Sport: Basketball
Born: August 29, 1980
Town: Teaneck, New Jersey
David Moorer West was born August 29, 1980 in Teaneck, NJ to Amos and Harriet West. He spent his boyhood in Teaneck before the family moved to North Carolina, where he attended Garner Magnet High School outside of Raleigh. A 6’9″ power forward with soft hands, long arms and a delicate shooting touch. David was on the radar of college recruiters, but his grades and scores weren’t up to Division-I standards. He spent a fifth year at Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia and was recruited by Marshall, Virginia and Florida State, among others.
David accepted a basketball scholarship to Xavier University in Cincinnati and was a varsity starter as a freshman during the 1999–2000 season. Beginning his sophomore year, David was named Atlantic 10 Player of the Year three seasons in a row. Playing alongside Lionel Chalmers and Romain Sato, he led the Musketeers to a pair of conference championships. As a junior in 2001–02, David was honored as a second-team All-American. As a senior in 2002–03, David was a first-team All-American and was named National Player of the Year. He averaged 20.1 points, 3.2 assists and 11.8 rebounds per game.
David was drafted 18th overall by the New Orleans Hornets in 2003. It took a couple of years for him to find his way in the NBA but, in 2005–06, he blossomed into a star. In 2007–08, David was named to the All-Star Game. He was an All-Star again the following season, when he average more than 20 points a contest.
After Chris Paul left the Hornets via free agency, David decided it was time to look for a new home, too. He signed with the Indiana Pacers and averaged 12.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, helping the team reach the East Semifinals before falling in six games to the powerhouse Miami Heat. David upped his scoring to 17.1 points per game in 2012–13 and averaged 14.0 the following season. Both years, the Pacers advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, but fell to the Heat.
David played two more seasons with the Pacers, scoring in double figures both years. In 2014–15, he averaged a career-high 3.4 assists per game for Indiana. He opted out of his contract the following summer and, hoping to score a championship ring, signed a free-agent deal with San Antonio. He backed up LaMarcus Aldridge on a team that won 67 games and captured the Southwest Division crown. Unfortunately, the Spurs lost in the second round of the playoffs to Kevin Durant and the Thunder.
David finally earned his championship ring in 2016–17 as a member of the Golden State Warriors. His passing skills off the bench proved invaluable to the team’s run to the NBA Finals, as the Warriors swept his former team, the Spurs, in the conference finals. Golden State beat the Cavaliers 4 games to 1 in the finals.
David averaged 13 minutes a game during the 2017 postseason and shot a red-hot 57.6 percent. He re-signed with the Warriors in July and announced that 2017–18 would be his final NBA season. He made it official after winning his second ring as a role player with the Warriors.
A longtime proponent of the idea that college players should be compensated, he became the chief operating officer of the Professional Collegiate League, which competes with the NCAA for top high-school talent.