Rashard Lewis

Rashard Quovon Lewis (born August 8, 1979 in Pineville, Louisiana) is an American professional basketball player, currently with the NBA's Washington Wizards as a small forward and a power forward.

Orlando Magic

After playing his first nine seasons for the Seattle SuperSonics, Lewis joined the Orlando Magic, having agreed to a six-year sign-and-trade deal worth $118 million on July 11, 2007. On May 25, he had opted out of the last two years of the seven-year, $60 million deal he signed before the 2003-04 season. The final two years of his contract were worth a guaranteed $21 million.

In his first season with the Orlando Magic, Lewis was moved from his usual small forward position to power forward. That year, he made 53 more 3-pointers than he had ever scored in his career. During the playoffs, the Magic reached the second round, with Lewis contributing a 33-point performance against the Detroit Pistons in Orlando's only win of the series. Lewis was the Magic’s top scorer in the playoffs and set personal records in points, rebounds, and assists.

Lewis started the 2008-2009 season as the team's second leading scorer, earning an appearance in the 2009 NBA All-Star Game. In the 2009 NBA Playoffs, Lewis hit a game-winning shot in the first game of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers, what he called the biggest shot of his career. The Magic won the series and advanced to the NBA Finals, where they were defeated by the Los Angeles Lakers in five games.

Over his 10-year career, Lewis holds an average of 16.8 points per game, with his career high of 22.4 points per game coming in 2006-07.

On August 6, 2009, Lewis was suspended without pay for the first 10 games of the 2009–10 season after testing positive for a banned substance.

Washington Wizards

On December 18, 2010, Lewis was traded to the Washington Wizards for Gilbert Arenas.

Seattle SuperSonics

Despite being recruited by Florida State, Kansas, and the University of Houston, Lewis bypassed college and opted for the 1998 NBA Draft, wherein he was selected by the Seattle SuperSonics with the third pick of the second round (32nd overall). At the time of his selection, he was the last player remaining in the "green room", where 15 of the top draft prospects sit until their selection. His hometown team, the Houston Rockets, declined to select Lewis with any of their three first-round picks, much to the disappointment of Lewis and a large majority of Rockets fans.

He has since had a solid career as a forward including two All-Star berths, in the 2004-2005 season and in the 2008-2009 season. In 2001, Lewis was selected to play for the USA in the Goodwill Games, in which they won the gold medal. On October 31, 2003, Lewis scored 50 points to pass Clyde Drexler (41 points) for the most points scored in a single game while playing in Japan. Lewis holds the SuperSonics' record for most 3-pointers made, having passed Dale Ellis for second place on November 22, 2005, and Gary Payton for first place on March 13, 2007, when Lewis made his 918th 3-pointer in the first quarter of a game against the Detroit Pistons.


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