John Starks (basketball)

John Levell Starks (born August 10, 1965) is an American retired professional basketball shooting guard. Starks was listed at 6'3" and 190 pounds[1] during his NBA playing career. Although he was not drafted in the 1988 NBA draft after attending four colleges in his native Oklahoma, including Oklahoma State University, he gained fame while playing for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association in the 1990s.

John Starks

Starks at Madison Square Garden in 2013
Personal information
Born	(1965-08-10) August 10, 1965 Tulsa, Oklahoma
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight	190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school	Central (Tulsa, Oklahoma)
College	Oklahoma State (1987–1988)
NBA draft	1988 / Undrafted
Playing career	1988–2002
Position	Shooting guard
Number	30, 3, 9
Career history
1988–1989	Golden State Warriors
1989–1990	Cedar Rapids Silver Bullets
1990	Memphis Rockers
1990–1998	New York Knicks
1999–2000	Golden State Warriors
2000	Chicago Bulls
2000–2002	Utah Jazz
Career highlights and awards
NBA All-Star (1994) NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1993) NBA Sixth Man of the Year (1997)
Career NBA statistics
Points	10,829 (12.5 ppg)
Rebounds	2,129 (2.5 rpg)
Assists	3,085 (3.6 apg)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Early life

Starks was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma where he attended Tulsa Central High School.[2] At Tulsa Central, Starks played only one year on the basketball team.[3]

After high school, he enrolled at Rogers State College in 1984. While at Rogers State, Starks was on the "taxi squad" of the basketball team for backups to replace injured or suspended players; taxi squad players did not suit up and instead watched games from the stands. However, Starks was expelled from Rogers State for stealing another student's stereo equipment in retaliation for the student breaking into Starks' dorm room and the college holding him and his roommates financially responsible for the damage.[4] Starks transferred to Northern Oklahoma College in spring 1985, made the basketball team there, and was sentenced to five days in jail for the robbery. He served the sentence during spring break.[5] In the fall of 1985, Starks averaged 11 points per game with Northern Oklahoma but left the college after being caught smoking cannabis in his dorm.[6] Having worked at a Safeway supermarket, Starks enrolled at Tulsa Junior College in the summer of 1986 to pursue a business degree.[7] While playing intramural basketball, he came to the attention of Ken Trickey, the former coach of Oral Roberts University who was then starting a basketball program for Oklahoma Junior College. Starks played there for a season, then earned a scholarship at Oklahoma State University in 1988, where he finished his collegiate career.[3][8]

Career

Golden State Warriors

Starks in 1996 with the New York Knicks

Although he was passed over in the 1988 NBA draft, Starks signed with the Golden State Warriors in September 1988 as a free agent. However, as the Warriors had drafted fellow shooting guard Mitch Richmond with the fifth overall pick that year, Starks played limited minutes in only 36 games while Richmond won Rookie of the Year. Starks was injured at the end of the season, and therefore had to play in the NBA's official minor league system, the CBA.

Other Leagues

Starks played stints in the Continental Basketball Association (Cedar Rapids Silver Bullets, 1989–90) and World Basketball League (Memphis Rockers, 1990–91).[3]

New York Knicks

In 1990, Starks tried out for the New York Knicks. In one practice, he tried to dunk on Knicks center Patrick Ewing. Ewing threw him down and Starks twisted his knee. The team was not allowed to release him unless it healed by the end of December. When it did not heal by that time, the Knicks could not release him.[9] As a result, Starks has referred to Ewing as his saving grace. Starks eventually became the starting shooting guard, becoming a key player on the team and playing 8 seasons in New York from 1990–98. Starks was a posterchild for their physical play during that era, along with teammates Anthony Mason and Charles Oakley. He was a participant in the 1992 NBA Slam Dunk Contest.

Starks executed one of the most famous plays in Knicks history, a play that became known simply as "The Dunk". In Game 2 of the 1993 Eastern Conference Finals against the Chicago Bulls, Starks was in the court's right corner, and closely guarded by B.J. Armstrong. Ewing came to set a screen for Starks, who faked to the left, as if to exploit the screen, but then drove along the baseline and, with his left hand, dunked over Horace Grant in front of Michael Jordan.[10][11]

One of the low points of Starks' career came in the 1994 NBA Finals against the Houston Rockets. In the closing seconds of Game 3 and the Knicks trailing by 3, Starks was fouled by Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon while attempting a 3. At the time, the NBA allowed only 2 free throws during a foul on a 3-pointer. Starks made both, but Houston won 93–89 (the league would change the rule to allow 3 free throws the next season). Starks and the Knicks then watched[12] their home court host the New York Rangers' first Stanley Cup celebration in 54 years, with their 3–2 win over the Vancouver Canucks in Game 7 of the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals. It served as an inspiration[12] for the Knicks to recover to take a 3–2 series lead going into Game 6. However, in the final seconds of Game 6, Olajuwon blocked Starks' last-second 3-point attempt to give Houston an 86–84 victory. In Game 7, Starks had one of the worst games of his career, shooting 2-for-18 from the field, including 1-for-10 in the fourth quarter. The Rockets went on to win the game and the championship.

