Here’s the release from the Clippers:
The Los Angeles Clippers today solidified their point guard position for years to come with the announced signing of free agent Baron Davis to a multi-year contract. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not announced.
A two-time NBA All-Star (2002 and 2004), Davis averaged 21.8 points (12th in the NBA), 7.6 assists (6th in the NBA), 4.7 rebounds and 2.33 steals (3rd in the NBA) while playing in all 82 games for the Golden State Warriors during the 2007-08 season. Davis was just one of four players in the league last season to average 20+ points and seven+ assists (Allen Iverson, LeBron James, Chris Paul) per game. The 6’3″ guard also tied a career-high in scoring when he poured in 40 points at Chicago on January 18th, in addition to notching three triple-doubles on the season, bringing his career total to nine.
Entering his tenth NBA season, Davis brings career averages of 17.1 points, 7.2 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 1.95 steals and 35.5 minutes per game. He has appeared in 82 games on four occasions during his career and has led his teams to the playoffs in six of his nine NBA campaigns. In 46 career playoff games, Davis has tallied 19.8 points, 6.5 assists and 4.6 rebounds. Most recently, Davis captivated the Bay Area during the 2007 NBA Playoffs, leading the eighth seeded Warriors to a stunning First Round upset of the number one seeded Dallas Mavericks before the Warriors succumbed to the Utah Jazz in the Second Round.
Originally selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the third overall selection in the 1999 NBA Draft, Davis remained the cornerstone of the Hornets franchise until he was traded to Golden State on February 24, 2005. Davis turned in his most productive NBA season in 2003-04 while with New Orleans, when he tallied a career-high 22.9 points (6th in the NBA) to go with 7.5 assists (4th in the NBA) and a career-best 2.36 steals (1st in the NBA) per game and earned All-NBA Third Team honors. He became just the third player (Gary Payton and Michael Adams) since the 1976-77 season to finish in the top-10 in those categories.
The Los Angeles native turned in two stellar seasons at UCLA before making himself eligible for the 1999 NBA Draft. In two seasons as a Bruin, Davis notched career numbers of 13.6 points, 4.4 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game. Davis earned Third-Team All-America honors from the Associated Press after a sophomore season in which he averaged 15.9 points, 5.1 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game. He was also selected as the 1998 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year and is a graduate of Crossroads High School in Santa Monica, CA.
A pillar in the Los Angeles community, Davis established TeamPlay, the Baron Davis Foundation in 2004 which inspires underprivileged youth to take their best next step. He also founded and operates another foundation called the Rising Stars of America, through which he conducts basketball camps for at-risk youth in the Los Angeles area. For the past two summers, along with fellow Los Angeles native Paul Pierce, Davis has taken over the reigns of “A Midsummer Night’s Magic”, the annual charity gala and celebrity basketball game started by Magic Johnson more than 20 years ago. Davis received the LA’s Best Alumni Award from Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in 2007 for his contributions to the non-profit’s after school mentoring programs.
