Sports Envoy
Sports Envoy Program

Sport: Basketball

Jason Maxiell

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2009  –  Uganda

Jason Maxiell began his basketball career during his time at the University of Cincinnati from 2001 to 2005. He is best known for his time spent with the Detroit Pistons but has played for the NBA and in China and Turkey.

During his time at the University of Cincinnati, he earned Conference USA Sixth Man and All-Freshmen team honors as a freshman. Maxiell earned All-Conference USA second team honors in both his junior and senior years. And as a senior in 2004–05, he led Conference USA in blocked shots (2.8 bpg) and ranked 18th in the nation. His 91 blocks are the second-highest University of Cincinnati single-season total. Maxiell was selected by the Detroit Pistons with the 26th overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft, playing for Pistons until 2013 when he signed with Orlando Magic.

He signed with Tianjin Ronggang of the Chinese Basketball Association in 2015 and played for them for a year. On January 30, 2017, Maxiell signed with the second-tier Turkish team Acıbadem Üniversitesi before retiring later that year as a Detroit Piston.

Jason Collins

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2015  –  Brazil
  • 2016  –  Angola

Jason Collins is a retired American professional basketball player of the National Basketball As-sociation (NBA).

Collins attended Stanford University, where he was an All-American in the 2000-2001 season. He was also named to the All Pac-10 First Team and awarded the NABC Pete Newell “Big Man of the Year” Award. He finished his college career ranked first in Stanford history for field goal percentage and third in blocked shots. Upon graduating with a B.A. from Stan-ford, Collins was selected in the first round of the 2001 NBA Draft with the 18th overall pick. Now a 13-year veteran, Collins has played center for six teams including New Jersey, Memphis, Minnesota, Atlanta, Boston, Washington and, most recently, the Brooklyn Nets (formerly the New Jersey Nets). Doc Rivers, who coached Collins during his time with the Boston Celtics, said of Collins: “He’s the best. He literally is one of the best guys I’ve ever had in the locker room, player or coach.” In his 13 years in the league, Collins’ teams earned 10 trips to the playoffs including 2 NBA Finals appearances.

After the 2012-13 NBA season concluded, Collins publicly came out as gay in a cover story for Sports Illustrated, becoming the first male active player in any of the four major American professional sports to announce that he is gay. President Obama expressed his gratitude to Collins for his courageous announcement and said he “couldn’t be prouder” of Collins, recognizing this as a point of progress for the LGBT community, and one more step in America’s goal to treat everyone fairly and with respect. Collins has traveled the country with the mission of empowering people to live their lives as their true selves, and has become an active member of numerous charities, foundations and organizations. In 2013, GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, honored Collins with the Courage Award at the GLSEN Respect Awards. In 2014, Logo TV honored Collins with its inaugural Trailblazer Award. Also in 2014, the Matthew Shepard Foundation honored Collins with its Making a Difference Award at its annual Honors Gala.

In April 2014, Collins was featured on the cover of Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World.” He served on the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition, which works to motivate Americans to adopt a healthy lifestyle via physical activity and nutrition. Collins resides in Los Angeles, California.

James “Sam” Vincent

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2011  –  Jordan

James Samuel Vincent was born May 18, 1963 in Lansing Michigan. Sam attended Lansing’s Eastern High School followed by Michigan State University. At 6’2, Sam played point guard for the MSU Spartans where he averaged 16.8 points per game.

One of Sam’s first big career hallmarks was when he was named the State of Michigan’s very first “Mr. Basketball” in 1981. That honor was soon followed by others as Vincent was named team MVP in 1983 – 1985, and was awarded The Sporting News All-America honors in 1985. His college career rankings are impressive. He ranks sixth in career scoring, third in career steals and ninth in career assists. Following graduation, Vincent was a 1985 first round NBA Draft selection by the Celtics (20th overall). During his pro career he averaged 7.8 points per game and 3.9 assists per game. He played with Boston (1985-87), Seattle (1987-88), Chicago (1987-890 and with Orlando (1989-92).

