NBA.com: Sherman Douglas Bio

An explosive point guard with a fine shooting touch, Sherman Douglas has played brilliantly at times in his NBA career with Miami, Boston, Milwaukee, New Jersey and now the Los Angeles Clippers. A second-round draft pick of the Miami Heat in 1989, he came to the NBA after becoming the NCAA's all-time assists leader while at Syracuse. He left the school ranked No. 1 in Syracuse history in both scoring and steals, and he was the first player to lead the Big East Conference in assists in three consecutive seasons. On January 28, 1989, he set an NCAA single-game record when he passed for 22 assists against Providence. It didn't take long for Douglas to establish himself as a bona fide NBA player. In his first season, the second for the Miami franchise, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team after posting the third-highest scoring average (14.3 ppg) and second-highest assists mark (7.6 apg) among first-year players. He had a spectacular second campaign, upping his numbers to 18.5 points and 8.5 assists per game (ninth in the NBA). A restricted free agent entering his third season, Douglas began the year as a holdout and didn't join the Heat until the end of December. After five games in a Miami uniform he was traded to the Boston Celtics for Brian Shaw. In 1992-93, his first full season with the Celtics, Douglas led the club in assists at 6.4 per game, along with 7.8 points. He started the final 27 games of the season and helped clinch a playoff spot for the Celtics with a game-winning bucket against the New Jersey Nets late in the year. In 1993-94 he recorded the second-highest assists total in Celtics history, finished seventh in the league at 8.8 apg, and improved his scoring average to 13.3 points per game. His 27-point, 22-assist performance late in the campaign made him only the second player in franchise history to record 20 points and 20 assists in a game. Sidelined for the first month of the 1994-95 season by a knee injury, Douglas came back to turn in a fine year. He was especially sharp in the second half of the campaign, averaging nearly 20 points following the All-Star break. With an abundance of relatively short guards in Boston, Douglas was dealt to Milwaukee early in the 1995-96 season for Todd Day and Alton Lister. As the Bucks' starting point he averaged 11.3 points and 5.5 assists per game, matched his career-high by shooting .504 from the field and set career-highs with a free throw mark of .731 and a three-point accuracy of .364. Douglas started 79 games at the point for Milwaukee in 1996-97, leading the team with 5.4 assists per game and also averaging 9.7 points. His field goal percentage of .502 ranked third among all NBA backcourtmen. Signed as a free agent by New Jersey on the first day of the 1997-98 season, he proved to be a valuable pickup as a reserve and spot starter and actually led the team in both scoring and assists in the playoffs while filling in for the injured Sam Cassell. On February 4, 1999 he signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Clippers. Playing in 30 games, including 19 starts, he led the Clippers in assists at 4.1 apg.

1999-2000 REGULAR SEASON
Scored 14 points (6-8 FG) in 13 minutes in a 109-96 loss in Boston on 11/19

1998-1999 REGULAR SEASON
Recorded 15 points and a game-high 8 assists against the Vancouver Grizzlies on 4/21 Registered team-highs of 17 points (6-11 FG, 5-5 FT) and 6 assists, and grabbed 3 rebounds, against the Utah Jazz on 4/15 Posted 18 points (8-10 FG, 2-2 FT) and a team-high 6 assists in a 109-101 victory over the New Jersey Nets on 4/13 Totaled 19 points (6-10 FG), a game-high 5 assists and 3 rebounds in an 89-83 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on 4/11 Recorded 16 points (7-11 FG), 4 assists and 3 rebounds in a 99-91 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on 4/8 On the injured list from 3/23 to 4/3 due to a strained left quadriceps On the injured list from 3/10 to 3/18 due to a strained left groin

