NBA.com: J.R. Reid Bio

An outstanding pivotman in college, J.R. Reid has been both a starter and a reserve in the NBA but has never quite realized the stardom predicted for him when he came out of the University of North Carolina in 1989. After seven seasons in the NBA he went to France to play in 1996-97, then returned the next season to the Charlotte Hornets, the team that had originally drafted him. He was traded to the Los Angeles Lakes during the 1998-99 season and signed with the Milwaukee Bucks as a free agent prior to the 1999-2000 campaign. Reid arrived at North Carolina in 1986-87 and was named Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Year as a freshman after averaging 14.7 points and 7.4 rebounds. As a sophomore, he shot .607 from the floor and averaged 18.0 points and 8.9 rebounds to earn a Second-Team All-America selection. That summer he was a member of the 1988 U.S. Olympic basketball team. Beset by injuries at the start of his junior year, his scoring and rebounding numbers decreased, but he nevertheless shot .614 from the field. A fluid player in the post with a good shooting touch, Reid entered the 1989 NBA Draft as a junior and was taken by Charlotte with the fifth overall pick. A local hero in North Carolina, he was under pressure as the Hornets' top draft pick in the team's second season. As a rookie, he started 82 games at center and averaged 11.1 points and 8.4 rebounds to earn a place on the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. The next two seasons Reid averaged 11.3 and 11.0 points, respectively, and just more than 6.0 rebounds per contest. In his second season he moved to power forward, but in 1991-92 he missed 31 games with a stress fracture in his lower back. The arrival of forward Larry Johnson that season made Reid expendable, and he was traded to the San Antonio Spurs during the 1992-93 campaign. Reid was both a reserve and a starter for the Spurs, who also deployed David Robinson, Dennis Rodman and Terry Cummings at the power positions. Reid recorded scoring averages of 9.0 and 7.0 points per contest in his two full seasons in San Antonio, helping the Spurs to the Western Conference Finals in 1994-95. He was traded to New York in the deal that sent forward Charles Smith to San Antonio midway through the 1995-96 season, and averaged 6.6 ppg between the two teams. He was not resigned by the Knicks following the season and went to France, where he helped PSG Racing win the French League title by averaging 17.9 points and 8.3 rebounds in 30 games. Charlotte re-signed him on July 16, 1997 and he appeared in 79 games for the Hornets in 1997-98, providing frontcourt depth. He split the 1998-99 season between Charlotte and the Lakers, going to Los Angeles with Glen Rice and B.J. Armstrong for Eddie Jones and Elden Campbell on March 10, 1999. After averaging 15.2 points in 16 games as a starter with Charlotte, he dipped to 5.0 ppg in 25 outings as a reserve and spot starter with the Lakers for a season's average of 9.0 ppg. On August 20, 1999, he was signed as a veteran free agent by the Milwaukee Bucks, his sixth NBA team.

1999-2000 REGULAR SEASON
Placed on the injured list on 2/27 with plantar fasciitis of the left heel Posted 11 points and 9 rebounds in an 82-79 loss to Philadelphia on 11/27 Scored 15 points (6-8 FG) in a 111-100 loss to Utah on 11/20 Tallied 11 points and 8 rebounds in a 101-93 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on 11/16

1998-1999 REGULAR SEASON
Registered 15 points (6-9 FG, 3-4 FT), 8 rebounds and 3 steals in a 106-102 overtime win over the Golden State Warriors on 4/20 Traded by the Hornets with Glen Rice and B.J. Armstrong to the Los Angeles Lakers for Eddie Jones and Elden Campbell on 3/10 Recorded a team-high 26 points (9-17 FG, 8-10 FT) and a game-high 12 rebounds in a 105-87 win over the Boston Celtics on 3/9 Totaled 17 points (7-13 FG), 12 rebounds and 3 assists in a 96-82 victory over the New Jersey Nets on 3/4 Posted 20 points (9-16 FG), 8 rebounds and 5 assists in a 91-88 victory over the Toronto Raptors on 3/1 Registered 22 points (7-12 FG, 8-8 FT), 5 rebounds and 3 steals in a 97-95 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on 2/26 Recorded 21 points, 7 rebounds and a career-high 6 steals against the Sacramento Kings on 2/19 Matched his career-high with 29 points (11-17 FG) and grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds against the Golden State Warriors on 2/17

1997-1998 REGULAR SEASON
Recorded 13 points and 4 rebounds against the Washington Wizards on 3/14 Registered 12 points (6-8 FG) and 3 rebounds, in 17 minutes, in a 100-82 victory over the Orlando Magic on 3/13 Totaled 14 points, 5 rebounds and 4 steals against the Golden State Warriors on 2/18 Posted 14 points and 4 rebounds against the Chicago Bulls on 1/21 Scored 13 points (5-6 FG, 3-3 FT), in 13 minutes, in a 109-88 victory over the Toronto Raptors on 1/19 Recorded 13 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists against the Washington Wizards on 12/19 Registered 11 points (4-5 FG, 3-3 FT) and 3 rebounds against the Milwaukee Bucks on 12/4

1995-1996 REGULAR SEASON
Reid continued to search for his niche in his seventh pro season. He played 32 games for San Antonio, making five starts, before being traded to New York on Feb. 8 in the deal that sent Charles Smith to the Spurs. He then played 33 games for New York, including 16 as a starter, and finished the season with combined averages of 6.6 points and 3.9 rebounds in 20.2 minutes per game. Reid scored in double figures 11 times for San Antonio, including 15 points against Orlando on Feb. 4 shortly after returning to action after three weeks on the injured list due to a sprained ligament in his left ankle. He averaged 6.5 points and 3.8 rebounds in 20.1 minutes per game in a San Antonio uniform. After coming off the bench in his first five games as a Knick, Reid made his first start for New York on Feb. 25 at Phoenix and posted season highs with 22 points and 11 rebounds in 41 minutes. However, he elbowed A.C. Green in the fourth quarter and was suspended for two games and fined $10,000 by the NBA. Reid came back to average 6.7 points per game on .569 shooting in March and had 10 points in 16 minutes in the season finale at Boston on April 21, but appeared in only one of New York's eight playoff games, scoring two points in seven minutes in Game 1 vs. Chicago. In 33 games with New York, Reid averaged 6.6 points and 4.0 rebounds in 20.3 minutes per game, scoring in double figures eight times and shooting .550 from the field on 88-for-160.

