B. J. Armstrong
Personal information | |||||||||||||||
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Born | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | September 9, 1967||||||||||||||
Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||||
Listed weight | 185 lb (84 kg) | ||||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||||
High school | Brother Rice (Bloomfield Hills, Michigan) | ||||||||||||||
College | Iowa (1985–1989) | ||||||||||||||
NBA draft | 1989: 1st round, 18th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
Selected by the Chicago Bulls | |||||||||||||||
Playing career | 1989–2000 | ||||||||||||||
Position | Point guard | ||||||||||||||
Number | 10, 11, 2 | ||||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||||
1989–1995 | Chicago Bulls | ||||||||||||||
1995–1997 | Golden State Warriors | ||||||||||||||
1997–1999 | Charlotte Hornets | ||||||||||||||
1999 | Orlando Magic | ||||||||||||||
1999–2000 | Chicago Bulls | ||||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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Career NBA statistics | |||||||||||||||
Points | 7,320 (9.8 ppg) | ||||||||||||||
Rebounds | 1,321 (1.8 rpg) | ||||||||||||||
Assists | 2,479 (3.3 apg) | ||||||||||||||
Stats at NBA.com | |||||||||||||||
Stats at Basketball Reference | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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Benjamin Roy Armstrong Jr. (born September 9, 1967) is an American former professional basketball player. Armstrong won three National Basketball Association (NBA) championships during his career as a point guard for the Chicago Bulls.
Early life
[edit]Armstrong was born in Detroit, Michigan, and attended Brother Rice High School in Bloomfield Township, Michigan. He graduated in 1985.
Playing career
[edit]College career
[edit]Armstrong had an illustrious career at the University of Iowa as the Hawkeyes' all-time leader in assists with 517 upon graduation; and is currently ranked sixth all-time. He also ranked sixth on the school's all-time steals list (178) and fourth in total points (1,705). The 6-foot-2 guard shot .443 (136-of-307) from three-point range over his four-year career and averaged 18.6 points and 5.4 assists as a senior. Armstrong received his bachelor's degree from Iowa in May 1989.
National Basketball Association
[edit]Chicago Bulls
[edit]Selected by the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the 1989 NBA draft,[1] the 6'2" (1.88 m) Armstrong helped the team return to the Eastern Conference Finals after compiling 55 regular season victories in 1990.[2]
In 1991, he helped them win their first NBA title against the Los Angeles Lakers after winning 61 games. In 1992, Armstrong averaged double-digit scoring while coming off the bench behind longtime starter John Paxson to help the Bulls win 67 games and their second straight title. In 1993, he locked down the starting job, contributing to a 57–25 record and the Bulls' third straight title. He also claimed the NBA's three-point field goal percentage crown with a mark of .453 on 63-for-139 shooting.[3]
In 1994, he emerged as more of a leader in the wake of Michael Jordan's abrupt retirement, placing third on the team in scoring. He was voted a starter in the 1994 NBA All-Star Game, finished second in the NBA in three-point field goal percentage at .444 while leading the team to a 55–27 record and a second-round exit from the playoffs.
Armstrong finished third in scoring again in 1995 as the Bulls posted a 47–35 record, and with Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Toni Kukoč, led the team to the second round again.
Golden State Warriors
[edit]Armstrong was the first player chosen in the 1995 NBA Expansion Draft (via Toronto Raptors) but refused to report. He was traded by the Raptors to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Carlos Rogers and 4 other players and played for the Warriors in 1996 and in 1997.
Charlotte Hornets
[edit]Four games into the 1997–98 season, Armstrong was acquired by the Charlotte Hornets for Tony Delk and Muggsy Bogues, playing 62 games that year. He also played 10 games for the Hornets in the 1999 season before being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, alongside J.R. Reid and Glen Rice, for Elden Campbell and Eddie Jones. The Lakers immediately waived Armstrong, and he signed by the Orlando Magic in March of that year.
Orlando Magic
[edit]Armstrong was signed by the Orlando Magic in March of the 1998–99 NBA season.
Return to Chicago
[edit]On August 30, 1999, he was again signed by the Bulls and played the 1999–2000 season and retired at the end of the season, ending his career with the team that drafted him and with which he spent much of his playing career.
Later endeavors
[edit]Armstrong stepped into Chicago's front office as a special assistant to Vice President of Basketball Operations Jerry Krause. Having replaced Paxson as the Bulls' starting point guard years before, Armstrong was himself replaced by Paxson as hire to the GM job in Chicago when Krause resigned in 2003. Armstrong remained with the organization as a scout for a couple of seasons, leaving in 2005.[4]
Armstrong served as a basketball analyst for ESPN's NBA Fast Break series. Since 2006 he has also been employed by Wasserman Media Group, a sports marketing and representation group out of Los Angeles, California representing professional athletes and entertainers.[5] He currently serves as an agent for Derrick Rose, who was the first player selected in the 2008 NBA draft. He also serves as an agent for Bismack Biyombo, Emmanuel Mudiay, Donatas Motiejūnas, JaVale McGee,[6] Denzel Valentine, and Josh Jackson.
