Chucky Atkins

Chucky Atkins is a retired professional basketball player from the United States of America. He played in the National Basketball Association with teams like the Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies, and the Detroit Pistons. He also used to play in the Croatian League.

Player Profile

Kenneth Lavon "Chucky" Atkins was born on August 14, 1974, in Orlando, Florida in the United States of America. He stands 180 cm tall and his weight was last listed at 84 kg. He is right-handed and he is a point guard and a shooting guard.

High School and College Career

He attended Maynard Evans High School in Orlando, Florida. Later, he committed to play for the University of South Florida.

Professional Career

He went undrafted in the 1996 NBA Draft. He joined the LaCrosse Bobcats in the Continental Basketball Association and in 1997, decided to move to Europe. He joined Cibona Zagreb in Croatia for 2 years.

In 1999, he returned to the United States and this time he joined the Orlando Magic. His effect on the team was instant as Atkins scored 9 points a game with 4 assists, on average, playing every single game that season.

In 2000, he moved to the Detroit Pistons in a deal that saw Grant Hill go the other way. In 2003-04, he joined the Boston Celtics in exchange for Mike James and missed out on playing in the 2004 NBA Finals.

In 2004, Atkins was moving again, this time to the Los Angeles Lakers while Gary Payton moved to the Boston Celtics. Atkins started all 82 games for the Lakers, scoring 14 points per game while playing 35 minutes per game.

In 2005, he was again traded out despite his performances, this time to the Washington Wizards while Kwame Brown and Laron Profit came to the Lakers. The Wizards didn’t use Atkins as much as his previous teams and that led to a disgruntled Atkins who went rather public about his displeasure of not getting picked often enough.

The team decided that Atkins needed a new team and released him after buying out his contract. So in January 2006, Atkins was a free agent and signed up with the Memphis Grizzlies as a replacement for Damon Stoudamire.

Atkins had an admirable season, scoring in double figures through the remaining part of the season. At the end of the season, in July 2007, Atkins joined the Denver Nuggets as a free agent however, he was struck by a hernia injury that kept him out for a major part of the season and the year went by without much in terms of an impact, for Atkins.

At the beginning of 2009, the Nuggets decided to trade Atkins out to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for a second-round draft pick while a first-round draft pick and cash considerations accompanied Atkins out of the Nuggets.

For the 2009-2010 season, he played for the Pistons. He retired from the NBA in 2010. He retired with a career statistic of 6,863 points, 1,186 rebounds, and 2,396 assists.

Career Highlights

• 2000 - NBA All-Rookie Second Team
• 1997–1999 - Croatian League champion
• 1999 - Croatian Cup champion
• 1996 - Second-team All-Conference USA
• 1995 - Second-team All-Metro Conference

• The no. 12 jersey retired by the South Florida Bulls

Career NBA Statistics

• Points - 6,863 (9.9 ppg)
• Rebounds - 1,186 (1.7 rpg)
• Assists - 2,396 (3.4 apg)

Medal record, Men's Basketball, Representing the United States

• Gold - 1995 Summer Universiade Fukuoka