however, as the Magic traded MacLean plus a second-round pick to Houston on August 27, 1999 for Lee Mayberry, Makhtar Ndjaye, Rodrick Rhodes and Michael Smith.

1999-2000 REGULAR SEASON
Signed with Phoenix for the rest of the season on 4/2. Signed to a second 10-day contract by Phoenix on 3/23 Signed to a 10-day contract by the Phoenix Suns on 3/13

1998-1999 REGULAR SEASON
Scored a team-high 26 points (3-4 3FG) and grabbed 5 rebounds in a 107-105 victory over the L.A. Clippers on 5/5 Recorded a game-high 23 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists against the the Utah Jazz on 4/25 Registered a game-high 25 points and 10 rebounds in a 97-84 victory over the Vancouver Grizzlies on 4/23 Posted 21 points (13-16 FT) and a game-high 10 rebounds in a 119-105 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on 4/21 Made his first start for the SuperSonics, totaling 16 points and 7 rebounds, against the Phoenix Suns on 4/18 On the injured list from 3/26 to 4/6 due to lower back pain

1997-1998 REGULAR SEASON
On the injured list from 3/19 to 4/19 due to tendinitis in both knees On the injured list from 10/30 to 2/20, missing the first 53 games of the season, due to left knee tendinitis

1996-1997 REGULAR SEASON
MacLean averaged 10.9 points and 3.8 rebounds in 19.7 minutes per game for the Sixers, appearing in 37 games, all but two as a reserve. He missed 44 games due to injuries to his right knee, left hip and left ankle and had one DNP-CD. He was most effective in midseason, scoring over 20 points in five consecutive games from Jan. 25 through Feb 5. Included in that burst was a season-high 29-point performance, on 12-for-16 from the field, in a 109-100 victory at Milwaukee on Feb. 1. Later that month he posted his only double-double of the season, scoring 24 points and grabbing a season-high 13 rebounds in a 112-97 loss to Denver on Feb. 16. He did not play again after suffering a sprained left ankle in a game against Atlanta on March 6. He went on the injured list on March 9 and missed the last 23 games of the season. Following the season he was traded to New Jersey as part of an eight-player deal.

1995-1996 REGULAR SEASON
MacLean was a productive bench scorer for the Denver Nuggets in 1995-96, contributing 11.2 points and 3.7 rebounds in 19.8 minutes per game. He played in 56 games, missing 21 due to injury, four as a DNP-CD and one to suspension. He came off the bench 51 times and started five games, averaging 22.4 ppg in his five starts. He led the team in scoring six times, tying his career-high with 38 points against Golden State on Dec. 20. It was the seventh time in his career he's scored at least 30 points. After the season, he became a veteran free agent and signed with the Philadelphia 76ers.

1994-1995 REGULAR SEASON
After having averaged 18.2 points to win the NBA s Most Improved Player Award in 1993-94, MacLean had a down year in 1994-95. He missed more than half the season with injuries and averaged just 11.0 points. MacLean suffered tendinitis in both knees early in the season and was placed on the injured list on December 12. While out with the knee problems, he broke his right thumb in a bar fight on December 31. The ailments shelved him until he was activated on February 28. His play in the last two months of the season was uneven at best he scored more than 20 points in a game only twice after March 11, averaging 9.9 points on .420 field-goal shooting in the 26 games after he was activated. The right hand was a bother; after receiving an injection for it, he missed two games in April. MacLean, who opened the season as the starting small forward, was backing up starters Chris Webber and Juwan Howard as the season ended.

1993-1994 REGULAR SEASON
The departure of Harvey Grant and injuries to Pervis Ellison gave MacLean an opportunity to shine in 1993-94. The second-year forward responded by tying Rex Chapman for the Washington Bullets scoring lead and winning the NBA Most Improved Player Award. MacLean had averaged only 6.6 points and 2.0 rebounds as a little-used rookie in 1992-93, but in 1993-94 he exploded for 18.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per contest, shooting .502 from the floor. He started in 69 of his 75 appearances and logged 33.2 minutes per game. MacLean credited much of his improvement to an offseason conditioning program that improved his strength and quickness, making him better prepared to battle with NBA frontcourt players. Among his season highlights, MacLean scored a career-high 38 points against the Milwaukee Bucks on November 17. He also had 25 points and 13 rebounds against the Indiana Pacers on April 19.

1992-1993 REGULAR SEASON
After finishing a four-year collegiate career as UCLA s all-time leading scorer (2,608 points), Don MacLean had a rude awakening in his first season in the NBA. A first-round draft pick of the Detroit Pistons, MacLean started the season with the Washington Bullets after the Pistons dealt his rights to the Los Angeles Clippers and the Clippers then traded him to Washington. MacLean played sparingly for the Bullets, averaging 6.6 points and 2.0 rebounds in only 10.9 minutes per game. He had season-highs of 8 rebounds and 33 minutes against the Clippers on February 18. For the year, he scored in double figures 16 times. One bright spot came at the free-throw line, where MacLean shot .811, the third-best mark on the team. The Bullets finished the season with a record of 22-60 and in the Atlantic Division basement.