1994-1995 REGULAR SEASON
Reid put in a credible season with the San Antonio Spurs in 1994-95. His scoring average of 7.0 points per game was a career low, but he pulled down 4.9 rebounds in 19.3 minutes per outing and shot .508 from the floor. A reliable player, he filled in for the volatile Dennis Rodman, the NBA's leading rebounder, who missed 33 games during the season because of suspensions, leave of absence, and injury. When Rodman sat out 14 games late in the season with a separated shoulder, the Spurs went 12-2. Reid and Terry Cummings took Rodman's minutes and combined to average 19.9 points and 15.9 rebounds during that stretch. Reid started 37 games on the year. Among his best performances was a March 16 outing against the Philadelphia 76ers in which he scored a season-high 16 points, snared 7 rebounds, and blocked 3 shots. Reid was a complement to an awesome front line-Rodman, David Robinson, and Sean Elliott-that powered the Spurs to a 62-20 regular-season record, the best in the NBA. San Antonio defeated the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers in the playoffs but fell to the Houston Rockets in the conference finals. Reid averaged 6.1 points and 2.8 rebounds while appearing in all 15 playoff games.

1993-1994 REGULAR SEASON
Reid spent the 1993-94 season in a reserve role behind what was arguably the best frontcourt tandem in the NBA. After seeing only 11 minutes of action in the San Antonio Spurs' first nine games, he moved into a regular spot in the rotation as a backup to both David Robinson and Dennis Rodman. Overall, Reid appeared in 70 games and contributed 9.0 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. He also shot a career-best .491 from the floor. The fifth-year veteran scored a season-high 24 points on March 9 against the Houston Rockets. Earlier, he grabbed 9 rebounds against the Los Angeles Clippers on March 4. Reid then came off the bench in all four playoff games, as the Spurs lost a first-round series to the Utah Jazz.

1992-1993 REGULAR SEASON
Knowing they had a superstar in Larry Johnson, the Hornets traded Reid to the San Antonio Spurs on December 9 for Sidney Green, a 1993 first-round draft pick, and a 1996 second-round draft choice. Reid played a valuable role for the Spurs, starting occasionally and backing up at both power forward and center. Reid accomplished the unique feat of appearing in 83 games-17 with Charlotte and 66 with San Antonio. During his stint with the Spurs, he averaged 9.9 points and 5.8 rebounds in 24.1 minutes per game. Ranking second on the team in rebounding behind David Robinson (11.7 rpg), Reid grabbed a season-high 15 boards in his second game with the Spurs, a December 12 matchup with the Dallas Mavericks. He also scored a career-high 29 points on March 6 against the Timberwolves in Minnesota. He finished the year with overall averages of 9.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. The midseason trade gave Reid his first taste of the postseason, as he helped the Spurs advance to the Western Conference Semifinals. Reid appeared in all 10 playoff games, averaging 8.5 points and 5.0 rebounds.

1991-1992 REGULAR SEASON
The Hornets drafted Larry Johnson out of UNLV with the first overall pick in the 1991 NBA Draft, and Johnson quickly became a starter at Reid's expense. On November 27 a stress fracture in Reid's lower back knocked him out of action for 26 consecutive games and 31 overall. While Reid was sidelined, Johnson moved into the starting power forward slot. Reid appeared in 51 games for the season, averaging 11.0 points and 6.2 rebounds. He shot .490 from the field and .705 from the free-throw line.

1990-1991 REGULAR SEASON
The Hornets knew that the 6-foot-9 Reid couldn't remain at center and compete successfully with the likes of Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, and David Robinson. So Charlotte acquired Mike Gminski from the Philadelphia 76ers in early January and shifted Reid to power forward. Reid played in 80 games, starting 30 at center and 50 at forward. He hiked his scoring average to 11.3 points per game while shooting .466 from the floor. He led the club in rebounding 24 times, though his season production dropped to 6.3 boards per game. He scored a season-high 26 points twice, on November 2 against the New Jersey Nets and on March 28 versus the Washington Bullets.

1989-1990 REGULAR SEASON
The applause was thunderous in North Carolina when the fledgling Charlotte Hornets selected a Tar Heel-Herman "J. R." Reid-with the fifth overall pick in the 1989 NBA Draft. Reid had left Dean Smith's North Carolina program after three collegiate seasons, during which he averaged 16.2 points and 7.6 rebounds while shooting .601 from the floor. He was a consensus All-American as a sophomore, averaging 18.0 points and 8.9 rebounds. The Hornets needed a center in their second season, so the undersized (6-foot-9) Reid started 82 games in the pivot and performed admirably. He averaged 11.1 points and a career-best 8.4 rebounds. He played 2,757 minutes for the season, second among rookies to David Robinson, the NBA Rookie of the Year. Reid led Charlotte in scoring four times and in rebounding 37 times. He logged the first 20-20 game in Hornets history when he recorded 25 points and 20 rebounds on November 14 against the Orlando Magic. At season's end, Reid was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.