Fans of Tyson Chandler will remember him as one of the best defensive players in the NBA during his prime. Chandler won an NBA championship with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011 alongside Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd and Jason Terry. The Mavericks however opted against offering Chandler a big contract.
Chandler’s value soared following the Mavericks’ NBA championship and the New York Knicks signed him to a four-year, $58 million contract with Chandler one of the most sought after free agents. Playing alongside Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemir at the Knicks, Chandler would be voted NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2012.
The second overall pick of the 2001 NBA draft, Tyson Chandler was drafted straight from Dominguez High School in Compton, California. Chandler’s one of just 20 NBA players to play in at least 19 seasons and has transformed his once struggling family with earnings of over $187 million during his career.
Chandler has played 1160 NBA games for 8 different teams across his 20 season career. He managed to remain a key piece in great line ups over many years and was even named an NBA All-Star for the first time in his 12-year career, earning selection as an Eastern Conference reserve for the 2013 NBA All-Star Game.
Interestingly the character Ty Crane from the 2005 movie Coach Carter is based off Tyson Chandler. Although Chandler is no longer in the NBA, he sees Mitchell Robinson as a better version than himself.
Tyson Chandler jerseys aren’t common but we did manage to find a road version from his Defensive Player of the Year season to add to THE5THQTR collection.
The early second generation piece from 2012 was also the first year of an updated uniform era, with the following changes which can also be seen here:
- An Updated ‘New York’ script
- Arm trim was shortened
- The ‘ONCE A KNICK, ALWAYS A KNICK’ text added inside the collar
The 2011-12 Knicks finished in seventh place in the Eastern Conference with a regular season record of 36-30, in a shortened season due to the 2011 NBA Lockout. They would lose in five games in the first round of the 2012 NBA Playoffs to eventual NBA champions the Miami Heat. The Game 4 win over the heat ended an NBA worst 13-game playoff losing streak.
Tyson Chandler finished the 2011-12 season averaging 11.3 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. Chandler also topped off his Defensive Player of the Year Award by shooting a league-leading and career high 68% from the field.
The New York Knicks 2011-12 season will best be remembered for the epic form of Jeremy Lin leading to a seven-game winning streak and the turnaround of the Knicks season, the phenomenon dubbed ‘Linsanity’. You can check out our Jeremy Lin jerseys in THE5THQTR collection.
Related: How Good Was Jeremy Lin and How Did Linsanity Happen?
