Cornelius Antoine Maggette (born November 12, 1979,
in Melrose Park, Illinois) is an American
professional basketball player, positioned at small
forward for the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers. He
excelled at Fenwick High School in Oak Park,
Illinois, where he was an All-American in basketball
and also an Illinois high school state track
finalist in long jump and triple jump. He was
originally selected with the 13th overall pick in
the 1999 NBA Draft out of Duke University by the
Seattle SuperSonics, but was immediately traded to
the Orlando Magic. Along with teammate Elton Brand
and college teammate William Avery, Maggette is
notable as one of the first Duke players to leave
before the end of his athletic eligibility during
the tenure of coach Mike Krzyzewski.
During his career with the Clippers, Maggette has
established himself as a solid forward and developed
into a perennial 20+ per game scorer. Known for
excellent jumping ability (he participated in the
Slam Dunk Contest at the 2001 NBA All-Star weekend)
as well as his propensity to create contact and get
to the free throw line, Maggette is consistently
among the league leaders in free throws attempted
and made (ranked 1st in the NBA in free throws per
48 minutes). He experienced a banner year in
2004-2005, touting career highs in points, rebounds,
assists and free throw percentage while leading the
Clippers to a 37-45 record, one of their best
showings in years. Bothered by a nagging foot
injury, he sat out much of the 2005-2006 campaign.
However, he returned to the court and has come off
the bench strongly during the 2006-2007 season,
despite reportedly feuding with coach Mike Dunleavy.
Corey Maggette had his career night against the
Lakers April 12, 2007, scoring 39 points and helping
the Clippers win the game after recovering from a
19-point deficit.
Off the court, Maggette works with children as a
member of the Clippers Reading All-Star Team and
also gives charitable donations to hospitals. His
"Uh Oh Maggette-O Kids" program brings hundreds of
kids to Clippers games for free each year. In 1999
he established his own "Corey Maggette Flight 50
Basketball Camp". He initially invited 50 kids (the
jersey number he wears) to the first year's camp.
After almost a decade, now the camp takes over 600
kids to its camps each year. It has won "NBA
Player's Best Camp Award" for its efforts. In June
2006 he also established "Corey Cares Foundation" to
serve, mentor and inspire the less fortunate in the
community of basketball and sports. Maggette also
can be seen on the streets of LA signing autographs
to kids and families.
