American basketball player and executive
Daniel John Willard Ferry
(born October 17, 1966) is an American executive and retired professional
basketball
player who played the forward position.
Considered one of the most celebrated basketball players in the United States from the high school graduating class of 1985, Ferry chose to attend
Duke University
. Ferry led the
Duke Blue Devils
to three
Final Four
appearances while setting many school records and earning several national player of the year awards. In 2002, Ferry was named to the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) 50th Anniversary men's basketball team honoring the fifty greatest players in conference history.
Drafted into the NBA in
1989
as the second overall pick, Ferry played one season for
Italian league's
Il Messaggero (now
Virtus Roma
) after refusing to play for the
Los Angeles Clippers
. He went on to spend the majority of his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he played from 1990 to 2000. In the NBA, Ferry was a role player known for his three-point shooting. Ferry finished his playing career with the San Antonio Spurs, winning an NBA championship in the
2002?03 season
before retiring.
After Ferry's playing career ended, he became an executive. Ferry has served as vice president of basketball operations for the
San Antonio Spurs
and as general manager of the
Atlanta Hawks
and the
Cleveland Cavaliers
. He was hired as a consultant to the Spurs in 2020.
Early life and family
[
edit
]
Ferry was born in
Hyattsville, Maryland
[1]
to former NBA
center
and NBA executive
Bob Ferry
[1]
and his wife, Rita Ferry.
[2]
Ferry is of Irish descent; his great-great-grandfather, Peter Ferry, was born in Ireland in 1828 and emigrated to St. Louis, Missouri.
[3]
[
failed verification
]
The younger Ferry began his basketball career in earnest at
DeMatha Catholic High School
in Maryland where he excelled at the high school level under
Morgan Wootten
. The two-time All-American was ranked as one of the country's top high school basketball
centers
[4]
while at DeMatha and earned
Parade Magazine's
prep Player of the Year in 1985.
[5]
Ferry was one of the most highly recruited high school seniors in the nation before committing to
Duke University
.
[4]
Ferry and his wife, Tiffany, have five children.
[6]
College career
[
edit
]
Ferry attended
Duke University
and played basketball for the school over four seasons from 1985 to 1989. During his college career, he helped lead the Blue Devils to the Final Four in
1986
,
1988
and
1989
, twice winning the MVP award for the East Regional. Known for his outside shooting, rebounding abilities, and full-court vision,
[7]
Ferry was selected to the
first team All-America in 1989
and
second-team All-America in 1988
. As of 2024, Ferry still held Duke's all-time single game scoring record, having scored 58
points
against Miami on December 10, 1988.
[8]
He has been described as one of Duke's greatest players of all time.
[9]
Ferry became the first player in
Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)
history to collect more than 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 assists in his collegiate career.
[1]
[
failed verification
]
He left Duke with several national player of the year awards under his belt, including the
Naismith College Player of the Year
,
[1]
USBWA College Player of the Year
(
Oscar Robertson Trophy
)
[10]
[11]
and the
UPI
player of the year awards.
[1]
Ferry's number 35 was
retired
in 1989 at the end of his senior season.
[12]
In 2002, Ferry was named to the
ACC 50th Anniversary men's basketball team
honoring the fifty greatest players in ACC history.
[13]
Professional career
[
edit
]
Italy
[
edit
]
After college, Ferry was drafted by the
Los Angeles Clippers
in the first round (second overall pick) of the
1989 NBA draft
. He did not want to play with the Clippers; instead, he accepted an offer to play for the
Italian league's
Il Messaggero (now
Virtus Roma
). Ferry averaged 23 points per game during the 1989?90 season,
[14]
leading the Italian club into the playoffs.
[1]
The Clippers traded Ferry's rights on November 16, 1989, along with
Reggie Williams
, to the
Cleveland Cavaliers
in exchange for
guard
Ron Harper
, two first-round draft picks and a second-round pick.
[1]
[14]
Cleveland Cavaliers
[
edit
]
In the summer of 1990, the Cavaliers signed Ferry to a 10-year guaranteed contract for $34 million.
[15]
Ferry struggled with knee problems in the 1990?91 season.
[16]
He never lived up to the expectations created by his collegiate success and his large contract,
[17]
and he was considered a draft bust.
[11]
While Ferry became a reliable role player in the NBA
[18]
who was known for his three-point shooting,
[19]
he did not become a regular starter for the Cavaliers until 1996.
[17]
In the
1995?96 NBA season
, Ferry averaged 13.3 points per game. He had only one other season in his career (1996?1997) in which he averaged more than 10 points per game.
[20]
During Ferry's 10 years in Cleveland,
[21]
[22]
the team made the NBA playoffs six times.
[23]
Ferry became the team's all-time leader in games played (723 games) before
?ydr?nas Ilgauskas
surpassed his record on December 2, 2009.
[24]
San Antonio Spurs
[
edit
]
Ferry signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the
San Antonio Spurs
as a free agent
[25]
on August 10,
2000
.
