Elton Brand

Brand led the franchise to its first playoff series win since 1976, when the team was known as the Buffalo Braves.

Although the Clippers eventually lost in Game 7 of the second round (Western Conference Semifinals) against the Phoenix Suns, the Clippers had the best season that their franchise had ever seen at that time.

Elton Tyron Brand (born March 11, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player and the general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Prior to this, the biggest contract Sterling had approved to that point was a five-year, $15 million deal for Eric Piatkowski in 1998.

Sterling had also refused to offer Brand a contract extension one year prior, when he was willing to accept less than the maximum.

After playing college basketball for Duke, he was selected with the first overall pick in the 1999 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls, and later played for the Philadelphia 76ers, the Los Angeles Clippers, Dallas Mavericks and Atlanta Hawks.

He subsequently decided to leave Duke after his sophomore season and declared for the 1999 NBA draft.

Brand, sophomore William Avery, and freshman Corey Maggette, were the first three players under Mike Krzyzewski to leave early for the draft and not play the full four years at Duke.

On June 30, 1999, Brand was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the first overall pick in the 1999 NBA draft.

On November 19, Brand scored 29 points, grabbed 17 rebounds, and blocked 4 shots in the ninth game of his career, a 103-95 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

He was later named the most valuable player of the Rookie Challenge over All-Star Weekend.

He ended the season with averages of 20.1 points and 10 rebounds per game, and he shared NBA Rookie of the Year honors with Houston Rockets guard Steve Francis.

Despite his personal success, Brand and the Bulls finished with the second worst record in the league at 17-65.

Through much of the 2000–01 season, Brand was hailed as the linchpin of a possible new Chicago dynasty.

On December 31, Brand scored a season high 31 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in a 86-75 win over the New Jersey Nets.

Brand averaged 20.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per game; his 3.9 offensive rebounds per game were the second-best in the NBA.

As a team however, again the Bulls struggled, finishing with an even worse record at 15-67.

After two successful seasons with the Bulls, Brand was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in June 2001 for Brian Skinner and the draft rights to Tyson Chandler.

In 2002, Brand became the first Clipper since Danny Manning (in 1994) to be selected to the All-Star team.

When Brand became a restricted free agent in 2003, the Miami Heat made an offer worth $82 million over six years.

In what was an unprecedented move by team owner Donald Sterling, the Clippers matched Miami's offer and managed to keep Brand a Clipper.

Brand received the Joe Dumars Trophy after being named the 2005–06 NBA Sportsmanship Award winner.

Following his stellar 2005–06 season, Brand regressed somewhat in the following season.

He was a two-time NBA All Star and an All-NBA Second Team selection in 2006.

Brand attended Peekskill High School, where he was immediately added to the varsity basketball roster.

He averaged 40 points and 20 rebounds per game, played AAU basketball with future NBA players Lamar Odom and Ron Artest, and by his senior year he was consistently ranked among the top high school basketball players in the country and was selected as New York State Mr. Basketball.

At the same time, he became something of a cult hero in Peekskill, helping his team win two state championships.

Recruited heavily after his successful high school career, Brand decided to enroll at Duke University alongside a cluster of other high school stars, including Shane Battier.

As a sophomore, Brand was the dominant inside presence for a Duke team that is widely regarded as one of the most talented teams in recent NCAA history.

After leading the Blue Devils to the championship game of the Final Four—where they were upset by the Connecticut Huskies—Brand was named the consensus National Player of the Year.

In the 2006 NBA season, Brand experienced a professional renaissance.

He posted career-highs in points per game (24.7) and field-goal percentage (52.7), while leading the Clippers to a 47–35 record, their then-best record in team history, and good enough for the sixth seed in the Western Conference.

Brand was selected to the 2006 NBA All-Star Game and considered as a strong candidate for the 2006 NBA MVP.

His scoring average in 2006–07 dropped and the Clippers missed the playoffs.

He missed most of the 2007–08 season due to a ruptured left Achilles' tendon.

However, Brand made his return to the Clippers' lineup April 2, 2008 after being out since the end of the previous season.

He contributed 19 points in his return.

Brand played in only eight games that season.

Brand later opted out of the final year of his contract and became a free agent.

Sources indicated that Brand chose to opt out from his contract in order to provide Clippers with more payroll flexibility in hopes of strengthening their roster.