Chris Dudley
Christen Guilford Dudley is an American retired basketball player and politician. He played 886 games across 16 seasons in the NBA for the Cleveland Cavaliers, New Jersey Nets, Portland Trail Blazers twice, New York Knicks, and Phoenix Suns. A journeyman center, he was known primarily for his defensive skill as a rebounder and shot blocker. In his second season with the Knicks, he played in the 1999 NBA Finals.
In 2010, he was the Republican nominee for Governor of Oregon; he lost the election to Democrat John Kitzhaber.
Early life and education
Dudley was born in Stamford, Connecticut, the son of Elizabeth Josephine, a teacher, and Guilford Dudley III, a minister. His maternal grandfather, also a minister, immigrated from Hungary, and his maternal grandmother's parents were also Hungarian. His paternal grandfather was Guilford Dudley, who was U.S. ambassador to Denmark under the Nixon and Ford presidential administrations.Dudley played high school basketball at Torrey Pines High School in San Diego, California. He was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 16. Like his parents, grandfather, and uncle, Dudley attended Yale University. At Yale he played NCAA basketball for the Bulldogs from 1983 to 1987 and earned a degree in political science and economics.
NBA career
Cleveland Cavaliers (1987 – 1990)
Dudley began playing with the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 1987–88 NBA season. During his rookie season, he played in 55 of 82 games, averaging three points per game.New Jersey Nets (1990 – 1993)
During the 1989–1990 season, he was traded to the New Jersey Nets. He played three years with the Nets, including the 1990–91 season, in which he enjoyed his best scoring average: 7.1 points per game in 61 contests. In the 1991–1992 season, he was available for all 82 games, one of only two such years in his career. In the 1992–1993 season, he was a bench contributor as the Nets went to their second playoff spot in two years. On June 7, 1993, Dudley's teammate Dražen Petrović died in a car accident in Germany.Portland Trail Blazers (1993 – 1997)
During the 1993 offseason, Dudley signed as a free agent with the Portland Trail Blazers. An injury kept Dudley out of all but six games during his first season in Portland. Though teammate Clyde Drexler was traded to the Houston Rockets in the middle of the next season, Dudley and the Blazers made it to the playoffs.New York Knicks & NBA Finals (1997 – 2000)
After playing 161 games for the Blazers between 1995 and 1997, Dudley went to the New York Knicks, where he backed up Patrick Ewing for three seasons. On March 28, 1999, in a game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Shaquille O'Neal made a dunk while guarded by Dudley, whom O'Neal subsequently physically thrust himself upon then shoved to the ground. Dudley responded in anger by throwing the ball at O'Neal. Both men received technical fouls for their actions. The next month, on April 16, he grabbed his 5,000th NBA rebound during a game between the Knicks and the Detroit Pistons.In 1999, Dudley reached the NBA Finals for the only time in his career. The 1999 Knicks, who are the only 8th seeded team in NBA history to reach the Finals, lost to the San Antonio Spurs four games to one. Dudley's Finals averages were 1.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 0.6 blocks, and 2.8 fouls across 15.6 minutes per game.
Phoenix Suns (2000 – 2001)
After his stint with the Knicks, Dudley was traded to the Phoenix Suns for Luc Longley, participating in 53 games in the 2000–01 season. During this season, he averaged 1.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.1 fouls in 11.6 minutes per game.Back to Portland and retirement (2001 – 2003)
He returned to the Trail Blazers in 2001 as a free agent. In his first season back, he played 43 games, with averages of 1.1 points and 1.9 rebounds per game, alongside 40% field goal shooting. Dudley retired after playing 11 total minutes in three games during the 2002–03 season.Player profile
In a career total of 886 NBA games, Dudley scored 3473 points, had 375 assists, blocked 1027 shots and had 5457 rebounds.In 1990, Dudley missed 13 consecutive free throws, setting an NBA record. In 1989, he set the record for most free throws missed in a single trip to the foul line, missing five consecutive free throws after the opposing team committed three lane violations.
NBA Honors
He was the recipient of the NBA's J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award in 1996, and USA TodayPost-NBA
In 1994, he created the Chris Dudley Foundation, an Oregon-based group intended to improve the lives of diabetic children and in the summer of 1996 the Foundation started a basketball camp for children with diabetes. He received an NBA award as well as other community awards for founding the organization. From 2005 to 2007, he was a volunteer assistant coach for the Lake Oswego High School boys' basketball team, where he mentored UCLA-bound star Kevin Love.In early 2006, Dudley became vice president of M Financial Wealth Management. Since October 2008, he has been a wealth management partner with Filigree Advisors.
2010 Oregon gubernatorial campaign
In the summer of 2009, Dudley, a Lake Oswego resident, was encouraged by the Republican Party to consider a run for the U.S. House of Representatives. Dudley declined to run for Congress, preferring to spend more time in the state. On October 11, 2009, The Oregonian reported that Dudley was considering entering the Republican primary for Oregon governor in 2010. In November 2009 he formed a campaign committee and raised roughly $340,000 by early December of the same year. Dudley formally announced his entry into the race on December 16. On March 6, 2010, The Oregonian reported Dudley had raised over $1 million, aided by a $50,000 donation from Nike co-founder Phil Knight.In May 2010, Dudley won 39% of the vote in a crowded Republican primary to win the GOP nomination, and prepared to face former governor John Kitzhaber in the November general election. On September 29, 2010, The Register-Guard reported that Chris Dudley's campaign had received $5.6 million, more than twice what was raised by the Kitzhaber campaign. His primary sponsors included the national Republican Governors Association, in-state timber companies, industry trade groups, and Portland area business executives. Nike chairman and co-founder Phil Knight gave Dudley's campaign $400,000.
Kitzhaber beat Dudley 49%–48%. Dudley raised and spent a total of $10.3 million, the largest amount ever in an Oregon governor's campaign. Kitzhaber raised and spent $7.4 million. The combined $17.7 million remains the most in an Oregon political race.
Personal life
Dudley and his wife, also named Chris, have two sons and one daughter. In April 2012, Dudley announced that his family was moving from Lake Oswego, Oregon, to San Diego, California so that his wife could pursue a business opportunity. He also indicated that his political career is likely over. Dudley closed his Oregon campaign committee, which could have been used for future races, in April 2014.During his playing career, Dudley donated $300,000 to a non-profit organization to help pay the cost of college tuition for a class of fourth-graders at Vernon Elementary School in Portland.
Two of Dudley's children have been associated with Division I college basketball. His son Charles was on the roster of the 2017-18 Bryant Bulldogs, but never played. Dudley's daughter Emma has been a reserve forward for the Utah State Aggies since 2018. During 29 career games in two seasons, she has averaged 0.9 points and 1.4 rebounds across 6.3 minutes per game.