[22]
Ferry played for San Antonio for three seasons, amassing a three-point field goal percentage of 42.5%. He won an NBA championship with the Spurs in the
2002?03 season
before being traded to the
Indiana Pacers
in a three-team trade involving the
Sacramento Kings
. Ferry was waived by the Pacers and he retired in 2003
[21]
with a career average of 7.0 points per game.
[14]
Over the course of his career, Ferry shot 39.3% from three-point range.
[19]
Management career
[
edit
]
From 2003 to 2005, Ferry worked in the Spurs' front office.
[26]
On June 27, 2005, Ferry became the Cavaliers' eighth general manager.
[27]
Ferry began his management tenure with the Cavaliers overseeing a series of less-than-optimal transactions.
[28]
Nonetheless, the team flourished with superstar
LeBron James
and newly installed head coach
Mike Brown
at the helm as the team made a series of serious postseason runs beginning in
2006
. Ferry, Brown, and Cavaliers majority owner Dan Gilbert began to add talent and depth to the Cavs' roster, notably acquiring one-time
All-Star
guard
Mo Williams
, former All-Star
center
Shaquille O'Neal
, starting
shooting guard
Anthony Parker
, forward
Leon Powe
, and former All-Star
Antawn Jamison
between 2008 and 2010.
[28]
The Cavaliers reached the NBA Finals for the first time in 2007.
[29]
On June 4, 2010, it was announced that Ferry and the Cavaliers had come to a mutual agreement to part ways.
[30]
The Cavaliers went 272?138 during Ferry's tenure.
[31]
In August 2010, Ferry returned to the Spurs as vice president of basketball operations.
[32]
On June 25, 2012, Ferry accepted a position as president of basketball operations and general manager for the Atlanta Hawks.
[33]
In June 2014, Ferry read aloud verbatim an "offensive and racist comment" written in a scouting report
[34]
during a conference call about
Miami Heat
player
Luol Deng
. Hawks co-owner Michael Gearon Jr. called for him to resign or be dismissed. On September 9, Hawks CEO Steve Koonin announced that the team had decided not to dismiss Ferry and that they were instead going to discipline him.
[
citation needed
]
A few days later, Ferry asked to take?and was approved for?an immediate, indefinite leave of absence.
[35]
In June 2015, an independent investigation reported that Ferry's actions were not motivated by racism. According to UPI, "[the] investigation, which included 19 witness interviews and reviewed the contents of more than 24,000 emails, made clear that the offensive language was not Ferry's and none of Ferry's remarks or behavior during the call were motivated by racial or ethnic animus, or by a person's country of origin. To the contrary, the investigation found Ferry shared his own opinion of Deng, recommended him both personally and professionally and ultimately tried to sign him to the team."
[36]
Following the release of the investigation results, Ferry reached a buyout agreement with the Hawks.
[37]
[38]
Ferry became a special advisor to the general manager of the
New Orleans Pelicans
in June 2016.
[39]
After the firing of general manager
Dell Demps
on February 15, 2019, Ferry was named the team's interim general manager.
[40]
He held that role for the rest of the season before being removed from his position on April 17 with the hiring of
David Griffin
as Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations.
[41]
Ferry was hired as a consultant to the Spurs in 2020.
[42]
NBA career statistics
[
edit
]
Regular season
[
edit
]
Playoffs
[
edit
]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
"1990?91 Hoops ? Danny Ferry"
.
Hoops
. NBA Properties, Inc. 1990. Archived from
the original
on January 19, 2013
. Retrieved
March 2,
2010
.
- ^
Denlinger, Ken (February 12, 1984).
"Ferry Family Stands Tall and Accomplished, With More to Come"
– via www.washingtonpost.com.
- ^
"familyhistoryinsider.com"
.
familyhistoryinsider.com
.
- ^
a
b
"THIRD TIME IS THE CHARM: DEMATHA ROUTS HENRY CLAY"
.
Lexington Herald-Leader
. December 23, 1984. p. C6
. Retrieved
March 3,
2010
.
- ^
"Ferry Signs With Blue Devils"
.
The Dispatch
. Associated Press. April 3, 1985. p. 10
. Retrieved
March 3,
2010
.
- ^
Windhorst, Brian; Dealer, The Plain (March 9, 2009).
"GM Danny Ferry leads Cleveland Cavaliers' charge through changes"
.
cleveland
.
- ^
Wilstein, Steve (April 3, 1989).
"A Painful Ending For Duke's Ferry"
.
The Dispatch
. p. 11
. Retrieved
March 2,
2010
.
- ^
Duke Report.
Duke Single Game Records
Archived
April 27, 2014, at the
Wayback Machine
.
USA Today
. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
- ^
Brodess, Doug (October 24, 2011).
"Duke Basketball: Top 10 Blue Devils of All Time"
.
Bleacher Report
.
- ^
The Oscar Robertson Trophy
Archived
June 11, 2008, at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
a
b
Lipschultz, Ross (February 5, 2011).
"The Top 25 College Stars Who Were Busts in the NBA"
.
Bleacher Report
.
- ^
Drum, Keith (February 18, 1989).
"Danny Ferry scored 26 points after Duke retired his... - UPI Archives"
.
UPI
.
- ^
"ACC 50th Anniversary Men's Basketball Team :: North Carolina leads all league schools with 12 members on the Golden Anniversary team"
.
theacc.com
. September 29, 2007. Archived from
the original
on September 29, 2007
. Retrieved
October 22,
2020
.
- ^
a
b
c
Reid, John (June 9, 2016).
"7 things to know about Danny Ferry, the Pelicans newly hired special adviser"
.
NOLA.com
.
- ^
Goldaper, Sam (October 14, 1990).
"Pro Basketball; Cavaliers' Success Hits New Heights"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
September 29,
2018
.
- ^
Aldridge, David (January 15, 1991).
"DANNY FERRY PLAYS TRANSITION GAME"
.
washingtonpost.com
.
- ^
a
b
Berkow, Ira (April 25, 1996).
"N.B.A. PLAYOFFS: Getting a Second Shot and Nailing It; After More Downs Than Ups, the Cavs' Ferry Finally Fits In"
– via NYTimes.com.
- ^
Phillips, Mike (June 1, 2020).
"Duke basketball: 5 Blue Devil greats who didn't live up to the NBA hype"
.
FanSided
.
- ^
a
b
Bailey, Andy (July 5, 2020).
"Ranking the NBA's Greatest Shooting Bigs of All Time"
.
Bleacher Report
.
- ^
"Danny Ferry Stats"
.
BasketballReference.com
. Retrieved
September 29,
2018
.
- ^
a
b
Wolkenbrod, Rob (August 16, 2018).
"Spurs offseasons revisted: 2000"
.
AirAlamo.com
.
- ^
a
b
"Spurs Name Danny Ferry Vice President of Basketball Operations"
.
NBA.com
. August 26, 2010.
- ^
"Cleveland Cavaliers Franchise Index"
.
Basketball-Reference.com
. Retrieved
October 10,
2023
.
- ^
Beaven, Chris (December 2, 2009).
"Ilgauskas finally has his record day as Cavs rout Suns"
.
The Repository
. Archived from
the original
on June 9, 2011
. Retrieved
March 3,
2010
.
- ^
Finnan, Bob (August 11, 2000).
"Spurs sign Ferry"
.
MorningJournal.com
.
- ^
Fisher, David (June 8, 2016).
"Pelicans hire Danny Ferry as special advisor"
.
The Bird Writes
.
- ^
"Danny Ferry timeline as general manager of the Cavaliers"
.
cleveland.com
. June 4, 2010.
- ^
a
b
"Magical deals become norm for Cavs' GM Danny Ferry"
.
The Repository
. March 3, 2010. Archived from
the original
on June 29, 2012
. Retrieved
March 3,
2010
.
- ^
Cutler, Teddy (June 1, 2017).
"Will LeBron James's eighth NBA Finals appearance be his best yet?"
.
Newsweek
.
- ^
"Cleveland Cavaliers and General Manager Danny Ferry Announce They Will Not Enter Into a New Contract"
.
www.nba.com
. June 4, 2010.
- ^
"Danny Ferry has resigned as Cleveland Cavaliers general manager"
.
Crain's Cleveland Business
. June 4, 2010.
- ^
"Spurs Name Danny Ferry Vice President of Basketball Operations"
.
www.nba.com
. August 26, 2010.
- ^
Odum, Charles (June 25, 2012).
"Ferry not coming to Sixers, inks deal to be Hawks' GM"
.
delcotimes.com
.
- ^
Sandritter, Mark (September 7, 2014).
"Hawks will discipline GM Danny Ferry for comment"
.
SBNation.com
.
- ^
"Danny Ferry takes leave of absence"
. ESPN. September 12, 2014
. Retrieved
September 12,
2014
.
- ^
"Ferry resigns, cleared of racial remarks"
.
United Press International
. June 22, 2015
. Retrieved
June 25,
2015
.
- ^
Shelburne, Ramona (June 22, 2015).
"Ferry exits as Hawks GM with 'mixed emotions'
"
.
ESPN.com
.
- ^
Zillgitt, Jeff.
"Danny Ferry's comments about Deng not motivated by racial bias, probe finds"
.
USA TODAY
.
- ^
Smith, Kerouac (June 9, 2016).
"Danny Ferry is back in the NBA after controversial exit from Hawks"
.
FoxSports.com
. Archived from
the original
on September 30, 2018
. Retrieved
September 30,
2018
.
- ^
"New Orleans Pelicans part ways with Dell Demps"
.
NBA.com
. February 15, 2019
. Retrieved
March 16,
2019
.
- ^
"Pelicans name David Griffin Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations"
.
NBA.com
. April 17, 2019
. Retrieved
April 17,
2019
.
- ^
Dubinski, Marilyn (December 18, 2020).
"Report: Danny Ferry is returning to the Spurs' front office"
.
Pounding The Rock
. Retrieved
May 2,
2023
.
External links
[
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]
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