In his rookie year with the Celtics, Sam helped the team win an NBA championship. Again, during his sophomore year they made yet another NBA Final. Not a bad start to a great pro career. Sought by the Seattle Super Sonics, Sam joined the team for part of the 1987-88 season before being traded to the Chicago Bulls where he averaged 13 points, 8.4 assists and 3.6 rebounds. All this while starting 27 games and helping the Bulls to the NBA playoffs. The following season with the Bulls, Vincent started 56 of the 70 games as the team advanced to the Eastern Conference finals. After the 1989-90 season he was chosen by the Orlando Magic in the expansion draft, where he averaged 11.2 points, 5.6 assists and 3.1 during the teams first year.

After Sam finished his playing career he joined Reggie Williams, vice president at Disney’s Wide World of Sports. As a special advisor his job involved recruiting major sporting events for the Orlando, Florida area. As much as he enjoyed his position in Orlando, it wasn’t where his heart was. Sam Vincent wanted to be on the court where he knew he had much to offer. He made up his mind to follow his dream and get back to the game, this time as a coach.

In 1996 he was hired as head coach of the Cape Town Kings in South Africa. This position encompassed quite a challenge as he was now responsible for overseeing every aspect of the organization. Handling everything from business administration, marketing and communications, even sponsorship sales, Sam Vincent took it all in stride. With three seasons of experience in Cape Town, he was named head coach for both the Men’s and Women’s South African Senior National Teams. Followed in 1999 – 2000 by a position in Larissa, Greece with the Greek A-2 Men’s Basketball League before moving on to the A-1 Dutch League as head coach of the Canoe Jeans in Den Bosch, Netherlands.

Always in search of the next challenge that would help him gain experience and the chance to hone his innate coaching abilities, in 2003 Vincent became head coach of the Nigerian women’s national team. In December his team won its first FIBA Africa Championship, which earned them a berth at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Neither Sam nor his team rested on their collective laurels. In Athens his coaching skills were proven again as the team defeated South Korea 68-64, giving the African women’s basketball team their first taste of Olympic victory and the first-ever Olympic victory by an African women’s basketball team. From there Coach Vincent became head coach of the Nigerian men’s national basketball team. With the same dedication to his players and the game, Coach Vincent developed a team that took a bronze medal in the 2005 FIBA Africa championships. The men followed that up with an impressive 82-75 upset win over the acknowledged powerhouse Serbia and Montenegro in the FIBA World Championships of 2006.

With these impressive victories as proof of his growing coaching skills it wasn’t surprising that he would make the move to his first NBA coaching job in the US. In 2006 he became coach of the Dallas Mavericks for the Toshiba Vegas Summer League going on to serve as an assistant coach during the 2006 -2007 season when the Mavericks won a league best 67 games during their regular season. In 2007, Michael Jordan, his former teammate on the Chicago Bulls and current team president of basketball operations for the Charlotte Bobcats, selected Sam as his head coach for the 2007/2008 NBA season. And although his stint as head coach lasted only one season, Sam was still thankful to Michael Jordan and Bob Johnson for the opportunity. The opportunity brought experience, and even though the team suffered through several player injuries, they managed to put together a 32 win season.

Throughout his basketball career he has taken an interest in community programs. Sam has been actively involved with Basketball without Borders since 1997. This exceptional program provides youth, 16-20 years of age, an opportunity to share living quarters with their teammates and participate in seminars that focus on community outreach efforts for education, grassroots basketball development, product donation, healthy living, HIV/AIDS and drug abuse education and prevention.

Sam Vincent is an outstanding coach. Whether he’s coaching in the States or abroad, in the NBA, the NBDL, or Africa National team makes no difference – they all get the best he has to give: his skill, his enthusiasm and his devotion to a sport he loves.

