Latest news with #BigEightPlayeroftheYear
USA Today
28-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Lakers jersey history No. 1 — Anthony Peeler
Through the 2024-25 season, the Los Angeles Lakers have had a total of 506 players suit up for them, going back to their days in Minneapolis. Some were forgettable, some were serviceable, some were good and a select few were flat-out legendary. As the Lakers approach their 80th season of existence (they were founded back in 1946 as the Detroit Gems in the National Basketball League), LeBron Wire is taking a look at each player who has worn their jersey, whether it has been a purple and gold one or the ones they donned back in the Midwest during their early years. We now take a look at Anthony Peeler, a guard who played for the Lakers during the 1990s. In 1992, the Lakers were in a depressing and daunting situation. Magic Johnson retired in November 1991 after testing positive for HIV, and while he tried to make a comeback during the 1992 preseason, he quickly changed his mind after multiple players around the league expressed fear about competing against an HIV-positive player. Therefore, the franchise was forced to start a rebuilding project. It needed to start collecting young, viable talent, and with the No. 15 pick in the 1992 NBA Draft, it took University of Missouri guard Anthony Peeler. Peeler was a stellar player in college and had been named the Big Eight Player of the Year in 1992 with an average of 23.4 points a game, but there were questions about his character, as he had been involved in multiple incidents with ex-lovers. With L.A., he quickly started to show promise, averaging 10.4 points a game as a rookie and 14.1 points a game the following year. By the 1994-95 season, Peeler was part of a promising young core that took the team to the second round of the playoffs. But his tenure with the team ended in the summer of 1996 when he was traded along with forward George Lynch to the Vancouver Grizzlies as a salary dump move. The trade cleared enough money for the Lakers to sign Shaquille O'Neal as a free agent that offseason, and O'Neal, along with Kobe Bryant, whom they acquired the draft rights to that summer, would lead the organization into its next era of success. Peeler would spend nine more seasons in the NBA with four different teams. His greatest strength was his 3-point shooting — he led the league with a 48.2% 3-point shooting percentage during the 2003-04 season, and he ended his career with a 38.4% accuracy from that distance.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bill Self Sends Strong Message on New Assistant Coach at Kansas
Bill Self Sends Strong Message on New Assistant Coach at Kansas originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Kansas Jayhawks are three years removed from winning the men's NCAA championship, but they haven't had much success since, and they're looking to return to prominence. Advertisement This spring, they lost several players to the transfer portal, and they gained forward Tre White from Illinois and guard Jayden Dawson from Loyola Chicago. They will also have a new assistant coach in Jacque Vaughn, a former NBA player who spent four seasons at Kansas in the mid-1990s. He has extensive experience as an NBA coach, most recently with the Brooklyn Nets. Head coach Bill Self seemed happy with the addition of Vaughn during a recent press conference. "He brings something to us that's different than what we've ever had before," Self said. As a player at Kansas, Vaughn, a 6-foot-1 guard, averaged 9.6 points and 6.4 assists a game and shot 45.9% from the field and 38.3% from 3-point range. He was named the Big Eight Player of the Year during the 1995-96 season when he was a junior. Advertisement He had a 12-year playing career in the NBA, first with the Utah Jazz in the 1997-98 campaign after they made him the No. 27 pick in the 1997 draft. He eventually made his way to the San Antonio Spurs, where he won an NBA championship in 2007 alongside Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. After a couple of years as a Spurs assistant coach under Gregg Popovich, he became the head coach of the Orlando Magic in 2012. He had two separate stints as the Brooklyn Nets' head coach, and his second stint there ended when he was fired in February 2024. Brooklyn Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn watches from the sideline at they take on the Boston Celtics at TD Butler II-Imagn Images Vaughn will be replacing the retired Norm Roberts and will look to guide the Jayhawks past the second round of the men's NCAA Tournament for the first time since they won it all in 2022. Advertisement This past season, they lost in the first round to Arkansas by seven points. Related: Top College Basketball Recruit Sends Strong Message After Visit With Duke This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
