Sports Envoy
Sports Envoy Program

Sport: Basketball

Detlef Schrempf

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2013  –  Nigeria

Detlef Schrempf is a German-American basketball player who was drafted into the NBA by the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 1985 NBA draft, with the eighth overall pick. Schrempf played in the NBA for 16 seasons, with the Indiana Pacers, the Seattle SuperSonics, and the Portland Trail Blazers. He also played for the West German, and later German, national team in the 1984 and 1992 Summer Olympics and the 1983 and 1985 EuroBasket championships.

He has been awarded three NBA All Stars, two NBA Sixth Man of the Year, and one All NBA Third Team. Outside of the US in his home country, he was announced German Player of the Year in 1992. During his career, he ranked second in the NBA in three-point accuracy during the 1994–95 season with a 51.4 three-point field goal percentage and became leader in the NBA in offensive rating the same season with 127 points per 100 possessions.

Schrempf established the Detlef Schrempf Foundation in 1996 to benefit local charities. His foundation hosts the Detlef Schrempf Celebrity Golf Classic at McCormick Woods Golf Course in Port Orchard, Washington, each summer and has raised about $10 million for children’s charities in the Pacific Northwest. He as well in January 2012, won the Paul Allen Award for Citizenship at the 77th annual Sports Star of the Year banquet in Seattle.

Derrick Alston

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2014  –  Philippines

Derrick Alston is a former basketball player who currently works as the head coach for the Westchester Knicks of the NBA G League.

Alston, a forward/center from Duquesne University, started his professional career when he was picked during the second round by the Philadelphia 76ers during the 1994 NBA Draft, he was selected 33rd overall. He played for the Philadelphia 76ers for two seasons. Then playing 2 games for the Atlanta Hawks in late 1996 before taking his game overseas.

Joining the New Zealand Breakers mid-season 2007-08, Alston made an immediate impact. Statistically, he reached the top 20 in the league for FG%, shooting at 56.0%, and offensive rebounds, while averaging 13.8 ppg and being instrumental in helping the Breakers reach the playoffs for the first time in club history.

In 2012, after his retirement, Alston joined the staff of the Houston Rockets and served as their Player Development Coach for two seasons 2012-2015 before beginning his coaching position for the Westchester Knicks.

DeCovan “Dee” Brown

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2011  –  Tanzania

DeCovan Kadell “Dee” Brown (born November 29, 1968, in Jacksonville, Florida) is a retired American professional basketball player who spent twelve seasons (1990–2002) in the NBA, playing for the Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors, and Orlando Magic.

A 6’1″ (1.85 m) guard from Jacksonville University, Brown was selected by the Celtics with the 19th pick of the 1990 NBA Draft. He was a member of the NBA All-Rookie Team in his first year, when he played in all 82 games and averaged 8.7 points per game. One of the highlights of his career occurred in 1991, when he won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest with a “no-look” slam dunk. He was a starter for Boston during the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons and posted his best scoring numbers, averaging more than 15 points per game each of those years. After seven and a half seasons with the Celtics, he was traded to the Raptors along with Chauncey Billups in 1998. Overall, during his career, he scored 6,758 total points.

Brown later served roles in the Women’s National Basketball Association first as a head coach for the Orlando Miracle and then as the head coach for the San Antonio Silver Stars. In 2005 he won a one-year contract as a studio analyst for ESPN as the winner of the reality show Dream Job, defeating former Houston Rocket Matt Bullard. He went on to host a ESPN show called City Slam!

In 2005, Brown established EDGE Basketball, LLC with himself as CEO. The outfit specializes in training players from middle school up to the professional ranks. On July 29, 2009, Brown was named as the head coach of the Springfield Armor, a team in the NBA Developmental League. He is also concurrently the team’s Director of Basketball Operations.

David Fizdale

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2009  –  Philippines

David Fizdale begins his first season as an assistant coach for the HEAT after serving the previous five seasons as an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks. He began his professional career assisting in the HEAT’s video room during the 1997-98 season. Among his responsibilities in his new role, Fizdale will be assisting in the areas of player development, scouting, game preparation and other duties assigned by Head Coach Erik Spolestra.
The 34-year old Fizdale returns to Miami after spending the past four seasons (2004-08) as an assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks where he played an instrumental role in the development of their young players. He helped the Hawks increase their win total in each of his final three seasons and during the 2007-08 season, they earned the franchise’s first postseason appearance since 1999. He began his NBA coaching career as an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors for one season (2003-04).

Directly before joining the Warriors, Fizdale worked as an assistant coach for one season at Fresno State University (2002-03) where his responsibilities included player development and serving as the school’s recruiting coordinator. After concluding his collegiate playing career and spending one year as the HEAT’s video intern in 1997-98, he began his coaching career with a four-year stint (1998-2002) as an assistant coach at his alma mater, the University of San Diego. During his final year with the Toreros he was the top assistant for coach Brad Holland. While at USD, he was in charge of scheduling, served as the recruiting coordinator and worked in player development and on-court coaching.

