Famous Like Me > Actor > S > John Starks
Profile of John Starks
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| Name: |
John Starks |
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| Date of Birth: |
10th August 1965 |
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| Place of Birth: |
Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA |
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| Profession: |
Actor |
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From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia
John Levell Starks (born August 10, 1965 in Tulsa, Oklahoma) is a 6'5" former basketball player who gained fame while playing at shooting guard for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association in the 1990s.
Starks played basketball for several small colleges before finishing his collegiate career at Oklahoma State University. Undrafted, John worked his way into the NBA after stints in the Continental Basketball Association and the World Basketball League. He was eventually signed by the Knicks and stayed there for eight seasons. He performed one the most famous plays of Knicks basketball in the 1993 playoffs series against the Chicago Bulls. Starks became trapped in the Bulls' defense, but split the defenders on a pick-and-roll play with center Patrick Ewing and dunked over stars Michael Jordan and Horace Grant. In that same series with the Bulls, John was known for doing a decent defensive job guarding Michael Jordan.
One of the lower points of Starks' career came in 1994 NBA Finals against the Houston Rockets. The Knicks had taken a 3-2 lead into Game 6, and in the last second, Starks had the chance to sink a three-point-shot which would have won the Series. However, Hakeem Olajuwon blocked that shot. In Game 7, Starks shot a miserable 2-for-18 from the field. This contributed to the Knicks' loss to the Rockets in the deciding seventh game. This spoiled what was to become the Knicks' closest shot at an NBA title in the 1990s, as the Knicks did not reach the Finals again until 1999, where they were defeated 4 games to 1 by the San Antonio Spurs.
With the addition of Allan Houston in 1996, Starks became a valuable mentor and gave way to him in the starting lineup. Still, Starks proved to be a valuable contributor off the bench. In 1997, he received the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award in recognition of his accomplishments as a bench player. Only two years later, Starks was involved in the Knicks' controversial makeover to get younger players, with the imminent retiring of longtime star Ewing. Starks was traded to the Golden State Warriors along with Chris Mills and Terry Cummings for superstar swingman Latrell Sprewell. The other move involved Charles Oakley being traded to the Toronto Raptors for young center Marcus Camby.
After Golden State, John played for the Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz before retiring in 2002. John currently works as an alumni and fan development official for the Knicks.
Starks was well-known for his fiery intensity and emotional displays while out on the court. His hot temper sometimes got the best of him, as seen when he "clotheslined" Scottie Pippen on a breakaway, head-butted Reggie Miller during a Knicks-Pacers game, and frequent outbursts of anger.
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