Tayshaun Prince

Tayshaun Durell Prince (born February 28, 1980) is an American professional basketball executive and former player. The 6-foot-9-inch (2.06 m) small forward graduated from Dominguez High School before playing college basketball for the University of Kentucky. He was drafted 23rd overall by the Detroit Pistons in the 2002 NBA draft and went on to win a championship with the team in 2004.

"Tayshaun" redirects here. For the American football player, see Tashaun Gipson.

Tayshaun Prince

Prince with the Detroit Pistons in 2008
Memphis Grizzlies
Position	Vice President of Basketball Affairs
League	NBA
Personal information
Born	(1980-02-28) February 28, 1980 Compton, California
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight	212 lb (96 kg)
Career information
High school	Dominguez (Compton, California)
College	Kentucky (1998–2002)
NBA draft	2002 / Round: 1 / Pick: 23rd overall
Selected by the Detroit Pistons
Playing career	2002–2016
Position	Small forward
Number	22, 21, 12
Career history
2002–2013	Detroit Pistons
2013–2015	Memphis Grizzlies
2015	Boston Celtics
2015	Detroit Pistons
2015–2016	Minnesota Timberwolves
Career highlights and awards
NBA champion (2004) 4× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2005–2008) Consensus second-team All-American (2001) Second-team All-American – NABC (2002) Third-team All-American – AP (2002) SEC Player of the Year (2001) Second-team Parade All-American (1998) California Mr. Basketball (1998)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals Men's basketball Representing  United States Olympic Games 2008 Beijing National Team FIBA Americas Championship 2007 Las Vegas National Team

College career

Prince played four seasons (1998 to 2002) for the University of Kentucky Wildcats, averaging 13.2 points and 5.7 rebounds[1] as the Wildcats posted a 97–39 record[2] and advanced to the NCAA Tournament each year. Prince won SEC Player of the Year in his junior season (2000–2001)[3]—also leading the SEC in free throw percentage (84.3%)[4]—and was named to the Associated Press All-SEC Teams in both his junior and senior years.[5] Kentucky won the SEC Tournament in 1999 and 2001, and Prince was awarded the 2001 tournament's Most Valuable Player award.[5] He was a three-time team MVP with the Wildcats.

Notable individual performances included a 31-point, 11-rebound, four-assist, and four-steal effort in a 79–59 victory over North Carolina. In scoring Kentucky's first fifteen points, Prince made five consecutive three-point shots. Kentucky shooting guard Keith Bogans compared Prince's performance to "the Chicago Bulls' Michael Jordan blistering Portland in the 1992 NBA Finals."[6] In an 87–82 victory over Tulsa during the 2002 NCAA Tournament, Prince scored a career-high 41 points (along with nine rebounds, four assists and three blocks) to lead Kentucky to the Sweet 16.[7] He graduated from Kentucky in 2002 with a degree in sociology.[8]

College statistics

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1998–99	Kentucky	37	11	20.2	.414	.287	.656	3.8	1.2	.7	.6	5.8
1999–00	Kentucky	32	32	34.0	.423	.307	.705	6.0	1.8	.8	1.3	13.3
2000–01	Kentucky	34	34	32.9	.495	.358	.843	6.5	2.9	.7	1.1	16.9
2001–02	Kentucky	32	32	33.3	.467	.340	.703	6.3	1.6	1.1	1.3	17.5
Career		135	109	29.7	.457	.329	.743	5.6	1.9	.8	1.1	13.1

College Awards & Honors

• SEC Player of the Year (2001)
• Consensus second team All-American (2001)
• NABC All-American Second Team (2002)
• AP All-American Third Team (2002)
• First Team All-SEC (2001, 2002)
• SEC Tournament MVP (2001)
• SEC All-Tournament Team (2001)

NBA career

Detroit Pistons (2002–2013)

Rookie year

In his rookie season under head coach Rick Carlisle, Prince was not a member of the team's playing rotation and appeared in just 42 of 82 regular-season games. However, in the first round of the 2003 NBA playoffs, Detroit trailed the Orlando Magic three games to one, forcing Carlisle to experiment with a different rotation. Prince was inserted into the lineup and received heavy minutes. He then became the only player in NBA history to score more points in the playoffs than in the regular season (137 in the season, 141 in the playoffs).

