Antonio Davis

Antonio Lee Davis (born October 31, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls, and New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

He also played for Panathinaikos B.C. in Greece and Philips Milano in Italy.

Davis is also the former president of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA).

Davis played college basketball at UTEP under coach Don Haskins from 1986 to 1990.

Teaming up with fellow future NBA-All star Tim Hardaway, Davis helped the Miners win 25 games and earn the seventh seed in the 1987 NCAA tournament as they defeated the number ten seed Arizona in overtime by a score of 98–91; they would, however, lose in the second round to Iowa by a score of 84–82.

The next year, Davis started 30 games and averaged nearly 10 points with 6 rebounds as the Miners won 23 games and again advanced to the tournament, only to lose to number nine seed Seton Hall by a score of 80–64.

As a junior, Davis averaged 14 points (second to Hardaway) with 8 rebounds a game as the Miners won 26 games and again gained the seventh seed, in the 1989 NCAA tournament, where they defeated number 10 seed LSU by a score of 85–74, only to lose in the second round to second-seeded Indiana by a score of 92–69.

In Davis' senior year, (despite the departure of Hardaway to the NBA) the Miners still won 21 games, with Davis averaging 10 points and 7 rebounds a game; they would lose to the number six seed coming out of the tournament that year, Minnesota.

After four seasons at UTEP, Davis declared for the 1990 NBA draft.

Davis was drafted by the Indiana Pacers in the second round, 45th overall of the 1990 NBA draft.

He initially went on to play with professional teams in Europe, rather than play in the NBA.

He played with Panathinaikos in the Greek League from 1990 to 1992, and with Philips Milano of the Italian League, during the 1992–93 season.

Davis also played in Europe's 3rd-tier level league, the FIBA Korać Cup, with both teams and while he was with Milano, he won the Korać Cup championship in the 1992–93 season.

In 1993, Davis returned to the United States to play in the NBA for the 1993–94 season when he signed with the Indiana Pacers as a free agent.

As a rookie off the bench, Davis played in 81 games and helped the Pacers to the playoffs where they swept the Orlando Magic in three straight games then upset the top-seeded Atlanta Hawks in six games in the first two rounds en route to facing the Patrick Ewing-led New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Pacers dropped the first two games in New York before rebounding to take the next two in Indiana; in game five in New York teammate Reggie Miller scored 25 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Pacers to the victory.

The Pacers then returned to Indianapolis with the chance to clinch the Eastern Conference title but lost both game six and the series.

The next year the Pacers won 52 games and the Central Division title thanks to the addition of Mark Jackson; Davis meanwhile played in 44 games averaging 7.6 points a game with 6.4 rebounds a game as he missed significant time due to injury.

In the playoffs the Pacers faced the Atlanta Hawks for the second consecutive season.

The Pacers swept the Hawks in three straight games, then found themselves in a rematch with the Knicks in the second round; in game one (which saw the ejections of Davis and Derek Harper) teammate Reggie Miller made a three-pointer and then stole the inbounds pass and tied the game with another three-pointer right in front of Knicks fan Spike Lee who was just a few feet away.

Miller added 2 free throws and gave the Pacers a comeback win.

The Pacers lost Game 2 and the series returned to Indiana.

After four games, the Pacers took a 3–1 series lead; however, the Knicks bounced back and forces the seventh game at Madison Square Garden.

The Pacers emerged victorious as Patrick Ewing's last-second shot did not go in the basket.

With a 1-point win, the Pacers qualified for the Eastern Conference Finals for the second consecutive season.

As with their first and second-round opponents, the Pacers played a young talented Orlando Magic team led by Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway in a rematch of the previous postseason.

The Pacers pushed Orlando to a 7th game before losing the series.

The following season was the most challenging in franchise history but despite that the Pacers duplicated their record from the previous season, 52–30, with Davis averaging 8.8 points a game with 6.1 rebounds a game.

In the playoffs, the Pacers were defeated by the sixth-seeded Atlanta Hawks in five games.

In the 1996–97 season the Pacers finished sixth in the Central Division with a record of 39–43 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1989 despite Davis playing in 82 games, starting 28 of them and averaging 10.5 points with 7.3 rebounds a game.

The next year the Pacers bounced back and won 58 games and the second seed in the Eastern Conference (with the additions of former Boston Celtics player Larry Bird as head coach and veteran all-star Chris Mullin) with Davis playing in 82 games for the third year in a row while starting 12 of them and averaging 9.6 points a game and 6.8 rebounds a game, in the postseason the Pacers defeated the Shawn Kemp-led Cleveland Cavaliers and Ewing-led New York Knicks in the first two rounds before being matched up with the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals, after losing the first two games in Chicago, the Pacers responded by winning games three and four to forced a deciding game five back in Chicago, a game in which the Bulls won by a score of 106–87 to force a deciding sixth game back in Indiana, game six would be a hard-fought game in which the Pacers won by a score of 92–89 to send the series back to the United Center in Chicago for a deciding seventh game of the series, in game seven the Pacers fought and claw their way to every possession but it was not enough in the end as the eventual champion Bulls still prevailed by a score of 88–83 to win the series.

The Pacers entered the season as a heavy favorite because Michael Jordan had retired and other members of the Chicago Bulls were broken up by their management.

After a four-month lockout, the Pacers won the Central Division with a record of 33 wins and 17 losses and although he was unable to break into the first team Davis still averaged 9.4 points a game, with 7.0 rebounds a game solidifying his role as rebounder shot blocker and inside scorer.

In the playoffs the Pacers swept the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round, and the Philadelphia 76ers in the semifinals advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second consecutive season, and for the fourth time in six seasons.

Once again, the Pacers were up against the New York Knicks.

Each game was nip and tuck with both teams trading wins as the Knicks won games one, three (a game best-remembered for Davis fouling Larry Johnson on a four-point play) and five while the Pacers won games two and four to set up a sixth game back at Madison Square Garden in New York.

After fighting their way through most of the first three quarters the Pacers lost game six and the series to the Knicks, (marking the second year in a row and fourth overall that the Pacers lost in the Eastern Conference Finals).

With a couple of Eastern Conference Finals disappointments coupled with Davis begging for more playing time, Davis announced his intentions to be traded.

On October 31, 2012, ESPN announced the hiring of Davis as a studio analyst for NBA broadcasts.

He is also currently a co-host/analyst on SiriusXM NBA Radio.