Paul Millsap

Paul Millsap (born February 10, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player who played for 16 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A power forward from Louisiana Tech University, Millsap was selected by the Utah Jazz in the second round (47th pick overall) of the 2006 NBA draft and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. He played in Utah until 2013, when he became a member of the Atlanta Hawks. Millsap has also played for the Denver Nuggets, Brooklyn Nets, and Philadelphia 76ers. He is a four-time NBA All-Star.

Millsap attended Grambling High School, in Grambling, Louisiana, where he played for the Grambling Kittens high school basketball team. The 2003 Louisiana "Mr. Basketball", he was named a fourth-team Parade All-American and was ranked no. 58 nationally by ESPN.

In his three-year career at Louisiana Tech, Millsap averaged 18.6 points, 12.7 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in 92 games. After becoming the first player to lead NCAA Division I in rebounds in their freshman and sophomore years in 2005, he became the only player in NCAA basketball history with three consecutive seasons leading Division I in rebounding. As a freshman, Millsap was the WAC Rookie of the Year and was a second-team all-WAC honoree. As a sophomore and junior he was a first-team All-WAC honoree. As a junior in 2005–06, Millsap was also a WAC All-Defensive honoree and a finalist for the Oscar Robertson Award. Following the season, he declared for the NBA draft on April 4, 2006.

Millsap was selected by the Utah Jazz with the 47th overall pick in the 2006 NBA draft, and later signed his rookie scale contract with the Jazz on August 2, 2006. In late 2006, some sports journalists were referring to Millsap as a potential Rookie of the Year candidate, an award not traditionally given to players taken so late in the draft. Though the award ultimately went to Brandon Roy, Millsap had a strong first season, leading all rookies with six double-doubles. He finished the 2006–07 season with averages of around 7 points per game, 5 rebounds per game, nearly one steal and one block; he had season highs of 20 points, 17 rebounds, 4 blocks, 4 steals, 3 assists, and 38 minutes. He played in all 82 of Utah's games. As a solid bench player, the rookie participated in a surprising run to the Conference Finals where his Utah Jazz lost to later NBA champions San Antonio Spurs.

Early in the 2007–08 season, Millsap achieved a new career high of 24 points during a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. He later extended his career high to 28 points against the Orlando Magic in late December 2007. His next career high came in December 2008 against the Boston Celtics when he scored 32 points. Millsap had played in 194 straight games since being drafted by the Jazz in 2006; he missed his first game of his professional career on December 26, 2008, against the Dallas Mavericks due to a sprained posterior cruciate ligament injury in his knee suffered against the Milwaukee Bucks three days prior.

During the 2008–09 season, Millsap became the replacement for Carlos Boozer after the All-Star forward suffered multiple injuries. Millsap's numbers subsequently soared, as he averaged 15.9 points and 10.3 rebounds over 38 starts mid-season.

On June 25, 2009, the Jazz tendered a qualifying offer to Millsap, making him a restricted free agent. A few weeks later, on July 10, 2009, he signed an offer sheet from the Portland Trail Blazers for $32 million over four years, including $6.2 million in the 2009–10 season, with a $5.6 million signing bonus, with $10.3 million to be paid within seven days of the contract's approval by the NBA. The Jazz had the right to match the offer, and did so seven days later, on July 17, 2009.

Millsap became Utah's permanent starting power forward in 2010–11 after Boozer joined the Chicago Bulls. Millsap started alongside newly acquired center Al Jefferson. On November 9, 2010, Millsap scored a career-high 46 points in a 116–114 overtime win over the Miami Heat outscoring the entire Heat newly formed Big 3. Millsap scored 11 points in 28 seconds at the end of regulation, including three three-pointers, one more than he had made in his entire career before then. He also hit a buzzer-beater to force overtime.