Matthew Gordon Bullard (born June 5, 1967) is an American former professional basketball player in the NBA and former color analyst for the Houston Rockets on AT&T SportsNet Southwest. Bullard played 12 years professionally and 11 years in the NBA, most notably with the Houston Rockets from 1990 to 1994, and then again from 1996 to 2001. Other teams he played for include the Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, and PAOK in Greece.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 5, 1967 Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Listed weight | 215 lb (98 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Valley (West Des Moines, Iowa) |
| College | |
| NBA draft | 1990: undrafted |
| Playing career | 1990–2002 |
| Position | Power forward |
| Number | 50 |
| Career history | |
| 1990–1994 | Houston Rockets |
| 1994–1995 | PAOK |
| 1995–1996 | Atlanta Hawks |
| 1996–2001 | Houston Rockets |
| 2001–2002 | Charlotte Hornets |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 3,270 (5.3 ppg) |
| 3-Pointers | 599 |
| 3P% | .384 |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Medals | |
Early life
editMatt Bullard went to Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa. He went undrafted after graduating from the University of Iowa in 1990.
Professional career
editBullard played nine seasons with the Houston Rockets (1990–94, 1996–2001) and one season each with both the Atlanta Hawks (1995–96) and the Charlotte Hornets (2001–02). He also played in the 1994–95 season for the Greek League power PAOK. He has career averages of 5.3 points and two rebounds per game. He was known affectionately in Houston as "Air Bullard" in part for his ability to get extreme height on his three-point shots (due to his height at 2.08 m, 6 ft 10 in) and partly as good-natured ribbing about his poor vertical jump, but Bullard was also a fan favorite and an essential part to Houston's first championship in 1994.
Post–basketball life
editIn 2004, Bullard lost to Dee Brown on the ESPN reality television program Dream Job in the finals as they competed for a coveted sports analyst position on the sports network. When asked about losing to Dee Brown, Bullard remarked "at least it wasn't Pete Chilcutt". He and Clyde Drexler shared color commentating duties for local Houston Rockets game telecasts alongside long-time play-by-play man Bill Worrell. On June 2, 2021, Bullard announced that his tenure with AT&T SportsNet Southwest was done and he would not be part of its broadcast lineup for the 2021-22 NBA season.[1]
Career statistics
editNBA
edit| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| † | Won an NBA championship |
Source[2]
Regular season
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990–91 | Houston | 18 | 0 | 3.5 | .452 | .000 | .647 | .8 | .1 | .2 | .0 | 2.2 |
| 1991–92 | Houston | 80 | 7 | 16.0 | .459 | .386 | .760 | 2.8 | .9 | .3 | .3 | 6.4 |
| 1992–93 | Houston | 79 | 4 | 17.2 | .431 | .374 | .784 | 2.8 | 1.4 | .4 | .1 | 7.3 |
| 1993–94† | Houston | 65 | 0 | 11.2 | .345 | .325 | .769 | 1.3 | 1.0 | .2 | .1 | 3.5 |
| 1995–96 | Atlanta | 46 | 0 | 10.0 | .407 | .361 | .800 | 1.3 | .4 | .4 | .2 | 3.8 |
| 1996–97 | Houston | 71 | 12 | 14.4 | .401 | .366 | .735 | 1.6 | .9 | .3 | .3 | 4.5 |
| 1997–98 | Houston | 67 | 24 | 17.8 | .450 | .416 | .741 | 2.2 | .9 | .5 | .4 | 7.0 |
| 1998–99 | Houston | 41 | 0 | 10.1 | .377 | .387 | .700 | 1.0 | .4 | .3 | .1 | 2.9 |
| 1999–00 | Houston | 56 | 27 | 18.3 | .409 | .446 | .833 | 2.5 | 1.1 | .3 | .2 | 6.8 |
| 2000–01 | Houston | 61 | 5 | 16.4 | .423 | .404 | .714 | 2.1 | .7 | .2 | .1 | 5.8 |
| 2001–02 | Charlotte | 31 | 0 | 11.3 | .339 | .281 | .917 | 1.5 | .5 | .1 | .1 | 3.4 |
| Career | 615 | 79 | 14.4 | .418 | .384 | .768 | 2.0 | .9 | .3 | .2 | 5.3 | |
Playoffs
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Houston | 12 | 0 | 14.1 | .476 | .536 | 1.000 | 1.9 | 1.1 | .3 | .4 | 5.1 |
| 1994† | Houston | 10 | 0 | 5.5 | .214 | .200 | .750 | 1.0 | .0 | .1 | .2 | 1.6 |
| 1996 | Atlanta | 4 | 0 | 12.8 | .333 | .500 | .500 | 1.5 | .0 | .0 | .5 | 3.5 |
| 1997 | Houston | 2 | 0 | 3.5 | 1.000 | 1.000 | – | 1.0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 3.0 |
| 1998 | Houston | 5 | 4 | 14.0 | .333 | .300 | 1.000 | 1.6 | 1.0 | .2 | .0 | 3.4 |
| 1999 | Houston | 2 | 0 | 4.0 | 1.000 | 1.000 | 1.000 | .0 | .5 | .0 | .0 | 3.5 |
| Career | 35 | 4 | 10.3 | .400 | .458 | .818 | 1.4 | .5 | .2 | .3 | 3.5 | |
References
edit- ^ Rajan, Greg (June 2, 2021). "Longtime analyst Matt Bullard not returning to Rockets' TV broadcasts". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
- ^ "Matt Bullard". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
External links
edit- Matt Bullard - Hawkeye Sports News
- NBA.com player profile
- Matt Bullard at the Houston Rockets Fan Site
- Matt Bullard Basketball Camp