Asked about his career, Sam responded: “I was fortunate to play for some great coaches and with some legendary players during my NBA career. I am honored to be given the opportunity to coach the sport I love and be a part of the basketball family.”

Experience

2009 – Head Coach Jamaican National Team
Won the Caribbean Island Championship
2008 – 2009 Head Coach NBDL Anaheim (CA.) Arsenal
Development of (1) player (James White) led to a mid-season call-up to the Houston Rockets Development of (2) players (Cedric Bozeman and (Kendrick Brown) led to new personal highs in rebounding and scoring
2007 – 2008 Head Coach NBA Charlotte Bobcats
Finished the 2008-09 season with a record of 32-50, close to the 8th seeded playoff spot behind the Atlanta Hawks. Established the Bobcats first five-game win streak
Coached the Bobcats to wins against the Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trailblazers, and Seattle Supersonics on a three-game, west coast road trip
2006 – 2007 Assistant Coach NBA Dallas Mavericks
Created an Excel spreadsheet to chart effectiveness of offensive plays based on amount of points scored per play.
2005 – 2006 Head Coach NBDL Fort Worth Flyers
Advanced to the League Championship game after first year as Head coach.
Responsible for team operations and player management
Managed operations budget and travel logistics
2005 – present Head Coach Nigerian Men’s National Basketball Team
Nigerian Men’s National Basketball Team advanced to qualifying round at 2006 World Championships in Japan.
Won the 2005 African Championship bronze metal.
2003 – 2005 Head Coach Nigerian Women’s National Basketball Team
Women’s team won the first Olympic basketball game in history for Nigeria at the 2004 Summer Games in Greece.
Responsible for implementation of National team program for men and women, including grass root youth development programs
Responsible for group management of the Nigerian government delegation attending the 2004 Olympic Games
2003 – 2005 Camp Director Basketball Without Borders-Africa
Created Africa 100 concept which turned into NBA’s Basketball Without Borders. Responsible for all ground logistics, communications, and public relations in connection with South African government at South African camp
2001 – 2003 Head Coach NBDL Mobile Revelers
Won the League Championship in 2nd year as Head coach.
Responsible for team operations and player management
Managed operations budget and travel logistics
2000 – 2001 Head Coach Canoe Jeans, Netherlands
Responsible for team operations and player management
Managed operations budget and travel logistics
Designed and developed youth development programs
1999 – 2000 Head Coach Larissa, Greece
Responsible for team operations and player management
Managed operations budget and travel logistics
1997 – 1999 Head Coach Cape Town Kings, South African Premier Basketball League (PBL) Responsible for team operations and player management
Managed operations budget and travel logistics
1996 – 1997 Managing Director, Cape Town Kings, South African Premier Basketball League (PBL)
Responsible for strategy, marketing, advertising, public relations, player contract negotiations, and player personnel

George Gervin

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2011  –  India

George Gervin’s playing record speaks volumes. Only Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan have won more league scoring titles than Gervin’s four, and he was the first guard ever to win three in a row. His career scoring average of 26.2 points per game is among the game’s best as is his combined NBA/ABA total of 26,595 points.
George “The Iceman” Gervin was born April 27, 1952 in Detroit, Michigan. Gervin, who began his career in the American Basketball Association (ABA) with the Virginia Squires, later played in the NBA for the San Antonio Spurs and Chicago Bulls. Gervin averaged at least 14 points per game in all 14 of his ABA and NBA seasons, and finished with an NBA career average of 26.2 points per game.
Nicknamed Iceman for his cool demeanor on the court, Gervin was primarily known for his scoring talents. He led teams at both Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan and Long Beach State. After leaving college, Gervin signed with the Virginia Squires of the ABA. According to legend, Gervin made 22 of 25 three-point attempts at the tryout and was immediately signed.

His first three scoring titles were consecutive from 1978 to 1980 and his fourth came in 1982. In 1978, he narrowly edged David Thompson for the scoring title by seven hundredths of a point (27.22 to 27.15), overcoming Thompson’s historic 73 points on the last night of the season with his own 63 point night, including a record 33 points in the second quarter. Gervin earned five selections to the All-NBA First Team and appeared in nine straight NBA All-Star Games during his NBA career.

