Playing Career
The 6 ft 10 in, 270 lb (208 cm, 122 kg) center was signed undrafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1995. He played 28 games for the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 1995–1996 season, then played for two years in Europe (France: Cholet, Limoges; Italy: Kinder Bologna; Greece: Panathinaikos; UK: Sheffield Sharks). In the season 1996–1997 he played for Panathinaikos BC. In September 1996 he won the Intercontinental Cup, being the first scorer (alongside with Fragiskos Alvertis) of Panathinaikos BC with 59 points in the 3 games of the tournament (18,23,18 pts). In 1997–1998 he played with Kinder Bologna but left mid-season before the Italians won the Euroleague.
He returned to the USA, signing with the Orlando Magic in 1999. With a solid 1999–2000 season, where he averaged 10.5 points in 21.1 minutes per contest, he gained fame for scoring the NBA's first points in the year 2000. Before speaking publicly about being gay, Amaechi may have been best known for turning down a $17 million contract offer from the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000, opting to remain in Orlando for $600,000 per year. Amaechi went on to play for the Utah Jazz from 2001 to 2003.
He was traded to the Houston Rockets before the 2003-04 NBA season in exchange for Glen Rice, and, though he was an active player, he did not participate in any games for them. The Rockets later traded him to the New York Knicks.
Read more about this topic: John Amaechi
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