Damon Stoudamire grew up in Portland, Oregon, USA. He attended Wilson High School, where he played as a benched point guard. He worked hard and was always going to practices early to practice his shots. He attended College at the University of Arizona. He played as the starting point guard in University. Damon was drafted by the Toronto Raptors under the management of Isiah Thomas (also one of the greatest point guards in history who has won 3 championships and was known for his deadly cross-overs, (my favourite move). Damon was ironically "boo'd" by the home crowd who prefered Ed O'Bannon (drafted 9, 1st round, by Nets). Damon worked hard, despite the negativity he was receiving and he even said once that Toronto was one of his favourite cities. Damon had to prove himself to Toronto and the NBA that he was a champion, and that he would represent Toronto better than Ed O'Bannon. His swift moves and bullet passes turned Toronto's disappointment into respect. Isiah (general manager) said "He exceeds our expectation".Damon won the Rookie of the Year Award. over Jerry Stackhouse who many though had a chance to win. He later played in the Rookie All Star Game and received the Rookie Most Valuable Players Award. . Damon took over Toronto by storm and made the new franchies more pleasurable to watch. He received his first nick name in the NBA as "Mighty Mouse" because he was considerably short and he had a tatoo of the original Mighty Mouse on his left shoulder. He was the leader for the Raptors in assist with 9.4 P/G (also one of the top ten in NBA) and in scoring with 18.5 PP/G. He was being recognized all over the NBA as a sensational point guard. Even Jordan has complimented on his ability to handle the pressure and his quickness when Raptors defeated the Bulls (one of the best games I've ever seen). Damon became known for his leadership qualities and his clutch 3 point shots which has won many games for the Raptors.Damon Stoudamire is a short player who stands at only 5'10" but he has conquered his disavantages by giving his full effort, and he overcame despair to become the great basketball player that he is today.
LOST & GAIN (a bitter but sweet "goodbye" to Damon)
Damon "Mighty Mouse" Stoudamire has recently left the Toronto Raptors to continue living his dreams in another uniform. He became a member of the talented Portland Trailblazers, which is his hometown. It was a real dramatic farewell for me and there is nothing that can describe my gratitude for Damon's hard work and strive to make the Raptors an exciting team. I am very happy for him and I hope that he will provide the same passion and effort in Portland as he gave the Raptors. There is without a doubt that he will be a talented player with a great future. Damon will always be my mentor and idol. Damon "YOU DA MAN!"
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