The Pistons rallied to win the series, and Prince had a breakout performance during the decisive seventh game, scoring 20 points in 24 minutes.[9] In the second round against the Philadelphia 76ers, Prince continued to see action and made several memorable plays, including a turnaround hook shot during the final seconds of Game 2, forcing an overtime period that the Pistons went on to win.[9]

2003–04 season

After the Pistons were swept by the New Jersey Nets in the Eastern Conference Finals, Carlisle was fired and former Sixers coach Larry Brown took over as head coach. Under Brown, Prince became the Pistons' starting small forward and increased his scoring average to 10.3 points per game, up from 3.3 as a rookie.[9] In that 2003–04 season, Prince was also selected to play for the Sophomores (second-year players) in the NBA Rookie Challenge.

'The Block'

In Game 2 of the 2004 Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers, Prince made a memorable defensive play.[9] In the final minute of the game, Pacers star shooting guard Reggie Miller took an outlet pass after an Indiana steal and sprinted up the right sideline for a seemingly uncontested basket that would have tied the score. Prince pursued from the left sideline. Miller, presumably thinking that Prince could not catch him, attempted a layup. At the last possible moment, Prince soared in from the other side of the basket and swatted the ball away; the ball landed in bounds and was scooped up by Pistons teammate Richard Hamilton, effectively ending the game. The Pistons went on to win the series and, eventually, the NBA championship. When the Pistons defeated the Los Angeles Lakers four games to one in the NBA Finals, Prince's tough defense on Lakers guard Kobe Bryant was credited as a key factor in the Pistons' victory, holding Bryant to only 11 points in an 88–68 win in Game 3 of the 2004 NBA Finals.

2004–05 season

Prince continued to show improvement in the 2004–05 season, setting career highs in scoring (14.7 points per game), rebounding (5.3 per game), assists (3.0) and blocks (0.9).[9] He was selected for the NBA's NBA All-Defensive Second Team[9] and was a candidate for the NBA Most Improved Player Award, where he came in third[9] behind winner Bobby Simmons of the Los Angeles Clippers and Primož Brezec of the Charlotte Bobcats. Although he and the Pistons made it back to the NBA Finals in 2005, they lost to the San Antonio Spurs in seven games.

Prince's play was rewarded by the Pistons with a five-year contract extension worth $49 million on October 31, 2005.[10]

2005–06 season

In the 2005–06 season, Prince played in all 82 regular season games, averaging 14.1 points and 4.2 rebounds a game.[11] In the playoffs, the Pistons were eliminated by the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals in six games, following the controversial decision by Flip Saunders to sit Ben Wallace in game 6 entire fourth quarter.[12] In Game 5 of that series, he scored a playoff career-high 29 points to go along with 7 rebounds in a 91-78 win.[13]

2006–07 season

In the 2006–07 season, Prince returned similar statistics to his 2004–05 campaign: 14.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game.[11] In the playoffs the Pistons were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals by the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games as his point average are 14.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game as his struggle to defend LeBron James.

2007–08 season

Prince with the Pistons in April 2008

In the 2007–08 season, Prince played and started in all 82 regular season games, averaging 13.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game.[14] In the playoffs, Prince averaged 13.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists, but the Pistons were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals by the Boston Celtics in game six as Prince's poor game play in game 6 along with Rasheed Wallace contributed the downfall of the team's demise.[14]

2008–09 season

Prince started the season off strong while averaging nearly 16 points and seven rebounds a game.[15] As the season started to progress Prince's production started to slump and by the end of the season he averaged 14.2 points and 5.8 rebounds.[14] Although his points per game average dropped, he averaged a career high in rebounds per game. Prince's effort helped push the Pistons to the playoffs as they gained the 8th seed with 39 wins.[16] Although the Pistons made the playoffs, they were seeded against the top-seed Cleveland Cavaliers.[17] The Cavaliers swept the Pistons in four games, and Prince's production from the season dropped drastically, as he averaged only 3.8 points and 3.5 rebounds.[18]

Memphis Grizzlies (2013–2015)

Prince with the Grizzlies

On January 30, 2013, Prince and Austin Daye were traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in a three-team trade which sent Rudy Gay and Hamed Haddadi to the Toronto Raptors and José Calderón to the Pistons. The Grizzlies also received Ed Davis.[19] Though Rudy Gay had been the longtime starting small forward in Memphis, Prince appeared to be a better fit with the team, as his style of play complemented the team's "Grit-N-Grind" mantra.[20][21] The Grizzlies finished with their best record in franchise history at 56–26, and their first-ever appearance in the Western Conference Finals.

