Elton Brand
The late 1990s marked a period of significant depth in American college basketball talent, with a generation of players moving swiftly from university programs into the professional ranks. Elton Tyron Brand, born on March 11, 1979, in Cortlandt Manor, New York, emerged from that environment as one of its more decorated figures before a long career in the NBA.
Brand attended Peekskill High School before enrolling at Duke University, where his play earned him the John R. Wooden Award and the Best Male College Basketball Player ESPY Award. Those honors reflected the level of his performance at the collegiate level and preceded his entry into professional basketball. He was selected with the first overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls, a selection that placed him immediately at the center of professional expectations.
His professional career took him across several franchises over the course of his playing years. After beginning with the Chicago Bulls, Brand went on to play for the Los Angeles Clippers, the Philadelphia 76ers, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Atlanta Hawks. During that span he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team and received the NBA Rookie of the Year Award following his debut season. He was also named an All-NBA Second Team selection in 2006 and earned two NBA All-Star appearances. In addition to those competitive honors, he received the NBA Sportsmanship Award, a recognition given to players who demonstrate ethical conduct on the court.
Following the conclusion of his playing career, Brand transitioned into team management and took on the role of general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association. That position placed him in an organizational capacity with a franchise he had previously represented as a player. His trajectory from the first overall pick of the 1999 NBA Draft to a front-office role with the 76ers traces a career that moved through multiple dimensions of professional basketball.
Quotes by Elton Brand
Elton Brand's insights on:
In a close game, I think we're going to try to win. I think we need practice at that. There's no better time than now.
In the past, we might have folded, but we erased that 12-point lead and we're up three at halftime. It's a great, great feeling. It's much different than before.
I just wanted to get out of Dodge, clear my mind, not think about the disappointment anymore, lie on the beach. I'd rather be in the playoffs any time.
If we want to contend with the upper-echelon teams, then we have to play well (Wednesday) and expect to win. They're going to be revved up at home, so we got to bring it.
I'm not going to try to lose. But if we finish behind Memphis with the sixth seed, we're better off.
That might have been for the past, for teams that weren't winning. I guess Chauncey and I might have to eliminate ourselves from that poll.
It's no longer a city thing. It's a playoff-seeding thing. No more statement games. No more learning from losses.
I wanted to set a tone, I really wanted this game. They kept finding me in positions I could score and once they started doubling me really hard on the catch, there were other guys open. I didn't mind sharing the rock.
It was pretty, and then it got ugly. It was a long time coming, and it was an important win for the organization.