Keith Van Horn

Keith Van Horn
Keith Van Horn
Born	October 23, 1975 (age 51); United States
Occupation	Professional basketball player (retired)
Years active	1997–2006
Known for	NBA forward for New Jersey Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks, Dallas Mavericks

Keith Adam Van Horn (born October 23, 1975) is a retired American professional basketball forward who competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) between 1997 and 2006, representing five different franchises.

During his collegiate tenure with the Utah Utes, Van Horn became the all-time leading scorer in Western Athletic Conference (WAC) history. He received consensus first-team All-American honors in 1997 and was named to the second team in 1996.

Although the Philadelphia 76ers selected him as the second overall pick in the 1997 NBA draft, Van Horn was traded on draft night to the New Jersey Nets. He earned a spot on the 1998 NBA All-Rookie Team and led the Nets in scoring during both the 1997–98 and 1998–99 seasons, ranking fifth league-wide in points per game in 1998–99. Van Horn contributed to the Nets’ run to the NBA Finals in the 2001–02 season. His subsequent NBA career included periods with the 76ers, New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks, and Dallas Mavericks. Throughout his career, he averaged 16 points and nearly seven rebounds each game.

College career

Van Horn completed his high school education at Diamond Bar High School in California before enrolling at the University of Utah, where coach Rick Majerus recruited him to succeed standout player Josh Grant. From 1993 to 1997, he played for Utah, earning WAC Rookie of the Year honors in 1994. Despite personal adversity—including the loss of his father during his freshman year—he recorded a freshman scoring average of 18.3 points on 51% shooting alongside 8.3 rebounds per contest, setting a Utah freshman record. In his sophomore year, he led Utah to an NCAA Tournament appearance.

Van Horn was integral to two Utah squads that secured WAC tournament championships (1995 and 1997), earning tournament MVP recognition on both occasions. He gained acclaim for clutch performances, notably delivering consecutive game-winning shots during the 1997 WAC Tournament. In that same year, he posted averages of 22.0 points and 9.5 rebounds while shooting an impressive 90.4% from the free-throw line, guiding Utah to a school-record 29–4 season and a #2 national ranking—the highest ever for the program—and an Elite Eight berth in the NCAA Tournament. His outstanding play earned him consensus first-team All-American status and ESPN Men’s College Player of the Year honors.

Van Horn made history as the first athlete in WAC history to be named Player of the Year three times consecutively (1995–1997) and was only the second player to receive first-team all-WAC honors four straight years. He remains Utah’s and WAC’s all-time leading scorer with 2,542 points, holding school records for total points, defensive rebounds, three-pointers made, and free throw percentage. Over his college career, he averaged 20.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. In recognition of his impact, Utah retired his #44 jersey in 1998. Later accolades include selection to Utah’s "All-Century" basketball team in 2008 and induction into Utah’s Crimson Club Hall of Fame in 2012.

New Jersey Nets

Van Horn was chosen second overall in the 1997 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, but his rights were immediately traded to the New Jersey Nets as part of a package deal involving Michael Cage, Lucious Harris, and Don MacLean. In return, Philadelphia acquired draft rights to Tim Thomas and Anthony Parker along with contracts for Jim Jackson and Eric Montross.

From 1997 through 2002, Van Horn played for New Jersey, establishing himself as a pivotal contributor. He earned a place on the NBA All-Rookie First Team during his inaugural season while leading the Nets with averages of 19.7 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, propelling them into the 1998 NBA Playoffs. His most productive season came in 1999 when he averaged 21.8 points—ranking fifth across the league—and grabbed an average of 8.5 rebounds per contest. A notable performance occurred on March 26 against the Indiana Pacers, where he tallied six blocks alongside scoring 22 points despite a team loss.

Following New Jersey’s acquisition of point guard Jason Kidd in 2001, Van Horn’s role was somewhat reduced. During the 2001-02 campaign, he averaged a team-low for him of 14.8 points per game but still led in rebounding while ranking second in scoring for the Nets. In a crucial Game Five of their opening-round playoff series versus Indiana, he contributed a game-high 27 points to secure a decisive 120–109 victory. The Nets advanced to face off in the 2002 NBA Finals, where they were swept by the Los Angeles Lakers. Van Horn faced scrutiny for his Finals performance after averaging only 10.5 points per game on shooting below forty percent at 38.6%.

Philadelphia 76ers

On August 6, 2002, Van Horn was sent back to the Philadelphia 76ers—the franchise that originally selected him—alongside Todd MacCulloch in exchange for center Dikembe Mutombo. He played one season with Philadelphia, finishing second on the roster in both scoring, averaging 15.9 points per game, and rebounding, with 7.1 boards per contest. In the 2003 NBA playoffs, the 76ers defeated the New Orleans Hornets in the opening round but fell to the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks

Following his single season with the Sixers, Van Horn was traded to the New York Knicks in a four-team deal that also included the Atlanta Hawks and Minnesota Timberwolves; this trade brought Latrell Sprewell to Philadelphia. His stint with New York proved effective yet short-lived; on February 16, 2004, he was part of a three-team trade involving the Hawks that sent him to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Tim Thomas—marking their second player swap. On March 21, 2004, Van Horn tallied a season-best 32 points for Milwaukee during a close defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Bucks' playoff run ended in the first round, losing to the eventual champions, Detroit Pistons.

