FRANKLIN LAKES, N.J. -- Happy birthday to retired NBA star Keith Van Horn, formerly of Franklin Lakes.
One of the Nets' top 10 career leaders, he was born Oct. 23, 1975 and turns 41 on Monday.
He lived in Franklin Lakes with his wife Amy and their children while playing with the Nets from 1997 to 2002.
With the Nets, he averaged 19.7 points and 6.5 rebounds the first year and led the team to its first NBA Playoffs in four years.
He ranks in the Nets top 10 in points, field goals made, three point field goals made and attempted, and offensive and defensive rebounds.
Van Horn was raised in Fullerton, Calif. and was just 8 years old when he reportedly told his mother he was going to play professional basketball.
He was recruited out of Diamond Bar High School to play for the University of Utah Utes on a basketball scholarship, where he was All American several times. He majored in sociology.
He was the No. 2 pick in the 1997 draft by the Philadelphia 76ers and was traded to the Nets on a draft-day deal.
He later played for the New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks and Dallas Mavericks.
Van Horn finished his NBA career with averages of 16.0 points per game and nearly 7 rebounds per game.
He lives in Colorado with his wife and four children, is an entrepreneur of several start-ups, and the founder and coach of Colorado Premier Basketball Club, a non-profit charity organization that provides basketball programs for youth ages 3 to 19.
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