19 Facts About Ed O'Bannon

Ed O'Bannon was a power forward for the UCLA Bruins on their 1995 NCAA championship team.

Ed O'Bannon was selected by the New Jersey Nets with the ninth overall pick of the 1995 NBA draft.

Ed O'Bannon averaged 24.6 points, 9.7 rebounds in his senior year at Artesia.

Ed O'Bannon was the most valuable player at the Dapper Dan Classic, a high school All-Star game, and he was named a McDonald's High School All-American as well as honored by Basketball Times as its national high school player of the year.

Ed O'Bannon originally planned to attend the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, but he did not sign a letter of intent with the university at the suggestion of UNLV head coach Jerry Tarkanian.

However, when UNLV's men's basketball program was placed on probation due to recruiting improprieties, Ed O'Bannon rescinded his commitment and instead attended UCLA.

Six days before the official start of practice at UCLA, Ed O'Bannon tore his anterior cruciate ligament as he landed awkwardly on a dunk during a pickup game with other Bruins.

Ed O'Bannon was told he might not be able to walk properly again, but eighteen months later, after receiving a graft from a cadaver, he returned to playing basketball.

Ed O'Bannon was a consensus first team All-American, Pac-10 co-Player of the Year along with Damon Stoudamire, first team All-Pac-10 for the third consecutive year, and UCLA's co-MVP along with Tyus Edney.

Ed O'Bannon was inducted into UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005, and the Pac-12 Basketball Hall of Honor in 2012.

Ed O'Bannon averaged 6.2 and 4.2 points per game respectively with the Nets and was traded to the Dallas Mavericks later in his second and final NBA season, where he had even less of an impact.

Ed O'Bannon never got the opportunity to prove what he could do.

Ed O'Bannon played one year for the startup American Basketball Association with the Los Angeles Stars.

Ed O'Bannon decided to retire at age 32 after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery.

Ed O'Bannon was a volunteer coach at Green Valley High School in Henderson, Nevada.

In 2009, citing a renewed interest in basketball due to his children, Ed O'Bannon accepted an offer to become the head coach of the boys' basketball team at Henderson International School.

In March 2015, Ed O'Bannon appeared in a faux commercial on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver on HBO that criticized the NCAA's payment practices regarding student athletes.

Ed O'Bannon supported the Fair Pay to Play Act, a California law that allows college athletes to receive endorsement deals.

Ed O'Bannon is the older brother of Charles, who won the championship with him at UCLA and went on to play for the Detroit Pistons.