Topic: John Paxson

John MacBeth Paxson (born September 29, 1960) is a retired American basketball player. He is currently the VP of Basketball Operations of the National Basketball Association's Chicago Bulls.

Paxson was a schoolboy legend at Archbishop Alter High School in Kettering, Ohio, following in the footsteps of his older brother, Jim Paxson, who went on to a star career at the University of Dayton and, later, in the NBA, as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers. By his senior year, John was considered as one of the top guards in the country and was named to the 1979 McDonald's All-American Team, joining such future college and NBA standouts as Isiah Thomas, James Worthy and Byron Scott in the Game.

Paxson played collegiate basketball at the University of Notre Dame. In 1980-81, his sophomore year, Paxson led his team in assists with a career-high 138 that season. He earned his first All-America recognition as a junior in 1981-82, averaging 16.4 points and dishing out 4.7 assists. The following year, Paxson lead Notre Dame to a 19-10 record, averaging a career-high 17.7 points per game and tallying 112 assists en route to claiming his second All-America selection. He also helped guide the team to NCAA appearances in 1980 and 1981. For his career, he was a .526 shooter from the field, presaging his sharpshooting prowess in the pros. He finished his four-year stint at Notre Dame with 1,366 points (19th in Notre Dame history), 411 assists (seventh), 133 steals (eight), 86 games started (13th), and field goal percentage (20th). His four-year average was 12.2 points per game.