When he left the NBA, Gervin played for several years in Italy for Banco Roma during the 1986-87 season, and in the Spanish National Basketball League for TDK Manresa team. He averaged 25.5 points, 5 rebounds and 1.2 assists, and in his last match he scored 31 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to keep Manresa in the Spanish first division.
After his playing days were completed Gervin worked as a community relations representative for the Spurs until 1992, when Head Coach John Lucas made him an assistant. After two seasons on the bench, he returned to his position in the community relations department in 1994.

Gervin’s No. 44 jersey has been retired by the Spurs. And in 1996, Gervin enjoyed a banner year as he was named to the NBA 50th Anniversary All-Time Team and was also inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Gawen DeAngelo “Bonzi” Wells

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2019  –  China

Gawen DeAngelo “Bonzi” Wells is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball at Ball State University and was drafted in the 1998 NBA Draft.

Erik Spoelstra

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2009  –  Philippines
  • 2014  –  Philippines

Erik Spoelstra is the Head Coach of the Miami HEAT. He was elevated to his current post on April 28, 2008 when HEAT President Pat Riley stepped down as Head Coach.

Known for his game preparation and superb attention to detail as the HEAT’s Assistant Coach/Director of Scouting, Spoelstra had the primary role of developing game plans for upcoming opponents for the past seven seasons. To that end, he coordinated the video staff and advance scouts while overseeing the development of scouting reports and videos.

Spoelstra has also built a strong reputation as a teacher over the years by heading the HEAT’s Individual Player Development Program. Erik has worked with many of the HEAT’s young players in areas of fundamentals, skill development and shooting. He also served as the head coach of the HEAT’s summer league squad for three seasons (2005-07).

Additionally, Spoelstra helped design and integrate a proprietary statistical database and scouting software for the HEAT. The HEAT continue to use the state-of-the-art statistical software to evaluate team productivity, individual player productivity and trends for both the HEAT and the team’s opponents.

Spoelstra originally joined the HEAT as the team’s video coordinator in 1995 where he spent two seasons preparing scouting tapes and developing the team’s information technology for the coaching staff. He served as Assistant Coach/Video Coordinator the following two seasons (1997-99). He was then promoted to Assistant Coach/Advance Scout and served in that role for two seasons (1999-01) before being elevated to Assistant Coach/Director of Scouting.

A 1992 graduate from the University of Portland with a degree in communications, Spoelstra was the starting point guard for four years for the Pilots and was named the West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year. After college he spent two years as a player/coach for Tus Herten, a team in the professional sports league of Germany.

Spoelstra is the son of Jon Spoelstra, a long-time NBA executive who has guided the Portland Trail Blazers, Denver Nuggets and New Jersey Nets. His grandfather, Watson, was a Detroit Tigers beat writer for many years.

A native of Portland, Spoelstra resides in Miami.

Elvis Valcarcel

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2017  –  Guyana
  • 2017  –  Suriname

Elvis Valcarcel begins his third season with the Pelicans, his second as an assistant coach coach after serving as a special assistant to the head coach during the 2015-16 season. Valcarcel joined the Pelicans after serving as the video coordinator for the Sacramento Kings from 2013-15. Before joining the Kings, Valcarcel was the video coordinator for the Phoenix Suns from 2009-13 after serving as the assistant video coordinator during the 2008-09 season. While with the Suns, Valcarcel also was an assistant coach for the Suns’ NBA Summer League squad in 2010 and 2012 and did advance scouting in 2011 and 2012. Valcarcel was also the video coordinator for the Phoenix Mercury in 2009 when they won the WNBA championship. Prior to Phoenix, Valcarcel worked two years as an administrative assistant/video coordinator for the men’s basketball program at Seton Hall University. From Union City, N.J., Valcarcel earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice and Sociology from Rutgers University.