1997-1998 REGULAR SEASON
Totaled 18 points (8-12 FG), a game-high 11 assists, 5 steals and 3 rebounds in a 114-101 win over the Detroit Pistons on 4/19 Registered 16 points, 9 assists and 3 rebounds in a 130-115 victory over the Toronto Raptors on 2/13 Recorded 18 points, a game-high 10 assists and 5 rebounds in a 97-81 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on 1/17 Posted 18 points, a season-high 17 assists and 6 rebounds against the L.A. Clippers on 1/15 Totaled game-highs of 23 points and 11 assists and grabbed 4 rebounds in an 81-68 win over the Charlotte Hornets on 1/13 Registered 16 points (6-9 FG, 4-4 FT), 15 assists and 3 rebounds in a 108-100 victory over the Toronto Raptors on 1/12 Scored 16 points (6-10 FG, 4-4 FT) and added a team-high 9 assists in an 89-87 victory over the Orlando Magic on 1/8 Posted 20 points and 9 assists against the Cleveland Cavaliers on 1/3 Totaled 19 points (9-14 FG), 8 assists and 4 rebounds in a 133-95 victory over the Denver Nuggets on 12/13 Registered a season-high 25 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds in a 77-72 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on 11/16 Recorded 11 points, a game-high 13 assists, 6 rebounds and 3 steals in a 112-96 win over the Golden State Warriors on 11/5

1996-1997 REGULAR SEASON
In his first full season with Milwaukee, Douglas averaged 9.7 points, a team-high 5.4 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 0.99 steals in 29.3 minutes. His field goal percentage of .502 ranked third in the NBA among guards, behind only John Stockton (.548) and Calbert Cheaney (.505). He scored in double figures 34 times and had 20 or more on six occasions, including a season-high 26 points in a 101-96 loss at Utah on March 28. He reached double figures in assists five times, with a season-high 15 in a 117-112 loss at Phoenix on March 25. His best months of the season were December when he posted nearly identical statistics. In December he averaged 11.4 points and 6.2 assists while shooting .547, and in April he averaged 12.0 points and 6.0 assists while shooting .549.

1995-1996 REGULAR SEASON
Douglas began the season with Boston but was traded to Milwaukee on Nov. 26 for Todd Day and Alton Lister. For the season he averaged 11.3 points and 5.5 assists in 29.6 minutes per game, shooting .504 from the field, .364 on three-pointers and .731 from the foul line. Douglas played 10 games with Boston, making four starts, and averaged 9.8 points and 3.9 assists in 23.4 minutes per game. But the Celtics had several other guards angling for playing time, including Dee Brown, Dana Barros and David Wesley, and decided to deal Douglas. For Milwaukee, Douglas averaged 11.5 points per game, third-highest on the team. He led the Bucks in playmaking with 5.8 assists per game and ranked third with 0.88 steals per game. He made 69 appearances for the Bucks, including 62 starts, and averaged 30.4 minutes per game, shooting .514 from the field and .379 from three-point range, both second-best on the club, and .754 from the free throw line. He scored a season-high 26 points at Utah on March 27 and posted his first career triple-double with 15 points, 11 assists and a career-high 10 rebounds against Portland on Jan. 5. He handed out a season-high 12 assists twice, at Miami on April 11 and at Charlotte on April 18, part of a hot month in which he averaged 14.1 points and 6.8 assists per game, shooting a sizzling .564 from the field.

1994-1995 REGULAR SEASON
The 1994-95 season did not get off to a promising start for Douglas. Late in the second period of the season's second game, he suffered a strained ligament in his left knee. He was placed on the injured list on November 15 and missed 17 games. Douglas struggled after his return, averaging 8.5 points and 4.7 assists in 29 games prior to the All-Star break. In the 36 games following the break, however, Douglas played superb basketball for the Boston Celtics. In March he averaged 19.5 points and 8.2 assists. He began the month by handing out a season-high 18 assists against the Washington Bullets on March 1. Two weeks later he scored 28 points against the Seattle SuperSonics to reach the 5,000-point plateau for his career. On March 17 he scored a season-high 33 points against the Lakers at Los Angeles. If anything, he was even better in April. In the Celtics' final dozen games he led the club in assists 12 times and in scoring on 8 occasions. During that span he averaged 21.5 points and 8.4 assists. All told, Douglas contributed 19.6 points and 8.6 assists in post-All-Star break competition. He finished the season as the team's leading assists man (6.9 apg), and he recorded his best scoring output (14.7 ppg) since his second year in the league. Douglas also had a solid playoff run as the Celtics squeaked into the postseason after a one-year absence. Seeded No. 8, Boston matched up against the first-seeded Orlando Magic and fell in four games. Douglas turned in a fabulous performance in the Celtics' 99-92 road upset of the Magic in Game 2, with 20 points and 15 assists. He averaged 15.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 8.3 assists in the postseason.

