Sam Cassell helped the Milwaukee Bucks and Minnesota Timberwolves reach the Conference Finals of the playoffs in 2001 and 2004 respectively, the latter's first-ever in franchise history, and helped the Los Angeles Clippers to their first-ever playoff series victory in 2006.
36 Facts About Sam Cassell
2.
From MCI, Sam Cassell was successfully recruited to attend DePaul University.
3.
Sam Cassell moved on to Florida State University in Tallahassee for his junior and senior years.
4.
On February 14,2008, in a game against Wake Forest, Sam Cassell's jersey was retired by Florida State.
5.
Sam Cassell was selected out of Florida State University with the 24th overall pick of the 1993 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets.
6.
Sam Cassell saw an increase in his role during his second year, appearing in all 82 games that season.
7.
Sam Cassell again helped the Rockets reach the NBA Finals for the second consecutive year.
8.
In game 2 of the Finals against the Orlando Magic, Sam Cassell scored 31 points.
9.
Sam Cassell's minutes, scoring and usage rates all increased in his third season, but he missed 21 games with injuries.
10.
Under new head coach Danny Ainge, the Suns saw marked improvement with Sam Cassell leading the team with 14.8 points per game.
11.
The Nets would be the third team that Sam Cassell played for just that season.
12.
On March 11,1999, Sam Cassell was again traded in a three team, eight player trade that sent Stephon Marbury to the Nets, Terrell Brandon to Minnesota Timberwolves, and Sam Cassell to the Milwaukee Bucks.
13.
Under their new coach George Karl, Sam Cassell formed a "Big 3" with Ray Allen and Glenn Robinson.
14.
On March 28,2008, Sam Cassell was honored as one of the 20 greatest players in Milwaukee Bucks history during the team's 40th Anniversary Celebration.
15.
Sam Cassell enjoyed his most successful season as an individual that year.
16.
Sam Cassell was named to the All-NBA Second Team and voted into the 2004 NBA All-Star Game.
17.
Sam Cassell made his playoff debut with the Timberwolves scoring a franchise playoff record 40 points, in a first-round game 1 win against the Denver Nuggets.
18.
Sam Cassell however sustained a back injury that limited him in the Western Conference Finals against the Lakers, which the Lakers would win in six games.
19.
Sam Cassell, who appeared in only 59 games that season due to injuries, voiced his frustration over the midseason firing of Flip Saunders and not being offered a contract extension.
20.
Sam Cassell meanwhile led the Clippers to their then-most successful season, and the draft pick from Minnesota was used by the Clippers as part of the Chris Paul trade.
21.
Sam Cassell struggled with injuries that season, and the Clippers missed the playoffs by two games.
22.
On February 28,2008, the Clippers reached a contractual buyout agreement with Sam Cassell and placed him on waivers.
23.
Sam Cassell became an unrestricted free agent on March 3,2008, when he cleared waivers, and was eligible to sign with a team of his choice.
24.
Sam Cassell said that he would wear either No 28 or No 91 on his jersey, and eventually chose No 28.
25.
Sam Cassell's arrival was delayed because of a death in his family.
26.
On March 4,2008, Sam Cassell officially signed with the Celtics, but immediately flew back to his hometown of Baltimore to attend funeral services for his deceased family member.
27.
Sam Cassell made his debut against the Philadelphia 76ers on March 10,2008.
28.
In Boston, Sam Cassell was reunited with former teammates Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.
29.
On March 17,2008, Sam Cassell had a standout performance in a Saint Patrick's Day matchup against the San Antonio Spurs, when he led the team from a 22-point deficit to a 2-point victory, scoring 17 points and hitting a clutch shot late in the game.
30.
On February 17,2009, Sam Cassell was traded to the Sacramento Kings for a conditional second-round draft pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.
31.
The move was done strictly for salary cap purposes and Sam Cassell was not expected to play for the Kings.
32.
Sam Cassell cleared waivers and was eligible to re-sign with Boston or another contender, but opted to sit out the remainder of the season, and he announced his retirement in May 2009.
33.
In 2015, Paul Pierce stated that he felt he, Garnett and Sam Cassell were the real "Big 3" of the Celtics 2008 championship team.
34.
On May 21,2009, Sam Cassell was named assistant coach of the Washington Wizards, joining Flip Saunders who was his coach in Minnesota.
35.
Sam Cassell appeared on TNT's NBA Fundamentals series, in which basketball players describe certain aspects of the game.
36.
Sam Cassell admires retired NBA players Terrell Brandon and Jeff Hornacek, two prolific mid-range shooters after whom he modeled his game.