Edward Corsely

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2014  –  South Korea

Edwards was born in Baltimore, Maryland and graduated from Lake Clifton High School in 1998. He played collegiately at Central Connecticut State University and led the team to its first ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2000. Edwards has had a very international basketball career, playing for teams in Turkey, China, Spain, Croatia, Poland, and the US.

He was selected by the Sacramento Kings in the 2nd round (58th pick) in the 2002 NBA draft. However, in the same year, the Yakima Sun Kings of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) selected Edwards as the top pick in the third round (17th overall).

In the season of 2003-2004 he played as Center for RB Montecatini Terme in the Italian LegaDue. He returned to the Sioux Falls Skyforce in 2005 and won the 2005 CBA championship with the team. Later that year, he joined Fenerbahçe of the Turkish Basketball League. With Fenerbahçe, he averaged 12.5 points and 7.1 rebounds. For the 2010-2011 season he signed with the Zagreb club KK Cedevita, where he averaged 12.9 points per game and helped the team enter the Eurocup Basketball 2010–11 Final four.

In October 2014, Edwards was appointed an assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets. Late September of 2016, Edwards was appointed an assistant coach of the Greensboro Swarm, a new NBA Development League franchise. He served as an assistant there for three seasons.

Doug Overton

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2014  –  China

Doug Overton is a retired former American basketball player. Prior to beginning his 11 seasons with the NBA, Overton spent a season with the Illawarra Hawks of the Australian NBL. He credits his time with the Illawarra Hawks as a big stepping stone for his career in the NBA.

He was selected by the Detroit Pistons in the 2nd round (40th overall) of the 1991 NBA draft. Overton played for the Washington Bullets, Denver Nuggets, Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Magic, New Jersey Nets, Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets and Los Angeles Clippers. In his NBA career, Overton played in 499 games and scored a total of 2,253 points. As well as earned the First-team All-MAAC three times.

In May 2006, Overton was named assistant men’s basketball coach at Saint Joseph’s University. He became an assistant coach for the NBA’s New Jersey Nets in 2008. He was also named Nets Player Development Coach prior to the 2010–11 season. Now coaches Lincoln University men’s basketball in Oxford, Pennsylvania.

Dikembe Mutombo

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2007  –  Democratic Republic of Congo
  • 2011  –  South Sudan

Dikembe Mutombo hails from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In 1987, Mutombo was the recipient of a USAID scholarship to attend Georgetown University, and he soon excelled both academically and in basketball. In the 1991 NBA draft, the Denver Nuggets drafted Mutombo with the fourth overall pick. The Nuggets ranked last in the NBA in opponent points-per-game and defensive rating and Mutombo’s shot-blocking ability made an immediate impression across the league.

As a rookie, Mutombo was selected for the All-Star team and averaged 16.6 points, 12.3 rebounds, and nearly three blocks per game. Over his career, he averaged 2.8 blocks and 10.3 rebounds per game. He is second all-time in registered blocks, behind only Hakeem Olajuwon, and is the 20th most prolific rebounder ever. He was also an eight-time All-Star and was elected into three All-NBA and six All-Defensive Teams.

A well-known humanitarian, Mutombo started the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation to improve living conditions in his native Democratic Republic of Congo in 1997. His efforts earned him the NBA’s J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award in 2001 and 2009. For his feats, Sporting News named him as one of the “Good Guys in Sports” in 1999 and 2000. In 1999, he was elected as one of 20 winners of the President’s Service Awards, the nation’s highest honor for volunteer service.

In 2004, he participated in the Basketball Without Borders NBA program, where NBA stars toured Africa to spread the word about basketball and to improve the infrastructure. He paid for uniforms and expenses for the Zaire women’s basketball team during the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta. Mutombo is also a spokesman for the international relief agency, CARE and is the first Youth Emissary for the United Nations Development Program.