Professional Career
A 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) push-and-pass point guard, he was rated among the better defensive stoppers in the game. The former Garland High School, Midland College (where he earned NJCAA All American honors in 1987), and University of Oklahoma star is most highly regarded for his quick hands and a ball hawking defensive style that produced more than 200 steals in a season five times and two NBA All-Defensive first-team selections. He was also a capable outside shooter, a fine passer who generally ranked among the league's assist leaders, and a durable instigator of the fast break. In 1988, he (along with Stacey King) led the Sooners to the NCAA title game.
Blaylock was selected by the New Jersey Nets with the 12th overall pick of the 1989 NBA Draft and settled quickly into Nets' rotation. He was traded to the Atlanta Hawks prior to the 1992–93 season, where he flourished under newly-signed coach Lenny Wilkens. He was traded to the Golden State Warriors in a trade that brought the 1999 10th overall draft pick Jason Terry to Atlanta, and finished off his career playing as a reserve for the Warriors.
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