DENVER (KDVR) — An NBA champion and Colorado Sports Hall of Fame inductee was honored by Denver Public Schools in a ceremony held at his alma mater on Tuesday.
Chauncey Billups, the current head coach for the Portland Trailblazers, is from Denver’s Park Hill neighborhood and was honored during a dedication ceremony at George Washington High School on Jan. 17.
(Credit: Denver Public School)
The ceremony held by DPS renamed George Washington High School’s gym after the student-athlete that brought the basketball program so much attention during his years of attendance from 1991 to 1995. It also honored Billups extensive efforts in giving back to the community that he’s led ever since.
Billups’ family, GWHS students and administrators were all in attendance as the NBA great’s signature was revealed as part of the Chauncey Billups Court’s new floor design.
Chauncey Billups: Park Hill’s NBA champion
In addition to Billups’ long list of accolades, like the title-winning run with the Detroit Pistons in 2004 when his team-leading efforts earned him the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player award, he carries a long list of Colorado-focused laurels as well:
- Leading GWHS to the Class 5A Title during the 1993-94 season
- First-Team All-State honors in all four years of high school
- Being the first person to be named “Mr. Colorado Basketball” three times
- Receiving Colorado Player of the Year twice
- Earning a spot in the 1995 McDonalds All-American Game
In addition to playing for the high school in Denver’s Washington Virginia Vale neighborhood, Billups also played for two years for the Buffaloes while attending the University of Colorado in Boulder.
According to History Colorado, he set the freshman records for total points, assists, and per-game-scoring average. Even more impressively, Billups became the second-fastest player in history to score 500 points in a college career during his 28-game collegiate career.
(Credit: Denver Public Schools)
After entering the NBA in the 1997 draft, Billups would go on to play 17 seasons with seven different teams, spending two separate spells with the Denver Nuggets. Aside from his title win, Billups also racked up a list of awards during his NBA tenure that included:
- The 2008 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award
- NBA award given to a player, coach, or staff member who provides outstanding service and dedication to the community
- 2009 NBA Sportsmanship Award
- 2013 NBA Teammate of the Year Award
- In 2016 the Detroit Pistons retired his No. 1 jersey
Since 2010, he’s been managing the Chauncey Billups Elite Basketball Academy, which is a nonprofit focused on developing the skills of Colorado youth regarding basketball.
Billups was entered into the National High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2013 and just two years later in 2015, he was named to the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame.