Cuttino Mobley


Cuttino Rashawn Mobley is an American retired professional basketball player who played from 1998 to 2008 in the NBA.

Biography

Cuttino, also known as the "Cat", attended Incarnation of Our Lord grade school in the Olney section of Philadelphia. After graduating from grade school, Mobley attended Cardinal Dougherty High School, transferred to Maine Central Institute in 1992, and graduated in 1993. After high school, he attended the University of Rhode Island from 1993 to 1998 and redshirted his first year. At Rhode Island, he helped lead the Rams team to an Elite Eight appearance in the 1998 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament and graduated with a degree in communication studies. He was selected in the second round of the 1998 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets. Mobley started at the shooting guard position, where he and Steve Francis formed one of the NBA's elite scoring backcourts. Mobley played with them for six seasons before being shipped to the Orlando Magic along with Steve Francis and Kelvin Cato for Tracy McGrady, Juwan Howard, Reece Gaines, and Tyronn Lue in the 2004 offseason. After playing 23 games with the Magic, though, he was traded to the Sacramento Kings, along with Michael Bradley for Doug Christie. Mobley ranked third in the league in three-point percentage during the 2004–2005 season. He signed a five-year US$42 million deal with the Clippers on July 14, 2005. Besides being known for his three-point shooting, he also relied heavily on his post-up game. In addition, he also ran the Clutch City shootout contest in Houston during his Rockets years. Mobley, along with Sam Cassell and Elton Brand, led the Clippers to the 2006 NBA playoffs.
On January 28, 2005, Mobley's home was burglarized. Thieves stole $500,000 in cash, jewelry, and other items from Mobley's Bel-Air, California home.
Mobley's half-brother, Daniel Smith, was a wide receiver for the National Football League's Carolina Panthers. He is also the cousin of former NFL linebacker John Mobley and the fourth cousin of Michelle Obama.
On November 21, 2008, Mobley and Tim Thomas were traded to the New York Knicks for Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins. Mobley averaged 13.9 points per game as a member of the Clippers. This deal was delayed, for during Mobley's physical, the Knicks discovered he has a heart condition. Because the Knicks initially made the deal for salary cap reasons, they decided to finalize the deal regardless. However, on November 28, 2008, it was reported that the heart condition "may be career-ending."

Retirement

On December 10, 2008, Mobley announced his retirement due to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy that was disclosed in a physical exam. This is the same heart illness suffered by Reggie Lewis, who died in 1993, and Hank Gathers, who died in 1990. Although he retired as a Knick, Mobley did not play a game for the team before retiring.
On April 5, 2010, the New York Knicks announced Mobley's formal release after the league approved their request for luxury tax relief.
In 2017, Mobley was co-captain of the Power in the BIG3, a 3-on-3 concept professional basketball league featuring former NBA players and prospects.

Personal life

In 2008, Mobley was named the recipient of the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association "Native Son" Award.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs