Sebastian Telfair

Sebastian Telfair (born June 9, 1985 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves. Telfair was the 13th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers out of Abraham Lincoln High School. He had committed to the University of Louisville and head coach Rick Pitino during his senior year, but decided to turn professional instead.

NBA career

Portland Trail Blazers

On January 1, 2005, Telfair scored 14 points on five-for-eleven shooting, making four of five free throws to go with five rebounds and five assists with one turnover.

In February 2005, interim coach Kevin Pritchard promoted Telfair to the starting lineup. Although Telfair averaged 6.8 points and 3.3 assists, the Trail Blazers ultimately lost 23 of their final 28 games while finishing with the team's worst record since 1975.

Telfair wore number 31 with the Trail Blazers, as he did in high school. It served as a reminder of where he came from, growing up on 31st Street in Coney Island, New York.

Under new head coach Nate McMillan (already Telfair's third NBA head coach), Telfair began the 2005–06 season as the starting point guard. He was occasionally paired in the backcourt with another high school draftee taken in 2005, Martell Webster. Telfair's production was an improvement over his 2004–05 numbers, but it was still considered below par for an NBA starting point guard. As a result, he...
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