A three-year starter at point guard while playing at the University of San Diego, Fizdale was selected to the All-West Coast Conference team after his senior season in 1996. A Los Angeles native, Fizdale earned a bachelor’s degree in communications and a minor in sociology from San Diego in 1996. He is single and currently resides in Miami.

Darvin Ham

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2011  –  Venezuela
  • 2012  –  Burma

Darvin Ham is a professional basketball coach that enjoys fulfillment of helping others. He founded Urban Youth Development in 2003 to bring about a critical change in his communities.

Darvin was born July 23, 1973 in Saginaw, Michigan.

Darvin was shot in a cross-fire one block away from his home at the age of 14, during his 9th grade year, while attending Central Junior High School. The bullet entered his jaw, and lodged in his neck, barely missing his spine by millimeters. No one was convicted for the shooting. Having gone through a life-threatening experience at such an early age, Darvin realized how precious life is and moreover, the terrible circumstances that have entrapped our young men.

Darvin attended Saginaw High School and played just 1 year, his senior year, during 1990-91. After making a verbal commitment to the United States Air Force, Darvin was persuaded by his brother DeRonnie to pursue an athletic scholarship through basketball and was granted a partial scholarship in the summer of 1991 to attend Otero Junior College in LaJunta, Colorado.

After playing the 1991-92 season at Otero, Darvin was voted an All-American and participated at the JUCO(junior college) Jamboree in Vincennes, Indiana during the summer of 1992. There he was discovered by Texas Tech University. He earned his Associate of Arts degree from Westark Community College in Fort Smith, Arkansas in July of 1993.

Darvin attended Texas Tech from 1993-96. During that time, he started all 90 games of his collegiate career. At Texas Tech, Darvin received the following accolades:
• Named to Southwestern Conference Defensive Team (1993-1994)
• Named by The Sporting News as the Southwest Conference “Most Underrated Player” before the 1995-96 season.
• Name second team All-SWC in 1995-96.
• One of four seniors to lead Texas Tech to the Sweet 16 after posting a 28-1 regular season record.
• Featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated after shattering the backboard during an upset victory over North Carolina in the 1996 NCAA Tournament.
• Finished the season ranked 9th in the nation with a 30-2 record.
• 1996 NCAA Slam Dunk Champion

Darvin’s NBA Bio:
• Signed as an undrafted rookie free agent with the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association.
• Finished 4th in the Nestle Crunch NBA Slam Dunk Contest at All-Star Weekend in 1997.
• Traded to the Indiana Pacers midway through his rookie season in February of 1997.
• Signed as a free agent with the Washington Wizards for the 1997-98 season.
• Signed as a free agent with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1999, and played there until 2002.
• Signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Hawks for the 2002-03 season.
• Signed as a free agent with the Detroit Pistons in 2003, and played there until 2005.
• Member of the 2003-04 NBA World Champions Detroit Pistons.
• Has appeared in 417 NBA games, with 45 starts.
• Has appeared in 55 playoff games, with 11 starts.
Broadcasting
• FOX Sports Network (FSN) Southwest NBA Analyst
• NBAtv Network Analyst
NBDL
• Drafted 3rd in the 2007-08 NBDL Draft by the Albuquerque Thunderbirds
• 2007-08 Member of the Southwest Division Champion Austin Toros
• 2008-09 Assistant Coach for the Albuquerque Thunderbirds

Coaches that I’ve played for have a combined 3,422 wins.
Bernie Bickerstaff- 414
Dick Motta-935
George Karl-879
Lon Kruger- 69
Terry Stotts-115
Larry Brown-1010

Darvin’s International Bio:
• Played in Granada, Spain during 1998-99 season.
• Featured guest of NIKE Swiss Camp in Zurich, Switzerland in 2002.
• Played in Manila, Philippines in 2006.
• Played in Coamo, Puerto Rico in 2006.
• For the past 8 years, annually oversees a Basketball Life Skills Camp in Bad Honnef, Germany.

Mr. Ham has a wife, Deneitra, of 11 years, 3 sons, Darvin Jr., 17, Donovan, 12 and Dominic,9. Thanks to the priceless examples set forth by his father and grandfather, both of whom are now deceased, Darvin was shown the importance of a strong, positive and influential male role model directly in the home.

His hobbies include fishing, playing dominoes, traveling, jet-skiing, working-out, working with young basketball players (AAU), and going out-to-eat with his wife and kids.

Chris Henderson

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2019  –  China

Chris Henderson works as a Partnership Management Analyst for the NBA 2K League, focusing on League Marketing and Partnerships.

Cherokee Parks

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2018  –  Philippines

A 6 ft 11 in (211 cm), 240 lb (109 kg) center, Parks played his college basketball at Duke University under coach Mike Krzyzewski and won the 1992 national title during his freshman year. After college, he was selected by the Dallas Mavericks in the 1st round (12th overall pick) of the 1995 NBA Draft. In his ten season NBA career (1995–2004), he played for the Mavericks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Vancouver Grizzlies, Los Angeles Clippers, San Antonio Spurs, Washington Wizards, and Golden State Warriors. He averaged career-highs of 7.1 points per game and 5.5 rebounds per game during the 1997–98 season with Minnesota. Parks came out of retirement in 2011 to play in France.

Charlie Bell

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2016  –  Cameroon

Charlie Bell is a former American professional basketball player of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Bell attended Michigan State University, where he appeared in three NCAA Final Fours and won the NCAA Championship in 2000. Undrafted in the 2001 NBA Draft, Bell had brief stints with the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks before playing professionally in Italy and Spain from 2002-05. He won the Italian League with Benetton Treviso in 2002 and was named to the Spanish League First Team for the 2004-05 season as a member of Leche Rio Breogan Lugo.

Bell joined the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks for the 2005-06 season and recorded his first career triple-double on March 28, 2006. He went on to play for the Bucks through the 2009-10 season before joining the Golden State Warriors for the 2010-11 season. Bell last played in 2012 for Otto Caserta in Italy.

Charles “CJ” Watson

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2012  –  Senegal

2010-11 (Chicago): He appeared in all 82 regular season games (one start) and averaged 4.9 ppg, 2.3 apg, 1.1 rpg, 0.67 spg, 13.3 mpg and shot .371 from the field, .393 from behind the arc and .742 from the line … led the Bulls in scoring once and in assists three times … posted six games with 10-plus points scored, including one game with 33 points … finished with eight points, a team-high six assists and four boards in 18:30 against NJ (04/13) … scored 13 points and added four assists at MIN (03/30) … posted eight points, six assists and three boards at ATL (03/22) … tallied 11 points and seven assists versus SAC (03/21) … posted 16 points, eight assists and five boards versus UTH (03/12) … scored 14 points in 18:50 versus PHI (12/21) … in his lone start of the year at DEN (11/26), he posted a game-high 33 points … scored 13 points at DAL (11/19) … 2011 Playoffs: Played in 16 games and averaged 3.2 ppg, 1.9 apg, 0.9 rpg, 8.5 mpg, .339 shooting from the field, .200 from behind the arc and .909 from the line.

Career: Has appeared in 256 NBA games (34 starts) and owns career averages of 7.5 ppg, 2.4 apg, 1.9 rpg, 1.05 spg, 20.0 mpg and shot .437 from the field, .362 from behind the arc and .807 from the line … has appeared in 16 postseason games and averaged 3.2 ppg, 1.9 apg, 0.9 rpg, 8.5 mpg, .339 shooting from the field, .200 from behind the arc and .909 from the line … 2009-10 (Golden State): Appeared in 65 games (15 starts), and averaged 10.3 ppg, 2.8 apg, 2.6 rpg and 1.58 spg … averaged career highs in points, rebounds, assists, steals and minutes while shooting a career-high .468 from the field … made 15 starts, and posted 15.4 ppg, 4.7 apg, 3.8 rpg, and 2.13 spg in 38.8 mpg … scored a career-high 40 points versus SAC (02/17) … posted the highest assist-to-turnover ratio on the team with 2.5 assists per turnover … recorded multiple steals on 29 occasions, including a career-high seven thefts versus BOS (12/28) … scored 20-plus points in three straight games (02/16-02/19), the first time in his career he had accomplished this run … scored in double-figures 32 times, including 20-plus points seven times, and one game with 40 points … missed 14 games due to injury/illness (six games with fractured ribs, five games with the flu and four games with a laceration on his right hand) … registered two DNP-CDs … 2008-09 (Golden State): Appeared in 77 games (18 starts), and tallied 9.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg and 2.7 apg in 24.5 mpg … started 18 games and averaged 14.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg and 4.1 apg in 36.2 mpg … played 25-plus minutes in 36 games, where he averaged 13.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg and 3.8 apg in those contests … scored a then career-high 38 points and shot 16-of-16 from the free throw line in a win at UTH (04/11), marking the most points ever scored in an NBA game by a former D-League player … reached double-figures in scoring 35 times, with four games with 20-plus points and one contest with 30-plus points … two-plus steals 24 times … missed two games due to injury and one due to personal reasons … posted two DNP-CDs … 2007-08 (Golden State/Rio Grande Valley Vipers): Appeared in 32 games with Golden State, and posted 3.7 ppg, 1.1 apg, 1.0 rpg and 9.5 mpg … in five games where he received 20-plus minutes, he averaged 10.0 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.2 apg and 1.40 spg … reached double-figures in scoring four times … recorded 15 DNP-CDs … in 16 games with Rio Grande (NBDL), he averaged 26.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 5.3 apg and 1.38 spg in 38.1 mpg … he shot .506 (128-253 FG) from the field, .400 (18-45 3FGM) from three-point range and .899 (149-166 FT) from the free throw line … at the time of his call-up, he ranked third in the D-League in scoring, having scored 20-or-more points 14 times, with six 30-plus efforts and one 40-point performance, and he also ranked fifth in assists … he was named the NBA Development League Player of the Month for December … 2006-07 (Bipop-Carire Reggie Emilia, Italy A-1/PAOK Thessaloniki, Greek League): Spent the season in Europe, splitting time between Italy and Greece … while in Italy, he played 17 games for Bipop-Carire Reggie Emilia, and posted 8.5 ppg and 2.3 rpg … in five contests with PAOK Thessaloniki, he averaged 7.4 ppg and 2.2 apg.

