Lawrence Funderburke

Lawrence Damon Funderburke (born December 15, 1970) is a retired American basketball player, formerly of the National Basketball Association.

Lawrence Funderburke was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, where he played high school basketball.

Collegiate career

Funderburke played his freshman year of college basketball at Indiana University, where he is known for tangling with Bobby Knight. He transferred after that season to Ohio State University, where he played his three remaining years of eligibility. There, he teamed with fellow NBA star Jimmy Jackson to lead Ohio State to the Big Ten Championship in 1992.

NBA career

Funderburke was drafted by the Sacramento Kings in the 2nd round (51st overall) of the 1994 NBA Draft, honing his game in Europe (in Greece's Ampelokipoi and PAOK and French outfit Pau-Orthez) for three years, before joining the Kings in 1997.

Funderburke averaged 9.5 points and 4.5 rebounds as a rookie and played a vital role for the Kings during their successful seasons spanning from 1999–2003 as a backup to Chris Webber. After serving mainly as a reliable backup for All-Star Chris Webber for 6 seasons, Funderburke missed the entire 2003–04 schedule, being ultimately waived in March 2004.

After appearing in two games for the Chicago Bulls, Funderburke retired in June 2005, holding NBA career averages of 6.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.

Lawrence Funderburke graduated with a degree in business finance from Ohio State.

While an active player in 2000, Funderburke and his wife founded the Lawrence Funderburke Youth Organization, a non-profit organization dedicated to help at-risk children, through a variety of services.

Hook Me Up, Playa! is a book by Lawrence Funderburke that warns both professional and aspiring athletes of the dark side of the limelight through interviews with close friends who are (or were) professional athletes.