Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

5 NBA players with Las Vegas ties to begin season

Shawn Marion

AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta

Dallas Mavericks’ Shawn Marion, right, scores on a layup past Washington Wizards’ DeShawn Stevenson during the first half of an NBA preseason basketball game, Friday, Oct. 9, 2009, in Washington. The Mavericks won 123-115.

The new NBA season starts today, which means one of a quintet of professional basketball players with ties to Las Vegas will be working tonight.

When Dallas plays host to the Washington Wizards, veteran wing and former UNLV Rebel Shawn Marion will be starting his 11th season in the league.

He’s 31 and has made a mint in the NBA, and his new deal with the Mavericks is guaranteed for five more seasons.

The rest of the players with connections to Las Vegas will play Wednesday night. A look at the quintet:

Louis Amundson, Phoenix

The former Rebel made YouTube fame last season by piling all those little white pesky popcorn packaging things into Shaquille O’Neal’s SUV. This is his final season on a contract worth $855,189.

The Suns open the season Wednesday in Los Angeles against the Clippers.

Joel Anthony, Miami

The left-handed Canadian swatter has done pretty well for being a specialist. He averaged 3 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots last season, and he started a career-best 28 times.

He started twice in the playoffs, too. The 27-year-old low-post player from UNLV has two years left on a deal that will pay him $1.7 million.

The Heat plays host to the New York Knicks on Wednesday night.

Marcus Banks, Toronto

The former UNLV guard has six years of NBA experience, and he has two seasons and $9.4 million left on his contract.

A month after being traded from Miami last season, he was shelved for good after undergoing surgery on his right foot. Banks turns 28 next month.

A nasty flu bug reportedly has zapped Banks recently.

The Raptors play host to Cleveland on Wednesday.

Shawn Marion, Dallas

The ex-UNLV high-flying wing is starting a five-year pact, worth almost $39 million, with the Mavericks after a complicated July trade from Toronto landed him in Dallas.

He returned after missing four games to score 14 points in the preseason finale against Houston. He has made almost $93 million in his career.

Marion has tallied 14,363 points in his career, including playoff games.

C.J. Watson, Golden State

The former Bishop Gorman High star and Tennessee Volunteer has been hampered by a knee injury, but that didn’t stop Golden State coach Don Nelson from starting him in the Warriors’ final preseason game against New Orleans.

That didn’t go so well, as the combo of him and Monta Ellis wasn’t effective. Still, the Warriors are high on Watson, who inked a $1 million deal for this season.

He turned down a three-year contract worth $5.4 million in the summer. The Warriors even included a player opt-out clause for the third season.

The 25-year-old Watson also turned down a one-year deal worth $2.3 million from Philadelphia over the summer. Orlando is interested in Watson, who becomes a restricted free agent after the season.

Golden State plays host to Houston on Wednesday.

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy