DeJuan Blair

1.1. Childhood and Upbringing

Blair was born on April 22, 1989, and grew up in Pittsburgh's Hill District as the oldest of four children. While he was the smallest of his siblings at birth, he became the largest child in his class by the time he started kindergarten at Manchester Academic Charter School, where he attended until eighth grade. Basketball was a significant part of his family life; both of his parents played basketball at Schenley High School. His uncle managed the nearby Ammons Recreation Center, which became the place where Blair first learned and played the game.

1.2. High School Career

Blair attended Schenley High School, the same institution his parents had attended. During his high school basketball career, he amassed 1,563 career points and contributed to an impressive overall team record of 103 wins and 16 losses, including an undefeated 57-0 record within the Pittsburgh City League. His exceptional performance earned him recognition as the Associated Press player of the state and first-team all-state honors during both his junior and senior years. Blair led Schenley to the 2007 PIAA Class 4A state championship, marking the first state title for a City League team since 1978. In the championship final against Chester, he delivered a dominant performance with 18 points, 23 rebounds, and 6 blocked shots. He was also named Pittsburgh City League Player of the Year three times.

In addition to high school play, Blair participated in summer leagues at Pittsburgh's Kennard Park, even playing in a championship game against a team led by Terrelle Pryor, who was a highly regarded basketball prospect as well as a future Ohio State quarterback. A significant detail about Blair's high school career is that he underwent two knee surgeries, which left him without any anterior cruciate ligaments (ACLs) in his knees.

2.1. Pittsburgh Panthers

Blair immediately became a starter during his freshman year in the 2007-08 season with the Pittsburgh Panthers. He was named to the All-American Freshman team and played a crucial role in the Panthers' victory in the Big East Conference tournament, which secured them a fourth seed in the NCAA tournament. The Panthers advanced past Oral Roberts in the first round but were defeated by fifth-seeded Michigan State in the second round. For his impressive performance, Blair was recognized as the Big East Co-Rookie of the Year, received All-Big East honorable mention honors, and was named the Big East Rookie of the Week three times. He set new Pitt freshman school records for most starts (36), rebounds (337), and field goals made (168). He also became the first freshman in Pitt history to achieve more than 400 points and 300 rebounds in a season.

In the 2008-09 season, Blair continued his impactful play, helping Pittsburgh earn a number one seed in the NCAA tournament. That season, he shared the Big East Player of the Year honors with Connecticut center Hasheem Thabeet. He was also recognized as a consensus first-team All-American selection by the Associated Press, USBWA, and The Sporting News. Additionally, he was named to the NABC's second team and finished tied for second (with two votes each) for the 2009 Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year award, which was ultimately won by Blake Griffin. In April 2009, Blair decided to declare for the 2009 NBA draft, foregoing his final two years of college eligibility.

2.2. College Statistics

3.1. San Antonio Spurs (2009-2013)

On June 25, 2009, DeJuan Blair was selected by the San Antonio Spurs as the 37th overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft. His draft stock had fallen due to concerns regarding his durability and previous knee surgeries, especially the absence of ACLs. On July 17, he signed a four-year contract with the Spurs.

Blair made an immediate impact in his first NBA game on October 28, posting a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds in just 23 minutes against the New Orleans Hornets. This made him only the third Spurs rookie, alongside franchise legends David Robinson and Tim Duncan, to record a double-double in their debut. His strong rookie season continued as he recorded 28 points and 21 rebounds in 31 minutes against the Oklahoma City Thunder on January 13, 2010, becoming the first NBA rookie since Tim Duncan in the 1997-98 season to achieve a 20-point, 20-rebound game. In the final regular season game on April 14, he registered 27 points, a season-high 23 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals in 37 minutes against the Dallas Mavericks, making him the first rookie since Joe Smith in the 1995-96 season to record two 20-point, 20-rebound games in the same season. Blair also participated in the 2010 Rookie Challenge, where he contributed 22 points and 23 rebounds. Although Sacramento Kings guard Tyreke Evans was named the game's MVP, he generously offered to share the award with Blair. By the end of the season, Blair was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team and was the only Spurs player to appear in all 82 regular season games. He started 23 games, averaging 7.8 points and 6.4 rebounds in 18.2 minutes per game. He also ranked as the top-performing rookie in field goal percentage (.556) and was second in rebounding. Blair helped the Spurs defeat the Mavericks 4-2 in the first round of the playoffs, but the team was subsequently swept 4-0 by the Phoenix Suns in the second round.

In the 2010-11 season, Blair played in 81 games, starting 65 of them. He averaged 8.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.17 steals, and 1.0 assist in 21.4 minutes per game. He scored in double figures 28 times, including two games with 20 or more points, and recorded 17 double-doubles, with 12 of those occurring after the new year.

In September 2011, during the 2011 NBA lockout, Blair signed with BC Krasnye Krylya of Russia. However, he was released by the club the following month after playing in six games. He returned to the Spurs in December, and during the 2011-12 season, he averaged 9.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 64 games.

During the 2012-13 season, Blair's playing time significantly decreased due to the acquisition of Boris Diaw and the emergence of Tiago Splitter, eventually leading to the loss of his starting position. Blair openly expressed his dissatisfaction as the season progressed, and he ultimately played a minimal role in the Spurs' rotation. Despite his reduced role, the Spurs went on to become Western Conference champions before losing 4-3 to the defending champion Miami Heat in the 2013 NBA Finals.

3.2. Dallas Mavericks (2013-2014)

On August 7, 2013, Blair signed a one-year contract with the Dallas Mavericks. In the 2013-14 season, he averaged 6.4 points and 4.7 rebounds in 15.6 minutes of action, playing 78 games with 13 starts. He shot 53.4% from the field (210-of-393 field goals).

3.3. Washington Wizards (2014-2016)

On July 16, 2014, DeJuan Blair was acquired by the Washington Wizards in a sign-and-trade deal with the Mavericks, which involved sending the rights to Emir Preldžić to Dallas. In the 2014-15 season, Blair appeared in a career-low 29 games (his previous low was 61) and did not start any games for the first time in his six-year NBA career. He also did not play in any of the Wizards' 10 playoff games and was inactive for most of them.

On February 18, 2016, Blair was traded along with Kris Humphries and a 2016 protected first-round draft pick to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Markieff Morris. Four days later, on February 22, he was waived by the Suns.

3.4. Overseas and G-League Stints

After his NBA career, Blair continued to play professionally in various leagues. On September 7, 2016, he signed with Jiangsu Monkey King of the Chinese Basketball Association. He was released by the team in late November 2016 after playing 10 games, where he averaged 24.1 points and 13.6 rebounds per game.

On January 17, 2017, Blair was acquired by the Texas Legends of the NBA Development League. On February 11, 2017, he was traded by the Legends to the Los Angeles D-Fenders in exchange for a 2017 fourth-round draft pick. On December 14, 2017, Blair signed with San Lorenzo de Almagro of the Liga Nacional de Básquet in Argentina.

In the summer of 2017, Blair joined Overseas Elite, a team that had won The Basketball Tournament (TBT) twice previously. On August 3, 2017, Overseas Elite secured their third consecutive TBT championship with an 86-83 victory over Team Challenge ALS. During the tournament, Blair averaged 8.0 points and 4.4 rebounds, shooting 50% from the field in 16.2 minutes per game.

On October 20, 2018, Blair was selected by the Austin Spurs in the 2018 NBA G League draft. He was subsequently included on Austin's training camp roster.

7.1. NBA Regular Season Statistics

7.2. NBA Playoff Statistics