Bradley Lee Daugherty (born October 19 1965 in Black Mountain, North Carolina) is an American former basketball player at the University of North Carolina and later with the Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA.

Amateur career

Brad played basketball at Charles D. Owen High School in Black Mountain, North Carolina. There he led the Warhorses to the 1982 state finals. Daugherty accepted a scholarship to play at the University of North Carolina under legendary college basketball coach Dean Smith.

Daugherty was one of the greatest players ever to play at the University of North Carolina. He entered college as a 16 year old freshman and was a two-time ALL-ACC first team selection, and a first team All-American in 1986. Brad was named to the ACC basketball All-Time team in 2002 and was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. Brad averaged more than twenty points per game in his senior season with the UNC Tar Heels.

Professional career

Brad was taken as the first pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1986 NBA Draft. Cleveland had obtained the rights to the first pick in a trade with the Philadelphia 76ers for Roy Hinson. The Cavaliers also drafted Ron Harper with the eighth pick in the 1986 draft and obtained the rights to Mark Price (in a trade with the Dallas Mavericks) the 25th pick (second round). Harper, Price and Daugherty, along with fellow rookie John "Hot Rod" Williams immediately began to pay dividends for Cleveland. Daugherty, Williams, and Harper were all named to the '86-'87 All-Rookie team.

Daugherty averaged nineteen points and ten rebounds per game over eight seasons in the NBA and retired as the Cavaliers all time leading scorer (10,389 points) and rebounder (5,227). Daugherty's all time-leading scorer record stood until March 21, 2008, when LeBron James broke the point barrier against the Toronto Raptors. He played in 41 postseason games and led the Cavaliers as far as the Eastern Conference Finals in 1992. Brad was a five time All-Star (1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993) and one of the greatest players in Cleveland Cavalier history. As part of the Cavaliers 30th Anniversary in 1999-2000, Daugherty was a unanimous selection to the All-Time Cleveland Cavalier team.

Brad's career in the NBA was cut short at the age of 28 because of recurrent back troubles. Daugherty never played another game after the 1993-94 season though he did make one appearance in uniform for the Whoopi Goldberg movie Eddie along with teammates Hot Rod Williams, John Battle, Terrell Brandon, and Bobby Phills. After two consecutive seasons of inactivity, he announced his retirement after the 1995-96 season. His #43 jersey, a number he picked as a tribute to NASCAR legend Richard Petty (whom Daugherty lists as his favorite sportsman) , was retired by the Cavaliers on March 1, 1997.

Personal life

Brad currently lives in Asheville, NC with his two children, Colton and Brianna. His business interests include car dealerships, waste management and commercial real estate. He is also a college basketball analyst and NASCAR broadcaster for ESPN. He is active in many charities including hosting the Presbyterian Home for Children’s annual golf tournament, which raises money in support of the home, located in Black Mountain. He also has sponsored an annual scholarship to help a child from Presbyterian Home receive a higher education. At UNC, he has given to the Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History and has served on the Board of Visitors and the athletic council of the General Alumni Association Board. He has also served with Andie MacDowell as co-chair of the fundraising campaign for the Asheville Humane Society'snew animal adoption and education center.

Following his retirement from the NBA, Daugherty co-owned a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team (Liberty Racing) featuring such drivers as Kenny Irwin Jr. and Kevin Harvick. In 1997 Irwin won two Craftsman Truck Series races driving for Daugherty (Homestead-Miami Speedway in March and Texas Motor Speedway in June). Daugherty joined ESPN's return to NASCAR racing telecasts in 2007 He is currently an analyst on NASCAR Countdown, ESPN's new pre-race show, and on NASCAR Now, a nightly newscast on the sport. He is also part owner of JTG Daugherty Racing and Tony Kostelnak Racing.

External links

• NBA.com profile
• Career stats at basketball-reference.com
• "From Basketball to Business" Asheville-Citizen Times interview, June 15, 2008