NBA career statistics
[edit]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 | * | Led the league |
Regular season
[edit]Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1989–90 | Chicago | 81 | 0 | 15.9 | .485 | .500 | .885 | 1.3 | 2.5 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 5.6 |
1990–91† | Chicago | 82 | 0 | 21.1 | .481 | .500 | .874 | 1.8 | 3.7 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 8.8 |
1991–92† | Chicago | 82 | 3 | 22.9 | .481 | .402 | .806 | 1.8 | 3.2 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 9.9 |
1992–93† | Chicago | 82 | 74 | 30.4 | .499 | .453* | .861 | 1.8 | 4.0 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 12.3 |
1993–94 | Chicago | 82* | 82* | 33.8 | .476 | .444 | .855 | 2.1 | 3.9 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 14.8 |
1994–95 | Chicago | 82* | 82* | 31.4 | .468 | .427 | .884 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 14.0 |
1995–96 | Golden State | 82 | 64 | 27.6 | .468 | .473 | .839 | 2.2 | 4.9 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 12.3 |
1996–97 | Golden State | 49 | 17 | 20.8 | .453 | .278 | .861 | 1.5 | 2.6 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 7.9 |
1997–98 | Golden State | 4 | 0 | 14.8 | .316 | .000 | .714 | 1.8 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 4.3 |
1997–98 | Charlotte | 62 | 0 | 12.5 | .510 | .265 | .860 | 1.1 | 2.3 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 3.9 |
1998–99 | Charlotte | 10 | 1 | 17.8 | .488 | .750 | .900 | 1.6 | 2.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 5.7 |
1998–99 | Orlando | 22 | 0 | 8.2 | .422 | .143 | .818 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 2.2 |
1999–00 | Chicago | 27 | 18 | 21.6 | .446 | .448 | .880 | 1.7 | 2.9 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 7.4 |
Career | 747 | 341 | 23.8 | .477 | .425 | .856 | 1.8 | 3.3 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 9.8 | |
All-Star | 1 | 1 | 22.0 | .556 | .500 | – | 1.0 | 4.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 11.0 |
Playoffs
[edit]Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1990 | Chicago | 16 | 0 | 13.6 | .339 | .000 | .917 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 4.0 |
1991† | Chicago | 17 | 0 | 16.1 | .500 | .600 | .800 | 1.6 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 5.5 |
1992† | Chicago | 22 | 0 | 19.7 | .453 | .294 | .789 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 7.3 |
1993† | Chicago | 19 | 19 | 33.8 | .524 | .512 | .909 | 1.5 | 3.3 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 11.4 |
1994 | Chicago | 10 | 10 | 36.0 | .519 | .583 | .818 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 15.3 |
1995 | Chicago | 10 | 10 | 28.8 | .456 | .448 | .818 | 1.8 | 2.7 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 10.3 |
1998 | Charlotte | 9 | 0 | 16.2 | .381 | .400 | .750 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 4.1 |
1999 | Orlando | 2 | 0 | 1.5 | .000 | – | – | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Career | 105 | 39 | 22.5 | .471 | .451 | .832 | 1.4 | 2.4 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 7.9 |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ CHICAGO BULLS: Transaction History
- ^ NBA.com – Chicago Bulls History
- ^ B.J. ARMSTRONG – NBA.COM PLAYER BIO Archived March 12, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Armstrong leaves Bulls". The State. Associated Press. May 12, 2005. p. C5. Retrieved May 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Nadkarni, Rohan (November 20, 2020). "B.J. Armstrong Draws on His Career to Help Young Players Navigate the NBA". SI. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
- ^ "Shaq drops his Twitter feud with JaVale McGee on orders from the top". February 27, 2017.
External links
[edit]- Career statistics databasebasketball.com
- NBA Profile NBA.com
- Catholic High School Hall of Fame Info aodonline.org
- Interview with B. J. Armstrong SportsAgentBlog.com
- 1967 births
- 20th-century American sportsmen
- 20th-century African-American sportsmen
- 21st-century American sportsmen
- 21st-century African-American sportsmen
- American men's basketball players
- American sports agents
- Basketball players from Detroit
- Brother Rice High School (Michigan) alumni
- Charlotte Hornets players
- Chicago Bulls draft picks
- Chicago Bulls players
- Golden State Warriors players
- Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball players
- Living people
- Medalists at the 1987 Summer Universiade
- NBA All-Stars
- NBA championship–winning players
- Orlando Magic players
- Point guards
- Toronto Raptors expansion draft picks
- Summer World University Games medalists in basketball
- FISU World University Games silver medalists for the United States