Despite an injury sustained in pre-season, Prince still managed to start and play 76 games in 2013–14, averaging 6.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game—the second-lowest stat line of his career behind his rookie season. His 29% from the three-point line was also a career low.[22]

Boston Celtics (2015)

On January 12, 2015, Prince was traded to the Boston Celtics in a three-team deal involving the Grizzlies and the New Orleans Pelicans.[23] On January 26, he made his debut for the Celtics, and in 30 minutes of action off the bench, he recorded 19 points and 5 assists to lead the Celtics to a 99–90 win over the Utah Jazz.[24]

Return to Detroit (2015)

On February 19, 2015, Prince was traded by the Celtics back to the Pistons in exchange for Luigi Datome and Jonas Jerebko.[25]

Minnesota Timberwolves (2015–2016)

On August 20, 2015, Prince signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves.[26] He made his debut for the Timberwolves in the team's season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers on October 28, recording 2 points and 2 rebounds in a 112–111 win.[27]

National team career

On August 20, 2007, Prince was selected to be a part of Team USA that competed at the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship, a qualifying tournament for the Beijing Olympics.[28] With his defensive poise, he contributed in the USA's unbeaten record at the tournament held in Las Vegas, Nevada and earned a spot at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

On June 23, 2008, Prince was selected for the Olympic squad along with eleven others in the hope of fulfilling the ambition of winning their first gold medal since the 2000 Summer Olympics.[29] Team USA went on to do exactly that, going unbeaten in the tournament with Prince coming off the bench and defeating 2006 World Champion Spain in the final, living up to their "Redeem Team" moniker.[30]

Executive career

On August 15, 2017, Prince joined the Memphis Grizzlies as special assistant to general manager.[31] On April 27, 2019, the Grizzles promoted him to Vice President of Basketball Affairs.[32]

Honors and achievements

• 2004 NBA champion
• 2005–2008 NBA All-Defensive Second Team
• Gold medal with U.S. national team at 2007 FIBA Americas Championship and 2008 Summer Olympics

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
†	Won an NBA championship

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2002–03	Detroit	42	5	10.4	.449	.426	.647	1.1	.6	.2	.3	3.3
2003–04†	Detroit	82	80	32.9	.467	.363	.766	4.8	2.3	.8	.8	10.3
2004–05	Detroit	82	82	37.1	.487	.341	.807	5.3	3.0	.7	.9	14.7
2005–06	Detroit	82	82	35.3	.455	.350	.765	4.2	2.3	.8	.5	14.1
2006–07	Detroit	82	82	36.6	.460	.386	.768	5.2	2.8	.6	.7	14.3
2007–08	Detroit	82	82	32.9	.448	.363	.768	4.9	3.3	.5	.4	13.2
2008–09	Detroit	82	82	37.3	.450	.397	.778	5.8	3.1	.5	.6	14.2
2009–10	Detroit	49	49	34.0	.486	.370	.714	5.1	3.3	.7	.4	13.5
2010–11	Detroit	78	78	32.8	.473	.347	.702	4.2	2.8	.4	.5	14.1
2011–12	Detroit	63	63	33.1	.421	.356	.774	4.5	2.4	.4	.5	12.7
2012–13	Detroit	45	45	32.4	.444	.434	.796	4.6	2.5	.5	.3	11.7
2012–13	Memphis	37	36	31.7	.429	.366	.595	4.2	2.3	.7	.3	8.8
2013–14	Memphis	76	76	25.6	.407	.290	.567	3.1	1.6	.5	.3	6.0
2014–15	Memphis	26	9	24.2	.410	.455	.833	3.2	1.4	.3	.2	7.3
2014–15	Boston	9	0	22.0	.559	.625	.833	3.3	2.0	.6	.2	8.4
2014–15	Detroit	23	7	24.8	.431	.423	.660	4.2	1.7	.7	.3	7.3
2015–16	Minnesota	77	44	19.0	.445	.174	.684	1.9	1.0	.5	.2	2.9
Career		1,017	902	31.0	.455	.367	.756	4.3	2.4	.6	.5	11.1

