50 greatest NBA players from the 1990s — 23. Detlef Schrempf
Detlef Schrempf entered the 1990s having just arrived with the Indiana Pacers in a February 1989 trade with the Dallas Mavericks along with a second-round pick in 1990 in exchange for Herb Williams.
It was as if someone intoned: Let the breakout …. begin.
Schrempf was the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year in 1990-91 and 1991-92 and made his first All-Star appearance in 1993.
In November 1993, though, the Pacers sent Schrempf to the Seattle SuperSonics in exchange for Derrick McKey and Gerald Paddio.
In four seasons with Indiana in the 1990s, Schrempf averaged 17.2 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 33.9 minutes per game, shooting .510/.299/.816.
In Seattle, Schrempf was a two-time All-Star and an All-NBA selection in 1994-95, when he was second in the NBA in 3-point percentage.
He also helped the Sonics to the 1996 NBA Finals, where they lost in six games to the Chicago Bulls. In the series, Schrempf averaged 16.3 points, five rebounds and 2.5 assists in 39.7 minutes per game, shooting .443/7-for-18/.875.
With Seattle, Schrempf averaged 16.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and four assists in 35 minutes per game, shooting .494/.414/.809.
The native of Germany was selected eighth overall by the Dallas Mavericks out of Washington in the 1985 NBA Draft and signed as a free agent with the Portland Trail Blazers in August 1999, playing two more years before retiring after the 2000-01 season.
In the decade of the 1990s, Schrempf was 16th with 12,404 points and 19th with 5,438 rebounds.