1993-1994 REGULAR SEASON
As Douglas completed his second full season with Boston, he also entered the Celtics' record books. In an otherwise down year for the team, his 683 assists for 1993-94 were the most by a member of this storied franchise since Bob Cousy's 715 in 1959-60. Douglas had one of the best games ever by a Celtics guard on April 3, when he scored 27 points and had a career-high 22 assists against the Philadelphia 76ers. He and Cousy are the only Celtics to have reached at least 20 points and 20 assists in the same game. Douglas and Cousy are also the only players in team annals to dish out 20 assists twice. The Washington, D.C., native was the team's third-leading scorer (13.3 ppg) and ranked seventh in the NBA in assists (8.8 apg).

1992-1993 REGULAR SEASON
In his first full season in Boston, Douglas led the Celtics with 508 assists (6.4 apg). He began the season as a key reserve, sharing time at the point guard position with Dee Brown. However, after leaving the team in December because of personal problems, Douglas's minutes and production increased as the season wore on, and he started Boston's final 27 games. His regular-season scoring average of 7.8 points per game marked the second-lowest scoring output of his four-year career, besting by half a point his 7.3 average in the turbulent 1991-92 campaign. He especially struggled at the free-throw line, from which he shot only .560. Douglas did manage to finish the season strong. He was an honorable mention for NBA Player of the Week ending March 7, and he compiled 39 assists and 49 points in the season's last three games. Although Boston lost to the Charlotte Hornets in the first round of the 1993 NBA Playoffs, Douglas still averaged 11.0 points and 9.5 assists during the series. He neared a triple-double in Game 1 with 13 points, 11 assists, and 9 rebounds, and he played 40-plus minutes in each game but the third contest.

1991-1992 REGULAR SEASON
Douglas sat out the season's first month as a restricted free agent, seeking offers from other NBA teams. He finally signed an offer sheet with the Los Angeles Lakers on December 13, but the Heat exercised their right of first refusal and matched the offer, thus keeping Douglas in Miami. Miami activated Douglas on December 31, but his tenure with the Heat lasted only five games as he was traded to the Boston Celtics on January 10 for guard Brian Shaw. Douglas finished the season with overall averages of 7.3 points and 4.1 assists in 42 games. He averaged 10.0 minutes and 3.2 points n six playoff appearances with Boston, as the Celtics fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round.

1990-1991 REGULAR SEASON
Douglas was selected Miami's Most Valuable Player after starting all 73 games in which he played and improving his personal numbers in nearly every category. He averaged 18.5 points, 8.5 assists, and 2.9 rebounds for the season, scoring a career-high 42 points against the Denver Nuggets on December 27. The Heat increased their win total to 24 but finished in the Atlantic Division basement for the second straight season.

1989-1990 REGULAR SEASON
Sherman Douglas finished his college career at Syracuse as the NCAA's all-time assists leader-a record later broken by Celtics teammate Chris Corchiani at North Carolina State and then again by the Sacramento Kings' Bobby Hurley while at Duke. Douglas also left Syracuse as the school's all-time leader in scoring (2,060 points) and steals (235), and he still shares the NCAA Division I single-game record for assists with 22. Despite his stellar college career, Douglas was overlooked in the first round of the 1989 NBA Draft. The Miami Heat's second-round selection, Douglas burst onto the NBA scene and earned a spot on the NBA All-Rookie First Team. He posted the third-highest scoring average (14.3 ppg) among rookies and was second among first-year players in assists (7.6 apg), trailing only Tim Hardaway's 8.7 average. Miami finished the season at 18-64 and in fifth place in the Atlantic Division.