Christen Guilford Dudley (born February 22, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player and politician. He played 886 games across 16 seasons in the NBA for the Cleveland Cavaliers, New Jersey Nets, Portland Trail Blazers, 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 (née Kovacs, c.1941–present), a teacher, and Guilford Dudley III (c. 1932–present), 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, was a member of Timothy Dwight College, 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 for a 1991 second-round pick and a 1993 second-round pick. He played three years with the Nets, including the 1990–91 season, in which he produced a career-best 7.1 points per game in 61 contests. The 1991–1992 season marked the first time he played all 82 games in a season, a feat he would replicate three seasons later with the Blazers. 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 (1997–2000) After playing 161 games for the Blazers between 1995 and 1997, Dudley was traded to the New York Knicks in a three-team deal with the Toronto Raptors, sending John Wallace from New York to Toronto, a 1998 first-round pick from New York to Portland, a 2007 second-round pick from Toronto to Portland and a 2000 first-round pick from Toronto to New York. During his stint with the Knicks, Dudley primarily 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 and shoved to the ground. Dudley responded by angrily 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, 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.
On July 18, 2001, Dudley, along with superstar point guard Jason Kidd, was traded back to the New Jersey Nets in exchange for Soumaila Samake, Johnny Newman, and Stephon Marbury. He was waived by the Nets the following month.
Return to Portland (2001–2003) Dudley returned to the Trail Blazers in 2001 as a free agent. In his first season back, he played 43 games (two starts), 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.