|
Orlando center John Amaechi is the thinking manšs basketball player. In fact, he's a thinking man who plays basketball. A member of the American Psychological Association, Amaechi plans to become a psychologist when he retires from the NBA.
Amaechi certainly did wonders for the mental health of Orlando head coach Doc Rivers this past summer, signing a one-year, $600,000 contract to stay with the Magic despite a much more lucrative offer from the Los Angeles Lakers. His choosing Disney World over Disneyland led many to question his sanity, but loyalty to the Magic was the deciding factor.
Amaechi, who didnšt touch a basketball until he was 17, signed with the Magic as a free agent prior to last season after three seasons in Europe. He made the most of his second go round in the NBA (hešd played with Cleveland during the 1995-96 season), starting 57 games, averaging 10.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists in only 21.1 minutes. Add in his shot blocking and free-throw shooting (76.6 percent), and itšs easy to see why Rivers abandoned the Michael Doleac experiment.
Born in Boston but raised in Manchester, England, where he holds summer basketball camps, Amaechi also can talk as good a game as he plays -- he was named to the 1999-2000 All-Interview Team.
-- Jon Cooper
|
Amaechi's talent won't sneak up on anyone this year. Allsport
