Iowa History Daily: On September 23, 1979, legendary Iowa basketball player Ricky Davis was born. Davis starred at Davenport North and the University of Iowa before embarking on a memorable twelve year NBA career.
From an early age, Davis shined on the hardwood. Iowa Hawkeye Head Coach Tom Davis received a letter from U.S. Representative James Leach about the young hooper’s abilities when Ricky Davis was only a 7th-grader. By the start of his sophomore season, Davis proved ready to commit to the Hawkeyes. During his time at Davenport North, Ricky racked up career totals including 1,619 points and 801 rebounds while capturing 1st-team All-State honors twice.
Starring for the Hawkeyes during the second-to-last season of the Tom Davis era, Ricky Davis averaged 15 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists during his freshman season. Despite not talking to NBA teams in advance of declaring for the draft, on April 2, 1998, Davis announced his intention to enter the draft and told reporters: “It will be my first job, and I’ll be making a million dollars.”
Drafted 21st overall in the 1st Round of the NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets, Davis quickly became a fan favorite due to mesmerizing dunks and high energy play. Over his twelve season career, Davis played for the Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Los Angeles Clippers.
Davis once drew national attention for stat padding in a home game against the Utah Jazz on March 16, 2003. With Cleveland leading 120–95 and less than 7 seconds remaining, Davis needed one rebound for his first career triple double. He deliberately tossed an inbound pass off his own rim and caught it in an attempt to receive credit for a rebound, but shots taken at one's own basket do not count as official field goal attempts. #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryDaily #IowaHistoryCalendar