Dallas Mavericks

In order to free up salary cap space to re-sign free agent Michael Redd, the Bucks traded Van Horn to the Dallas Mavericks on February 24, 2005, acquiring expiring contracts from Alan Henderson, Calvin Booth, and cash considerations. Van Horn spent nearly two seasons with Dallas, playing a vital role off the bench as a key sixth man and helping propel the Mavericks to the 2006 Western Conference Finals and subsequently the 2006 NBA Finals, where they were defeated by the Miami Heat.

Free agency and retirement

After completing the 2005–06 season, Van Horn took a hiatus from basketball to prioritize family matters. On February 19, 2008, he inked a three-year contract (with only the first year guaranteed) with Dallas as part of a trade that enabled Jason Kidd's transfer from the Nets to the Mavericks and Devin Harris's move to Brooklyn. Although Van Horn never suited up for the Nets, he was waived on October 23, 2008, receiving $4.3 million without logging any playing time.

Van Horn wrapped up his NBA tenure with averages of 16.0 points and nearly seven rebounds per game while amassing career earnings totaling $88 million.

Post-NBA endeavors

By 2014, Van Horn was overseeing Colorado Premier Basketball Club, a non-profit organization serving roughly 1,000 youth in the Denver metropolitan area. The club provides leagues, training camps, coaching sessions, and tournaments and has grown into Colorado’s largest basketball program for young athletes.

Personal life

Van Horn is married to Amy and together they have four children. While playing for the New Jersey Nets, he made his home in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey.

College

|- | align="left" | 1993–94 | align="left" | Utah | 25 || 24 || 29.6 || .516 || .443 || .775 || 8.3 || 0.8 || 0.8 || 1.6 || 18.3 |- | align="left" | 1994–95 | align="left" | Utah | 33 || 33 || 30.1 || .545 || .386 || .856 || 8.5 || 1.4 || 0.8 || 0.8 || 21.0 |- | align="left" | 1995–96 | align="left" | Utah | 32 || 32 || 30.9 || .538 || .409 || .851 || 8.8 || 1.0 || 0.7 || 0.7 || 21.4 |- | align="left" | 1996–97 | align="left" | Utah | 32 || 32 || 31.5 || .492 || .387 || .904 || 9.5 || 1.4 || 0.7 || 1.2 || 22.0 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 122 || 121 || 30.6 || .522 || .401 || .851 || 8.8 || 1.2 || 0.7 || 1.0 || 20.8

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;" | 1997–98 | style="text-align:left;" | New Jersey Nets | 62 || 62 || 37.5 || .426 || .308 || .846 || 6.6 || 1.7 || 1.0 || 0.4 || 19.7 |- | style="text-align:left;" | 1998–99 | style="text-align:left;" | New Jersey Nets | 42 || 42 || 37.5 || .428 || .302 || .859 || 8.5 || 1.5 || 1.0 || 1.3 || 21.8 |- | style="text-align:left;" | 1999–00 | style="text-align:left;" | New Jersey Nets | 80||80||34.8|| .445|| .368|| .847||8.5||2.0||0.8||0.8||19.2 |- | style="text-align:left;" |2000–01 | style="text-align:left;" | New Jersey Nets |49||47||35.4|| .435|| .382|| .806||7.1||1.7||0.8||0.4||17.0 |- | style="text-align:left;" |2001–02 | style="text-align:left;" | New Jersey Nets |81||81||30.4|| .433|| .345|| .800||7..5||2..0||0..8||0..5||14..8 |- | style="text-align:left;" |2002–03 | style="text-align:left;" | Philadelphia Sixers |74||73||31..6|| .482|| .369|| .804||7..1||1..3||0..9||0..4||15..9 |- | style="text-align:left;" |2003–04 | style="text-align:left;" | New York Knicks |47||47||33..5|| .445|| .373|| .819||7..3||1..8||1..1||0..4||16..4 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"|2003–04 | style="text-align:left;" | Milwaukee Bucks |25||15||30..6|| .472||| .458||| .945|||6..3|||1..5|||0..6|||0..6|||15..7 |- class="sortbottom"

Playoffs

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 1998 | style="text-align:left;"| New Jersey | 3 || 3 || 25.7 || .448 || .000 || .800 || 3.0 || 0.3 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 12.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2002 | style="text-align:left;"| New Jersey | 20 || 20 || 32.2 || .402 || .440 || .714 || 6.7 || 2.1 || 1.0 || 0.5 || 13.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2003 | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 12 || 12 || 33.5 || .382 || .438 || .900 || 7.5 || 0.8 || 0.8 || 0.2 || 10.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2004 | style="text-align:left;"| Milwaukee | 5 || 2 || 27.4 || .333 || .364 || .667 || 4.6 || 1.4 || 1.4 || 0.6 || 8.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2005 | style="text-align:left;"| Dallas | 3 || 0 || 11.0 || .467 || .000 || .889 || 2.0 || 0.3 || 0.3 || 0.0 || 7.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2006 | style="text-align:left;"| Dallas | 14 || 3 || 12.3 || .339 || .286 || 1.000 || 2.3 || 0.1 || 0.0 || 0.3 || 3.6 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 57 || 40 || 25.7 || .388 || .391 || .795 || 5.1 || 1.1 || 0.6 || 0.3 || 9.5

External links

Keith Van Horn NBA.com biography (archived 2003)