Rony Seikaly Pics

Ronald

Seikaly

Male

10 May 1965

83

Athletic

Black

Beirut, Lebanon

Taurus

Middle Eastern

Christian

Miami Heat

Lebanese

Ronald Fred Seikaly (Arabic: رونالد ﺼيقلي‎) born May 10th, 1965, in Beirut, Lebanon) is a retired Lebanese-American professional basketball player. At the age of 9 years old, Rony Seikaly moved from Beirut where he attended his elementary school at the Athenee de Beyrouth, Bechemoun, Lebanon to Greece, where he was raised. He attended an American high school in Athens, Greece, the American Community School, or ACS Athens. He is a naturalized American citizen. In 1984, he began attending Syracuse University in upstate New York. He played at center for the Syracuse Orange men`s basketball team (then known as the Orangemen). He was an All-American and was also named to the John R. Wooden All-American Team. He was chosen on the Orange`s All Century Team and his number 4 jersey has been raised to the rafters at the Carrier Dome and his number has been retired. He graduated from Syracuse as the all time leading rebounder, second in blocked shots and fourth in scoring. He led his Syracuse team to the 1987 NCAA tournament championship finals against the Indiana Hoosiers. When Seikaly was 17 years old he joined the Euroleague club Panathinaikos in a tournament in Cyprus, but his nationality prevented him from playing in the Greek Championship as a Greek player, so he moved to the USA. In 1988, the Miami Heat used their franchise`s first ever draft pick (9th overall that year) to select the center. His career with Miami saw him setting numerous team records including blocks (8), rebounds (34) and double doubles. He averaged 16 points and 10 Rebounds in his career with the Heat. He was also in the NBA`s top 7 rebounders for 5 straight years. He was also named the NBA`s Most Improved Player in 1990. In 1994, Seikaly was traded to the Golden State Warriors where he spent two and a half seasons before going on to play for the Orlando Magic and averaged 16 points and 9.5 rebounds for the Magic. During the 1997-98 season he was traded to the Utah Jazz. The transaction was voided, due to an injury in his right foot and remained with Orlando. Eventually, he was traded to the New Jersey Nets in early 1998, before announcing his retirement from the game in 2000. He holds career averages of 14.7 points per game, 9.5 rebounds per game and 1.29 blocks per game. Seikaly`s NBA career highs in a game are 40 points, 34 rebounds, 8 blocked shots, 4 steals and 6 assists. During his run with the Heat, he had the nickname "The Spin Doctor", due to his trademark low-post spin moves.[citation needed] After Seikaly left the NBA, he signed with the Spanish League basketball team FC Barcelona. Seikaly owns and runs a multi-million dollar real estate investment company; he is also an investor in the South Beach, Miami restaurant Quattro, Sosta and Club Mokai. He is an avid music lover and has been spotted DJing around Miami. Every year Seikaly hosts the annual Rony Seikaly Golf Tournament for cystic fibrosis. He was formerly married to Mexican supermodel Elsa Benitez, the 2001 and 2006 cover girl for the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. They divorced in 2005; they have a daughter, Mila.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rony_Seikaly

Ronald F. Seikaly

Ronald Fred "Rony" Seikaly (Arabic: ?; born May 10, 1965) is a retired Lebanese-born American professional basketball player.

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Miami Heat, 1st round (9th pick, 9th overall), 1988 NBA Draft

Center

05 November 1988

American School in Athens, Greece

Syracuse University

F.

Lebanon

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