Topic: Damon Stoudamire

Damon Lamon Stoudamire (born September 3, 1973) is a retired American professional basketball player, who is currently an assistant coach for the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies. The 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m), 171 lb (78 kg; 12.2 st) point guard was selected with the 7th overall pick by the Toronto Raptors in the 1995 NBA Draft and won the 1995-96 NBA Rookie of the Year Award. He has played professionally for the Toronto Raptors, Portland Trail Blazers, Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs, and collegiately at the University of Arizona. He is the cousin of former Arizona Wildcats standout Salim Stoudamire.

Stoudamire was born to Willie Stoudamire and Liz Washington in Portland, Oregon. He was the only child, with three stepsisters. His parents never married. Willie Stoudamire moved away to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to work in a brewery when Damon was seven years old. Stoudamire was raised by his mother Liz and his grandmother Wanda Stoudamire-Matthews.

While Stoudamire was growing up, his uncles Charles and Anthony Stoudamire got him into sports, mainly basketball and football. They acted as fathers and personal coaches to Stoudamire in his younger years. He grew up watching his favorite player Nate Archibald and attempted to pattern his game after his childhood hero. As he grew older, he began to play basketball at Irving Park in the Portland neighborhood Irvington and at the Matt Dishman Community Center in Portland.