Standing at 6’7” (2.01 m), Ricky Davis has the size and the skill to be an explosive basketball player. 

His peak performance came when he played for the Cleveland Cavaliers in season 2002-03, producing 20.6 PPG and starting in 76 out of 79 games. Davis had LeBron James as a rookie teammate and deemed LeBron to be his backup.

After his contract with the Los Angeles Clippers ended in 2010, there were no takers. 

Know what happened to Ricky Davis, from being a recognizable player to getting hardly recognized.

Who is Ricky Davis?

Ricky Davis, or Tyree Ricardo Davis, was born on September 23, 1979, in Las Vegas to parents Tyree and Linda Davis, with an older brother Alonge (deceased), and a younger brother called Edward.

Davis played high school ball for four years (1994-97) with the North High School in Davenport, Iowa. He was a starter during his stay. The team earned berths in the state tournament but didn’t reach the championship. Davis was awarded as a co-MVP of the Magic Jonson Roundball Classic, and Parade Magazine selected him as a fourth-team All-American. 

After graduation, Davis wore the University of Iowa Hawkeyes jersey for one season before the Charlotte Hornets selected him in the first round as the 21st pick in the 1998 Rookie Draft.

Overview of Ricky Davis’ NBA Career

Ricky Davis’s NBA career spanned 12 years and ended with the Los Angeles Clippers. Before that, he played for five franchises, that included the Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Charlotte Hornets (1998-2000)

Davis was used sparingly in his two seasons with the Hornets. He played 94 games averaging 12 minutes of playing time, producing 4.6 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 1.3 APG,  and a decent 45.4 field goal percentage.

His high-flying poster plays didn’t escape the eyes of the NBA league officials, earning him a ticket to the Slam Dunk contest at the 2000 NBA All-Star game. Davis got an 88 score out of the max 100 points, with Vince Carter winning the championship.

Davis’ contract wasn’t renewed, and he was traded to the Miami Heat in August 2000.

Miami Heat (2000-01)

Injuries plagued Davis during his stint with the Heat, limiting his playing games to seven. He was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers after the season ended.

Although Davis’ stint with the Heat was short-lived, he learned important lessons under coach Pat Riley that made him stick to the game. Davis recognized how to manage himself on and off the court, consuming the right food, and the importance of training.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2001-03)

The tables turned when Davis joined the Cavaliers.

In season 2001-02, there was a marked improvement in his stats. Davis’ playing time was 23.9 minutes in 82 games played with eight games as a starter and averaged 11.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 2.2 APG, and a 48.1 field goal percentage. When his contract ended, he was re-signed by the Cavs to a 6-year deal on August 2002. 

Davis was at peak performance in 2002-03, having started in 76 out of 79 games producing ridiculous numbers of 20.6 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 5.5 APG, and 1.6 STL. LeBron James joined the Cavs, and Davis viewed his rookie teammate as a player to support him. But people took his statement out of context; Davis said he was wrong when he thought James was there as a supporting player.

Davis’ rudeness showed in a game against Portland in the 2003-04 season when he chewed out LeBron for driving to the basket instead of passing to him. There were several brushes with coach Paul Silas; the latter prevented Davis from practicing with the team for a day and kicked him from joining a road trip.

The Cavs were leading the Jazz, 120-95, in a home game on March 2003 when Davis did the unthinkable. He needed one rebound to register his first triple-double, so he bounced the ball in the Cavs’ rim and caught the ball to be recorded as a rebound. But the NBA rule specifies that an official field goal attempt does not apply to shots made at one’s basket. With the public outcry, the Cavs management fined Davis for unsportsmanlike conduct. The triple-double incident earned him the moniker of “Wrong Rim Ricky.”

The red flags by Davis did him in, and the franchise traded him to the Boston Celtics while the season 2003-04 was ongoing.

Boston Celtics (2003-06)

The Boston Celtics acquired the 6’7″ (2.01 m) Ricky Davis on December 2003. The franchise was criticized for picking up a player with a bad reputation. 

But general manager Danny Ainge had a different view on the controversial acquisition; he loved Ricky Davis’ skills. Davis was a well-rounded player; he could shoot, beat his man off the dribble, assist, defend, and rebound well with his 42″ vertical. 

Davis’s consistency and exciting plays earned him a large following in Boston. He competed in the Slam Dunk contest at the 2004 NBA All-Star Game.

The stats of Ricky Davis while playing for the Celtics team speaks for themselves. 

Year	GP	FG%	Pts	Reb	Ast	Stl
2005-06	42	46.4	19.7	4.5	5.3	1.2
2004-05	82	46.2	16.0	3.0	3.0	1.1
2003-04	22	48.8	14.1	4.2	2.6	1.2

Davis built his reputation as a crowd-pleaser with his spectacular leaps, which produced rim-rattling slams. In a game against the Lakers in the 2003-04 season, Davis missed a between-the-legs dunk but made up for it with a windmill dunk.

Minnesota Timberwolves (2006-07)

While 2005-06 was underway, Davis got traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he played for two seasons running to 117 matches.

In a match against his former Celtics team, Davis hit the game-winning shot showing his follow-through to the Celtics bench.

Miami Heat (2007-08)

Davis got together with former coach Pat Riley. But at age 28, there was a slippage in Davis’ game, and after playing the full 82 regular-season games, he got traded to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Los Angeles Clippers (2008-10)

Injuries plagued Davis’ Clipper’s stint with just 72 shows for two seasons, 36 games for each season. A torn patellar tendon bugged him, pulling Davis’ stats down and pushing him out of the league after the 2010 season.

Davis’s average was 4.4 PPG compared to his 20.6 wearing a Cavaliers jersey.

What Happened to Ricky Davis?

Davis tried to revive his basketball career by playing for different teams abroad, including Türk Telekom (2010) in Turkey, Jiangsu Dragons (2010) in China, Chorale Roanne (2011) in France, and Piratas de Quebradillas (2012) in Puerto Rico.

He attempted to relaunch his NBA career by playing for D League teams such as the Maine Red Claws in 2011-12 and the Erie BayHawks in 2013-14.

But, Davis’s efforts went for naught. The franchises saw Davis as a player who lacked the explosiveness to help a team win. His reputation issues still linger on, like his “Wrong Rim Ricky” moniker and his run-ins with coach Paul Silas and LeBron James.

Ricky Davis’s Life After NBA

After four years of trying to renew his NBA career, Davis gave up.

Davis bought a farm in Pearland, Texas, to live with his wife, Siobhan, and his parents and brothers. He started the Ricky Davis Foundation, invested in real estate, and coached AAU teams.

Siobhan longed to be closer to her family in Minneapolis. When the couple learned about the retirement of Polars coach Larry McKenzie, Davis flew to town to apply for the Minneapolis North High School coaching vacancy and got the position.

Former NBA Ricky Davis is now wearing a new hat as the first-year head coach of the Polars team in the school year 2022-23.

Wrapping Things Up: What Happened to Ricky Davis?

Ricky Davis’s net worth is about $5 million and got what life has to offer – a happy family and a nice home. 

But basketball runs in Davis’s blood, and he embraces the role of a wise elder by coaching youngsters on the right way of playing basketball, not his route.

We hope you enjoyed this post! If you did, be sure to check out our other basketball FAQ articles here.

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