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Rex Chapman has spent one season with the Nuggets as Vice President of Player Personnel after being named to the post on Sept. 7, 2006.
The Nuggets made waves during Chapman's first season, acquiring perennial All-Star Allen Iverson from Philadelphia and shrewdly trading for Steve Blake.
The moves paid off. The Nuggets finished with a 45-37 mark, including a franchise-record 22 road wins. They posted a winning record for the fourth-straight year (their longest streak since joining the NBA in 1976) and qualified for the playoffs for the fourth-straight season. In addition, the Nuggets finished with the sixth-best record in the Western Conference, posting their highest ranking since 1988-89 when they also finished sixth. The club joins Dallas and San Antonio as the only teams in the Western Conference to make four-straight playoff appearances.
Prior to joining the Nuggets, Chapman spent the 2005-06 season as a key member of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ front office. Before moving to Minnesota, he was a scout and later Director of Basketball Operations for the Phoenix Suns. With the Suns, he played an important role in luring free agent and subsequent two-time MVP Steve Nash back to the club.
Chapman played in 666 games in his 12-year NBA career with the Charlotte Hornets, Washington Bullets, Miami Heat and Phoenix Suns. Originally the eighth overall pick of the 1988 NBA Draft by the Hornets, he scored 9,731 points (14.6 ppg) and made 805 three-pointers in his career before retiring following the 1999-00 season. He was the first-ever draft pick by the expansion Hornets and was named to the NBA’s All-Rookie Second Team in 1989.
Chapman played two seasons at the University of Kentucky before making himself eligible for the NBA Draft. He was a High School All-American and was named Mr. Basketball in the state of Kentucky at Owensboro High School.
Basketball is definitely in his bloodlines. His father, Wayne, currently a Nuggets scout, played for the Nuggets franchise (then known as the Denver Rockets) in the ABA in 1970-71.
Following his playing days, Chapman served as a commentator for TNT during the 2004 and 2005 NBA Playoffs.
Chapman and his wife, Bridget, have a one son, Zeke (14) and three daughters: Caley (12), Tatum (7) and Tyson (6). | 