Tyson Chandler Biography

Birthdate: October 2, 1982
Birthplace: Hanford, California

A big reason why the New Orleans Hornets were one of the best teams in the NBA this year, was because of the play of this dominant big man! We got the 411 on Tyson!

Farm Boy

Tyson Chandler grew up on a farm in Hanford, California. He would help his parents and grandparents feed pigs and do other chores. When he was nine, he moved to the Los Angeles suburb of San Bernardino where he started to play basketball. By the time he was old enough for high school, he was already nearly 7-feet! Tyson enrolled at Dominguez High School in Compton, California - an inner city school in L.A. that is known for its basketball dominance. He made the 2-hour commute every day from San Bernardino. During his freshman year, Tyson was featured on the national news TV program, 60 minutes. By the time he was a senior, he was the most dominant player in the country. Following his senior year, Tyson skipped college and put his name in the 2001 NBA Draft, where he was chosen second overall by the Los Angeles Clippers, who immediately traded him to the Chicago Bulls.

Chicago

Tyson Chandler spent his first five seasons as a pro with the Chicago Bulls. When he first got there, he and center Eddy Curry (who also came out after high school) were hailed as the future of the franchise. However, their youth showed as they never blossomed into the players the Bulls thought they were going to be. Along with the losing, Tyson endured a constant change in teammates and coaches. He butted heads with his last coach in Chicago, Scott Skiles. By the end of his last season with the Bulls, Tyson had lost confidence in his game and his numbers were at a career low.

Fresh Start

In the summer of 2006, Tyson was traded to the up-and-coming New Orleans Hornets. Teaming up with a superstar in the making, Chris Paul[/KWLINK] and being coached by someone that believed in him in Byron Scott, Tyson's game flourished in the Big Easy. In his second season with the Hornets, Tyson averaged a career best 11.8 points per game to go along with his 11.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks. He helped lead New Orleans to the second-best record in the Western Conference.

The X-Factor

Tyson Chandler is a player that every team needs. He is an aggressive big man who will protect the pain by blocking shots and playing D. On offense, he will get his get his back dirty by getting offensive rebounds and throwing down ferocious dunks on you. He is still on 26-years old, so if he keeps improving like he has the past two years he will be an All Star!

Did U Know?

Tyson Chandler is 7'1" tall and weighs 235 pounds.

Tyson Chandler writes a blog on NBA.com.

Tyson Chandler and his wife, Kimberly, are proud parents to a 2-year-old daughter named Sasha.

Tyson Chandler is extremely active in his community. He has worked with the Special Olympics and families dealing with unexpected tragedy and poverty.

Tyson Chandler is a member of the U.S. National Basketball Team that will compete in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.<.li>

Tyson Chandler's favorite movie of all time is The Matrix.

Tyson Chandler's favorite kind of music is R&B.

Tyson Chandler's favorite sport growing up was actually football. He used to idolize Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders.

Tyson Says...

"I think I can be as good as I want to be. It depends on how hard I want to work. I think I'm capable of doing some things people won't even expect me to do on the court."

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