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2003	Detroit	15	3	25.5	.426	.292	.763	3.8	1.5	.5	.9	9.4
2004†	Detroit	23	23	34.6	.410	.265	.745	6.0	2.3	1.1	1.3	9.9
2005	Detroit	25	25	40.9	.433	.367	.800	6.3	3.3	1.0	.4	13.4
2006	Detroit	18	18	41.4	.459	.457	.829	5.7	3.0	.7	.8	16.4
2007	Detroit	16	16	41.6	.415	.409	.759	6.4	3.8	.9	.3	14.1
2008	Detroit	17	17	39.5	.481	.320	.794	5.5	3.2	.8	.5	13.8
2009	Detroit	4	4	32.3	.259	.200	.000	3.5	1.3	.3	.0	3.8
2013	Memphis	15	15	30.3	.355	.263	.609	3.8	1.9	.5	.3	7.0
2014	Memphis	7	6	16.1	.385	.250	.000	1.4	.9	.1	.0	3.0
Career		140	127	35.6	.427	.343	.774	5.2	2.6	.8	.6	11.4

See also

•  Sports portal

References

1. Tayshaun Prince Past Stats, Playoff Stats, Statistics, History, and Awards Archived February 5, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Databasebasketball.com. Retrieved February 18, 2007.
2. Layout 1 Archived August 26, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
3. "SEC coaches tab Kentucky guard player of year". CNN.
4. http://www.secsports.com/doc_lib/bkc_through_the_years.pdf
5. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 21, 2007. Retrieved November 9, 2006.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
6. Scout.com: Prince reigns as Cats crush Carolina Archived November 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
7. Scout.com: Prince reigns as Kentucky tops Tulsa Archived November 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
8. "Tayshaun Prince bio". NBA. Archived from the original on December 1, 2010. Retrieved January 11, 2011.
9. Tayshaun Prince Info Page - Bio Archived December 1, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, NBA.com. Retrieved February 18, 2007.
10. Tony Mejia, "Prince the Pistons' All-Star non-All-Star", CBS sports, February 15, 2006.
11. Tayshaun Prince Info Page - Career Stats and Totals Archived February 16, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, NBA.com. Retrieved February 18, 2007.
12. "Sheridan: Ben Ben flips script on Saunders". October 5, 2006. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
13. "Miami Heat at Detroit Pistons Box Score, May 31, 2006". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
14. NBA.com : Tayshaun Prince Info Page
15. NBA.com : Tayshaun Prince Bio Page Archived December 1, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
16. NBA.com - 2009-2010 Conference Regular Season Standings
17. NBA.com: PLAYOFFS 2009
18. NBA.com : Tayshaun Prince Info Page
19. "Grizzlies acquire Tayshaun Prince, Austin Daye, Ed Davis and 2013 second round draft pick in three-team deal". NBA.com. January 30, 2013. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
20. Rudy Gay trade analysis: Why Memphis made out like bandits
21. The Memphis Grizzlies' Rudy Gay Trade Revisited, a GBB Retrospective
22. Tayshaun Price NBA & ABA Stats
23. Boston Celtics Complete Three-Team Trade
24. Prince helps Celtics edge Jazz 99–90
25. "Detroit Pistons Acquire Tayshaun Prince From Boston". NBA.com. February 19, 2015. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
26. "Timberwolves Sign Tayshaun Prince". NBA.com. August 20, 2015. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
27. "Wolves edge Lakers 112-111 in first game since Flip's death". NBA.com. October 28, 2015. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
28. USA Men's Team Announced For FIBA Americas Championship Archived January 13, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
29. USA Basketball Announces 12-Member 2008 Men's Senior National Team
30. US hoops back on top, beats Spain for gold medal
31. Tillery, Ronald (August 15, 2017). "Grizzlies hiring Tayshaun Prince for front office job". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
32. "Memphis Grizzlies promote Tayshaun Prince to Vice President of Basketball Affairs". Memphis Grizzles. Retrieved April 29, 2019.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from NBA.com, or Basketball-Reference.com
• Kentucky bio
• Kentucky stats at BigBlueHistory.net