Chris Kaman

He missed two games with a sprained left ankle (2/27 and March 1) and one game with a sore left knee (4/16) He finished the regular season ranked 9th in the NBA in rebounds per game (9.6), 12th in FG% (.523) and 24th in blocks per game (1.38).

Kaman recorded 49 games of scoring in double figures with 10 of those games scoring 20 points or more.

Kaman also recorded 36 games with 10 or more rebounds.

Kaman finished the season with 29 games having points-rebounds double-doubles.

Kaman became only the second rookie in franchise history (Michael Brooks, 1980–81) to play in all 82 games in his rookie season.

He finished the season ranked second among all rookies in blocked shots per game (.89 bpg), third in field goal percentage (.460) and fourth in rebounds per game (5.6 rpg), earning the starting Center position on the NBA Rookie All-Star Team.

He tallied eight points (4–7 FG) and seven rebounds in 19 minutes played, though the Rookies lost to the Sophomore team.

A year after his rookie season, Chris Kaman improved his play by averaging 9.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 25.9 minutes in 63 games (50 starts).

He had missed 12 games due to injury, including the first 11 games of the season due to a left ankle sprain.

Kaman continued to create milestones in his career as he scored in double-figures in 30 games and recorded four games with 20 or more points.

Kaman recorded 14 point-rebound double-doubles and led the team in rebounds in 16 games and in blocks 19 times.

Despite the Clippers missing the playoffs again for the eighth year in a row, Kaman continued to show progress in his play.

By the end of the '05–'06 season, Kaman averaged 11.9 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.38 blocks in 32.8 minutes per game, appearing in 78 games (78 starts).

Christopher Zane Kaman (born April 28, 1982) is a German-American former professional basketball player.

The Clippers achieved their first winning record in 14 seasons and clinched their first playoff spot since 1997.

By the end of the season, the Clippers finished sixth in the Western Conference, with a record of 47–35 (their best finish since the team left Buffalo), set to face the Denver Nuggets in the first round.

The Clippers beat the Nuggets, but during the series against Denver, opposing player Reggie Evans reached in and yanked Kaman's testicles.

Evans was later fined $10,000 for his actions.

The Clippers went on to lose to the Suns in the next round.

Kaman attended Tri-unity Christian School in Wyoming, Michigan, leading his high school varsity to the state Class D quarterfinals in 2000, before losing to Lenawee Christian School.

Kaman stands 7'0" (2.13 m) and played the center position. He was selected sixth overall in the first round of the 2003 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Clippers, after a college basketball career at Central Michigan University.

He went on to play for three seasons at Central Michigan University, leading them to a Mid-American Conference Championship and an NCAA tournament first-round win in 2003.

He then garnered Associated Press Honorable Mention All-America honors before declaring for the 2003 NBA draft, where the Clippers selected him sixth overall.

Kaman claims he decided to enter the NBA draft a year early so he could fund a chicken farm in his home state of Michigan.

In his rookie year, Kaman averaged 6.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 0.89 blocks and 22.5 minutes in 82 games played (61 starts).

He was the only Clipper to play all 82 games.

Kaman had raised his points and rebounds averages each season since he came into the league, and signed a five-year contract worth $52.5 million in October 2006.

Thus 2006–2007, especially after a strong playoff run, was supposed to be a season of high expectations.

However, Kaman only managed to average 10.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 29 minutes per game, appearing in 75 games.

One possible explanation was that Kaman had been slowed down by a hamstring injury in training camp, limiting his mobility.

This had resulted in a difficulty to get into a game rhythm and contribute offensively.

The Clippers finished the season 40–42, missing the playoffs by one game.

After losing Shaun Livingston and Elton Brand for the majority of the 2007–08 season due to a dislocated knee and ruptured achilles tendon, respectively, the Clippers had very little expectations to be as competitive as they were two years prior.

However, Kaman emerged as one of the most dominant centers in the NBA, averaging 15.7 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per game.

Although he did not play in enough games to qualify for the league's statistical leaders, his rebound and block averages would have both ranked third in the league.

Kaman demonstrated his ability to perform without Brand alongside him.

Kaman was selected to his first All-Star Game as a reserve.

Kaman finished the season with almost a double-double, averaging a career high 18.5 PPG and 9.3 RPG.

Still, the Los Angeles Clippers finished with one of the worst records in the western conference, with a record of 29–53.

On December 14, 2011, the Clippers traded Kaman, Al-Farouq Aminu, Eric Gordon and a 2012 first-round pick (previously acquired from the Minnesota Timberwolves) to the New Orleans Hornets in exchange for Chris Paul and two future second-round picks.