Background and career
Vincent Lamont Baker (born November 23, 1971) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He appeared in four consecutive All-Star Games. He currently serves as an assistant coach for the Miami Heat.
Baker played for Old Saybrook High School in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. He first started on Old Saybrook's varsity in his junior year. Baker was passed over by the bigger Division I schools and signed a scholarship offer from the Hartford Hawks.
During Baker's inaugural season in 1989, he averaged 4.7 points and 2.9 rebounds per game, which earned him a place on the North Atlantic Conference (now America East Conference) All-Rookie Team. Named a starter for his sophomore season, Baker averaged 19.7 PPG and 10.4 RPG and a first team All-NAC spot. As a Junior, Baker averaged 27.6 PPG (2nd in the country), 9.9 RPG, and 3.7 blocks per game (5th in the country), though the team finished with an abysmal 6–21 record. Entering his final season, Baker was called "America's Best-Kept Secret" by Sports Illustrated and the conference's most dominant player since Reggie Lewis by Street & Smith's College/Prep Basketball Preview in 1992. Baker averaged 28.3 PPG (4th in the country) and finished with 792 points in only 28 games, a conference record that still remains in the NAC. He finished with 2,238 points, a school record that still stands. However, Baker was not able to translate his immense scoring abilities into team success, as none of his teams ever made the NCAA tournament, and the best his Hartford teams ever finished in a season was .500 (14–14). Baker's jersey (#42) hangs on the east wall of Chase Arena in the Reich Family Pavilion.
After a college career at the University of Hartford, Baker was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 8th pick of the 1993 NBA draft. He played four seasons in Milwaukee, during which he was the leading star (alongside Glenn Robinson) and received three all-star selections. On March 14, 1995, Baker recorded a triple double, with 12 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists, in a win against the Charlotte Hornets. On April 11, 1995, Baker scored 31 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and recorded 9 assists in a 114–100 victory over the Detroit Pistons. During the 1995–96 and 1996–97 seasons, Baker averaged at least 21.0 points. On March 1, 1997, Baker recorded a career-high 6 blocks, alongside 20 points and 15 rebounds, in a 103–92 loss against the Sacramento Kings. Despite his personal success as a player while in Milwaukee, the Bucks were not able to make the postseason during his tenure with the team.
After four seasons with the Bucks, he was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics following the 1996–97 NBA season in a three-team deal that sent Tyrone Hill and Terrell Brandon to the Bucks, and Shawn Kemp and Sherman Douglas to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Baker helped the SuperSonics to a strong 1997-98 NBA season and a first round win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, while proving to be a valuable replacement for Kemp. On May 12, 1998, in a decisive Game 5 of a hard-fought Western Conference Semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers (both teams finished the season with a 61–21 record, though Seattle had home-court advantage due to a tiebreaker), Baker led Seattle with 29 points and 9 rebounds in a losing effort. On February 1, 2000, Baker scored 33 points, recorded 5 assists, and 5 rebounds, in a 104–96 victory against Karl Malone and the Jazz.
After four years in Seattle, Baker was traded to the Boston Celtics with Shammond Williams for Kenny Anderson, Vitaly Potapenko and Joseph Forte. While his career averages include 15.1 points per game, his numbers had dropped considerably in the twenty-first century. After the 1998–99 NBA lockout season in Seattle, Baker's weight ballooned to near 300 pounds and his game suffered tremendously. While Baker was able to get his weight down to around 250, Baker revealed that he was a recovering alcoholic who used to binge in hotel rooms and at home after playing poorly. In an interview with the Boston Globe, Baker said Celtics coach Jim O'Brien smelled alcohol on him in practice and confronted him about it. The team suspended him and he was eventually released.