In 1995, Pat Riley left the Knicks to go to the Miami Heat after a dispute with then General Manager Dave Checketts. The Knicks hired Don Nelson, bringing back the tensions from Stark's first season in Golden State. Nelson started Hubert Davis over Starks. Nelson was eventually fired mid-season, and the Knicks replaced him with Jeff Van Gundy. In 1996 Allan Houston took Starks' starting spot. Starks was a steady contributor off the bench and won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award in 1997.

On February 18, 1997, Starks hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to defeat the Phoenix Suns at home 95–94. On the play, he rebounded an Allan Houston missed three while getting to the three-point line and head-faked the Suns Wesley Person before releasing the shot just as the horn sounded. Replays were inconclusive as to whether the shot was released in time, but the basket stood. This may have been the most dramatic regular season moment of Starks' career, as it was his only buzzer beater to win an NBA game.

Return to Golden State

In January 1999, Starks was traded back to his original team, the Golden State Warriors. Starks was traded along with Chris Mills and Terry Cummings in exchange for Latrell Sprewell. Starks remained with the Warriors until February 2000, when he was traded to the Chicago Bulls as part of a three-team trade.[13]

Chicago Bulls

Starks played for the Chicago Bulls for 4 games in the 1999–2000 season.[14]

Utah Jazz

Starks finished his career with the Utah Jazz, playing for the Jazz from 2000-01 to 2001-02.

Later career and retirement

After his stint with Golden State, Starks played for the Bulls and Utah Jazz before failing to make an NBA team in 2002 and retiring with 10,829 career points. He currently works for the Knicks as an alumnus and fan development official, and as a pre-and-post-game analyst on MSG Network's home Knicks game coverage. He has also served as the head coach of the Maulers, a Slamball team. His autobiography, John Starks: My Life, was published in 2004.

Starks is part-owner and a promoter for the Ektio basketball shoe, which doctor and former college basketball player Barry Katz designed to reduce ankle injuries.[15][16]

Slamball coaching record

Team	Year	Regular Season				Post Season
		Won	Lost	Win %	Finish	Won	Lost	Result
Maulers	2008	5	7	.417	5th	–	–	Did not qualify
Total		5	7	.417	-	-	-	-

Legacy

His tenacity, desire to win, and plays like "The Dunk", made Starks into a great crowd favorite in New York.[10] Despite not being a perennial all-star, Starks is generally considered one of the greatest Knicks in history.[17] Starks' fiery intensity often led to emotional displays on the court. Reggie Miller, star shooting guard for the Indiana Pacers, was often a provocateur and target of his ire; during game three of the 1993 NBA Playoffs, Starks was ejected for headbutting Miller.

Starks is the Knicks' all-time leader in three point field goals (982).[18] He was the first player in NBA history to make 200 three-pointers in one season; his 217 during the 1994–95 NBA season broke Louie Dampier's single-season professional (NBA or ABA) record of 199 during the 1968–69 ABA season. Dennis Scott broke Starks' record a year later with 267; it now belongs to Stephen Curry.

Despite his relatively short height, Starks was, like his teammates Charles Oakley and Patrick Ewing, an apt defender on the 1990s defensive-minded New York Knicks, which employed a physical No Lay-Up Defense under head coach Pat Riley. Starks was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team once, in 1992-93.

Starks is mentioned by surname in A Tribe Called Quest's song "8 Million Stories" on Midnight Marauders and in Beastie Boys’ “Get It Together” off Ill Communications. [19]

Personal life

Starks' mother was one-quarter Muscogee.[20] On December 13, 1986, John Starks married his wife Jackie.[21] Their son John Jr. was born in 1987,[22] and they have two daughters, Chelsea and Tiara Starks.[3]

