Being able to play college basketball at a Division I school such as the University of Memphis would be the pinnacle for most of the best basketball players in the country.
However, for the few who are fortunate enough with the required talent and work ethic, there is another goal to be reached – the NBA.
Currently, there are seven former Tigers in the NBA. Five played at the U of M under former coach John Calipari, and two played for current coach Josh Pastner.
The most notable former Tiger in the NBA is none other than Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose. Though he only played one season for the Tigers, Rose made sure it was unforgettable one, helping the Tigers to a 38-2 record and an appearance in the 2008 NCAA Championship Game, which the Tigers lost to the Kansas Jayhawks in overtime.
After the 2008 season, Rose was drafted first overall in the 2008 NBA Draft by his hometown team, the Chicago Bulls. The following season, Rose won the NBA Rookie of the Year and helped the Bulls push the defending champion Boston Celtics to a seven game series, which was arguably the best first-round playoff series of all-time with four of the seven games went to at least one overtime.
Rose and the Bulls continued to build on that momentum as two years later he helped lead the Bulls to best record in the NBA at 62-20 and was named the league’s MVP for the 2010-11 season. The Bulls reached the Eastern Conference Finals that year, but lost to LeBron James and the Miami Heat 4-1.
Though the Bulls notched the best record in the NBA again in the 2011-12 season, Rose suffered a torn ACL in the fourth quarter of game one in a first round series against the Philadelphia 76ers. Consequently, Rose missed the rest of the playoffs and the entire 2012-13 season to rehab his knee.
Last season, Rose made his comeback and struggled to return to form, but injuries struck again as he suffered another season-ending injury just 10 games into the season, tearing the meniscus in his right knee.
Finally healthy, Rose and the Bulls hope to recapture their success from 2011.
Rose’s replacement at Memphis is current New Orleans Pelicans guard/forward Tyreke Evans. Evans replaced Rose about as well as a replacement could and helped the Tigers reach the Sweet 16 before falling to the Missouri Tigers in the 2009 season. The Tigers have not been that deep into the tournament since.
Evans was drafted number four overall by the Sacramento Kings in the 2009 NBA Draft and followed it up with one of the best statistical rookie seasons ever. Evans averaged 20 points, five rebounds and five assists and was named the 2010 NBA Rookie of the Year. Evans and Rose helped Memphis become only the second school to have had back-to-back players named NBA Rookie of the Year.
However, Evans’ career has stunted since his rookie year, perhaps due to several coaching and position changes.
Eventually, Evans and the Kings parted ways and he was traded to the Pelicans in a multi-player deal before the 2013-14 season. Even in a new situation, Evans failed to replicate his rookie form and will hope the 2014-15 season will give him another chance to prove his critics wrong.
Speaking of showing their game, one Memphis Tiger legend has found his way back to the NBA after a stint overseas and the NBA D-League – guard Chris Douglas Roberts. CDR was also apart of that 2008 Memphis Tigers team along with Rose.
However, his NBA stock was not nearly as high as his backcourt teammate, falling to 40th overall in the second round of the 2008 NBA Draft to the now Brooklyn Nets. Though he didn’t get much playing time in his first season, CDR averaged nearly 10 points a game in the 2009-10 for the Nets although the team finished just 12-70 that season.
CDR was then traded to the Milwaukee Bucks and played one season for them before bouncing around overseas and around the D-League.
Last season, CDR signed with the now Charlotte Hornets in December 2013 and helped the Hornets to their second playoff appearance ever off the bench. That helped CDR get a new team for this season in the Los Angeles Clippers, where he will be looking to get some minutes in a backup capacity for one of the best teams in the league.
Staying out west, two former Tigers are now backup centers for the Houston Rockets. Tarik Black and Joey Dorsey have each had unique routes of getting to Houston.
Black, who played for the Tigers for three seasons, transferred to join the Kansas Jayhawks last season. Despite not playing as well as he would have hoped for the Jayhawks, Black signed a summer-league deal with the Rockets and made their final 15-man roster.
Black, a Memphis native, is averaging 14.7 minutes per game for the Rockets this season.
Dorsey, much like former teammate CDR, has bounced around the world. Originally drafted 33rd overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2008 NBA Draft, he was traded to the Rockets on draft night for Nicolas Batum. Dorsey struggled to get minutes in Houston, appearing in only 10 games in two seasons.
After playing for the Kings and Raptors briefly, Dorsey headed to Europe where he split time between the Spanish and Greek leagues.
Dorsey impressed international scouts with his plays overseas, and the Rockets brought him back into the organization in July.
Another former Tiger playing a role on a Western Conference playoff team is Will Barton. Barton was drafted 40th overall in the 2012 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. He has since played the backup guard role for the Blazers and been featured off their bench as the Blazers won their first playoff series since 2000 last season against the Rockets.
Several other Tigers have bounced around the NBA. The Blazers selected Elliot Williams in the first round in 2010, but injuries have hampered the Memphis native throughout his career. Williams was waived by the 76ers in October, and has yet to find a new home.
DJ Stephens and Adonis Thomas signed short-term contracts a season ago, appearing for the Bucks and 76ers, respectively.
Chris Crawford, Geron Johnson and Joe Johnson were all recently cut by the Cavaliers, Rockets and Suns, respectively. All went undrafted.
Overall, 50 Tigers have been drafted into the NBA and four have signed free agents. Thirteen of those have been first round picks, including eight in the top ten.