Career Transactions: Went undrafted following his senior season at Tennessee in the 2006 NBA Draft … signed by Golden State as a free-agent call-up from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA Developmental League (01/08/08) … re-signed by Golden State as a restricted free agent (09/09/09) … traded to Chicago from Golden State in exchange for a 2011 second round draft pick (07/22/10).

College Career: Played four seasons at the University of Tennessee … finished his collegiate career in Knoxville as the second all-time leader in assists (577), second in steals (198), sixth in three-point field goal percentage (.396), tied for eighth in three-point field goals (401) and 15th in scoring (1,424 points) … started 118 of his 119 career games … earned Second Team All-SEC honors from The Associated Press and the SEC coaches following his senior year … following his collegiate career, he was named to the Volunteers’ All-Century Basketball Team.
Personal: Full name is Charles Akeem Watson, Jr. … is the son of Charles and Cathy Watson … he has one brother, Kashif Watson, and one sister, Vonyetta Brooks … received the nickname C.J. from his father when he was a young child … was an active participant in the Warriors community relations efforts … he distributed free tickets to the team’s preseason games to fans at the City Center Bart Station … he teamed with Southwest Airlines to hold the C.J. Watson Essay Contest during the 2008-09 season, in which two fifth graders from W.P. Williams Elementary School in Watson’s hometown of Las Vegas were rewarded for their winning essays about an event in black history that they felt most changed or influenced America’s way of life with an all-expenses paid trip to Oakland to see a Warriors game … in previous seasons, he visited a local Boys & Girls Club, made an appearance at a session of Warriors Basketball Camp and took part in the Oracle Basketball Clinic at the Warriors Practice Facility … he has participated in Golden State’s Hoops For Hope program … he majored in psychology at Tennessee … he was a two-time Nevada state Player of the Year in high school and he led his high school to a pair of state championships … he attended the same high school as NBA guard Marcus Banks and NFL running back Steven Jackson … he enjoys reading, yoga, golf, bowling and playing Nintendo Wii in his spare time … he collects basketball cards and sneakers … he lists his parents and grandparents as the people he admires most … he is a fan of the Indianapolis Colts and the New York Yankees … he has a daughter, Ayanna Watson (born 10/05/07).

Cedric Ceballos

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2013  –  Angola
  • 2014  –  Democratic Republic of Congo

During a distinguished NBA career, All Star small forward Cedric Z. Ceballos played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons and Miami Heat.

After achieving fame for winning the 1992 NBA Slam Dunk Contest with a remarkable blindfolded jam, Ceballos’ career highlights include leading the NBA in field goal percentage (57.6) in 1992-93 en route to an appearance in the NBA Finals with the Suns. With a 21.7 points per game average in 1994-95, he led the Lakers in scoring and made the Western Conference the All-Star team. During the 1995-96 season, Ceballos again led the Lakers with a 21.2 average, notching the Lakers’ first 50-point game in over 20 years.

Since retiring from the hardwood, Ceballos has worked with the Phoenix Suns as their in-arena emcee and host of a weekly webcast, “Nothin’ but Net.” In addition to his basketball skills, Ceballos earned notoriety as a musician, working on the album B-Ball’s Best Kept Secret, a 1994 record featuring tracks of an array of early 1990s NBA players. He is featured on multiple tracks performing with hip-hop star Warren G on “Flow On” and later on the track “Ya Don’t Stop” also featuring fellow NBA All-Star Dana Barros and rappers Grand Puba, Sadat X, AG and Diamond D. He has also hosted a morning music program for Phoenix, Arizona rhythm & blues radio station MEGA 104.3 FM.

Cedric Ceballos is an alumni of Ventura College and Cal State Fullerton. His daughter, Cyndee, recently signed to play basketball for Seattle University.