NBA career statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1988–89	Golden State	36	0	8.8	.408	.385	.654	1.1	.8	.6	.1	4.1
1990–91	New York	61	10	19.2	.439	.290	.752	2.1	3.3	1.0	.3	7.6
1991–92	New York	82	0	25.8	.449	.348	.778	2.3	3.4	1.3	.2	13.9
1992–93	New York	80	51	31.0	.428	.321	.795	2.6	5.1	1.1	.2	17.5
1993–94	New York	59	54	34.9	.420	.335	.754	3.1	5.9	1.6	.1	19.0
1994–95	New York	80	78	34.1	.395	.355	.737	2.7	5.1	1.2	.1	15.3
1995–96	New York	81	71	30.8	.443	.361	.753	2.9	3.9	1.3	.1	12.6
1996–97	New York	77	1	26.5	.431	.369	.769	2.7	2.8	1.2	.1	13.8
1997–98	New York	82	10	26.7	.393	.327	.787	2.8	2.7	1.0	.1	12.9
1998–99	Golden State	50	50	33.7	.370	.290	.740	3.3	4.7	1.4	.1	13.8
1999–00	Golden State	33	30	33.6	.378	.348	.833	2.8	5.2	1.1	.1	14.7
1999–00	Chicago	4	0	20.5	.324	.300	1.000	2.5	2.8	1.3	.3	7.5
2000–01	Utah	75	64	28.3	.398	.352	.802	2.1	2.4	1.0	.1	9.3
2001–02	Utah	66	1	14.1	.368	.305	.805	1.0	1.1	1.0	.0	4.4
Career		866	420	27.2	.412	.340	.769	2.5	3.6	1.1	.1	12.9
All-Star		1	0	20.0	.444	.333	-	3.0	3.0	1.0	0.0	9.0

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1991	New York	3	0	9.3	.400	-	1.000	1.0	2.0	.0	.0	2.0
1992	New York	12	0	24.6	.374	.239	.808	2.5	3.2	1.4	.0	12.1
1993	New York	15	15	38.3	.440	.373	.717	3.5	6.4	1.0	.2	16.5
1994	New York	25	18	33.6	.381	.356	.770	2.3	4.6	1.4	.1	14.6
1995	New York	11	11	34.5	.450	.411	.619	2.3	5.2	1.2	.1	15.6
1996	New York	8	8	39.3	.448	.467	.744	3.6	4.1	1.6	.1	16.0
1997	New York	9	1	28.1	.444	.317	.806	3.4	2.8	1.1	.0	14.0
1998	New York	10	2	31.4	.472	.424	.875	4.0	2.3	1.6	.1	16.4
2001	Utah	3	0	12.0	.333	.250	1.000	1.0	.3	.3	.3	3.7
Career		96	55	31.6	.421	.371	.759	2.8	4.1	1.3	.1	14.2

See also

• List of National Basketball Association career playoff 3-point scoring leaders
• List of National Basketball Association undrafted players
• Knicks–Heat rivalry
• Bulls–Knicks rivalry

Further reading

• Starks, John (2004), My Life, Sports Publishing LLC, ISBN 1-58261-802-XCS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

References

1. "NBA.com playerfile". Archived from the original on December 19, 2007. Retrieved July 28, 2011.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
2. "Thursday a big day for Central", Tulsa World, September 23, 2001.
3. "John Starks biography". NBA. Archived from the original on January 31, 2009.
4. Starks 2004, pp. 39–40
5. Starks 2004, pp. 41–42
6. Starks 2004, pp. 43–44
7. Starks 2004, pp. 46–49
8. Starks 2004, pp. 55–61
9. Rosenblatt, Roger (April 17, 1994). "Off the Bench, Out of Purgatory; John Starks" – via NYTimes.com.
10. Mike Wise, "Hard Way Is Starks's Way; Crowd Favorite Returning to the Garden", New York Times, December 7, 1999.
11. "Five Great Dunks". Inside Stuff. NBA. December 29, 2004. Archived from the original on December 31, 2004.
12. Boeck, Greg (June 17, 1994). "Knicks Motivated by Rangers' Title". USA Today. p. 09C.
13. Nancy Armour (February 20, 2000). "'Hated' Starks Now With the Bulls". AP News. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
14. Sam Smith (March 22, 2000). "Bulls wave bye-bye to Starks". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
15. Van Riper, Tom (September 28, 2010). "John Starks Pitching New Shoe". Forbes. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
16. Pesca, Mike (August 15, 2011). "Basketball Shoes May Reduce Ankle Injuries". All Things Considered. National Public Radio. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
17. "The 25 Greatest Knicks". www.espn.com. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
18. "New York Knicks Career Leaders". Basketball-Reference.com.
19. https://www.complex.com/sports/2011/12/the-beastie-boys-10-coolest-sports-references/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
20. Starks 2004, p. 28
21. Starks 2004, p. 58
22. Starks 2004, p. 70

External links

• John Starks player profile at the Wayback Machine (archived October 15, 2002) @ NBA.com
• John Starks Foundation
• John Starks makes a guest appearance on The NBA Breakdown
• John Starks on IMDb