Nick Van Exel

Nick Van Exel is a retired professional basketball player who played for six different NBA teams from 1993-2006. Van Exel wanted to play college basketball, but he did not have the grades to qualify for a top-flight program so he attended Trinity Valley Community College for two years. He then attended the University of Cincinnati where he helped the Bearcats advance to the NCAA Final Four where they defeated Michigan State and their “Fab Five.” The Los Angeles Lakers selected Van Exel as the 37th overall draft pick in the 1993 NBA Draft. In 1994, Van Exel was named NBA AllRookie Second-Team. Van Exel helped the Lakers make the playoffs in 1995 after they missed the postseason for the first time the previous year. On June 24, 1998, Van Exel was traded to the Denver Nuggets where he was named an NBA All-Star in 1998. In February 2002, Van Exel was traded to the Dallas Mavericks. He was soon traded to the Golden State Warriors in 2003. In 2004, Van Exel was traded to the Portland Trailblazers and in 2005; he was traded to the San Antonio Spurs.