Baron Davis

About Baron Davis

Baron Walter Louis Davis (born April 13, 1979 in Los Angeles, California) is a professional basketball player currently playing at point guard for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association. Davis became a star at Crossroads School and UCLA. Baron was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets as the number three pick in the 1999 NBA Draft.

Davis' grandmother and guardian, Lela Nicholson, was instrumental in pushing him to play basketball. With her encouragement, he eventually earned a basketball scholarship to play at Crossroads School, a prestigious private school in Santa Monica, California, where he rubbed elbows with the children of some of California's elite (his classmate was actress Kate Hudson).

At Crossroads School, the charismatic Davis became a budding star, growing a surprising five inches between his sophomore and junior seasons, going from 5'10" (1.78 m) to 6'3" (1.91 m) in that span.[citation needed] Now able to dunk the basketball, Davis used his trademark explosiveness and skills to rack up numerous honors on the basketball court, including leading his team to the Championship over perennial prep powerhouse Christ The King High School (Queens, New York) at the prestigious Beach Ball Classic tournament in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. While also being named Gatorade Player of the Year and a Parade All-American, perhaps the highlight of his season was his selection to the prestigious McDonald's All-American High School Basketball Game in 1997 (where he won the Slam Dunk Contest despite being the shortest player in the competition), playing with future NBA players Elton Brand, Shane Battier, Larry Hughes and Ron Artest. The summer before his freshman season Baron was selected as a member of the USA Basketball Junior Select Team preparing to compete in the Hoop Summit game. In a 97-90 victory over an International Select Team, he tallied nine points and five assists, with two of his points coming on a coast-to-coast, fast-break dunk in transition, that brought the crowd to its feet.