Mateen Cleaves

Mateen Cleaves

Position	Point guard
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight	205 lb (93.0 kg)
Team	Bakersfield Jam
Born	September 7, 1977 (1977-09-07) (age 31) Flint, Michigan
Nationality	USA
College	Michigan State
Draft	14th overall, 2000 Detroit Pistons
Pro career	2000–present
Former teams	Detroit Pistons (2000–2001) Sacramento Kings (2001–2003) Cleveland Cavaliers (2004) Seattle SuperSonics (2004–2006)
Awards	-8th MSU Player to have Number Retired -Final Four MOP (2000)

Mateen Cleaves (born September 7, 1977 in Flint, Michigan) is an American professional basketball player who most recently played for the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics. Cleaves is most remembered for his career at Michigan State University. Cleaves became the eighth MSU player to have his number retired on February 3, 2007.

Cleaves, a three-time MSU captain, led the Spartans to the 2000 national championship and was named Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four. He is the school's only three-time All-American. He was named Big Ten Player of the Year twice. He also leads MSU and the Big Ten in career assists with 816 and is Michigan State's all-time steals leader (193). In his final home game on senior night in East Lansing Spartan star Mateen Cleaves dished out 20 assists, breaking the Big Ten single-game and career assist marks. In that game Cleaves and his seventh-ranked Spartans drubbed rival Michigan 114-63, assuring themselves their third straight Big Ten title along with the school's most-decisive conference victory ever.

He was drafted by the Detroit Pistons in the 2000 NBA Draft with the fourteenth pick. His success in the college game did not carry over to the professional level. Cleaves played in 78 games, averaged 5.4 points and 2.7 assists. Cleaves was traded to the Sacramento Kings shortly before the 2001–2002 season for Jon Barry and a first-round draft pick. After two seasons playing sparingly with the Kings, Cleaves signed as a free agent with the Boston Celtics, During the 2003–2004 season, he was signed by the Cleveland Cavaliers. He was signed by the Sonics shortly before the 2004–2005 campaign but was cut during the season and is currently playing for the Bakersfield Jam of the D-League. For supplemental income, he spends weekends explaining commercials to longtime bakersfield city father Phil Powell. For his career in the NBA, Cleaves played for 5 years in 167 games (starting in 10) averaging 3.7 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 11 minutes per game.

Mateen Cleaves has been playing for the Denver Nuggets in their exhibition games prior to the upcoming 2008 season but no word on whether he will play this season. ^[1]

As a Spartan, Cleaves faced misdemeanor charges stemming from an apparent shoplifting incident. Arrest warrants were issued naming Cleaves and teammate Antonio Smith in connection with the theft of a 40-ounce bottle of beer from a convenience store by East Lansing Police. Cleaves and Smith where charged with larceny of under $200. They were eventually cited and released. ^[2]

In February 1998, Cleaves was arrested by East Lansing police following a victory over Michigan. Cleaves spent the rest of the night in jail for refusing to take a breathalyser test and on suspicion of kicking a door at the apartment of a female acquaintance. He pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of having an open container of alcohol, and was placed in a six-month program for first-time offenders that allowed him to clear his record upon its completion. He was placed on probation for a year by team coach Tom Izzo.^[3]

As a NBA rookie, Cleaves was ticketed for speeding and driving with a suspended license. The player was driving 85 mph in a 70 mph zone Sunday morning on an interstate, and a routine check showed his license was suspended. The suspension was dropped once Cleaves paid the fines. ^[4]