Contact CU Independent sports staff writer Olivia Butrymovich at olbu3713@colorado.edu.
If you walk around the University of Colorado Boulder’s campus and ask someone who Chauncey Billups is, chances are they’ll recognize the name. They may not know if he played football or if he did something innovative in the science community, but they are proud to claim Chauncey as a Buff, even if they are unaware of his fame.
The famed Colorado basketball player received one of the highest honors you can receive in professional sports. Last week, Chauncey’s No. 1 Detroit Pistons jersey was retired to the rafters of “The Palace” in Michigan. He joins the ranks of nine other Pistons, the likes of which include Dennis Rodman and Ben Wallace.
Chauncey’s brother Rodney Billups works as an assistant coach for the Colorado men’s basketball team. Rodney and his family were overjoyed at the achievement Chauncey received from the Pistons.
“The Pistons retirement, I think that’s the first time I saw my mom cry in a very long time,” said Rodney Billups. “All the positive energy, all the respect and honor that they give him there in Detroit is second to none; when he’s here in Colorado everybody embraces him.”
You can easily argue that Chauncey Billups is the best basketball player to grace the court for the Buffs. The point guard and Colorado native became a star at George Washington High School in Denver. After four impressive years at George Washington, Billups was picked to play on the 1995 McDonalds All-American Team. As one of the biggest basketball recruits in the country at the time, Billups turned down top programs like Kansas and Oklahoma State.
“He was a top five player in the country, in all positions, so every coach in the country wanted Chauncey to come play,” Rodney Billups said of his brother.
But no team could provide him with a hometown headline and the ability to be close to home, so Chauncey committed to Boulder. In 1996 Chauncey threw on a black and gold jersey for two seasons. Billups led the Buffs to their first NCAA tournament victory in over thirty years, as well as snapping the longest home-court win streak in the country at the time by hitting a last second shot to give the Buffs the win over No. 20 Texas Tech. He also holds the school record for most points as a freshman (465), assists (143) and scoring average (17.9).
He went third overall in the 1997 NBA draft to the Boston Celtics. The five-time NBA All-Star’s career spanned 17 years with seven different teams, including the Raptors, Nuggets, Timberwolves, Knicks and Clippers. Chauncey is most known for his time as a Detroit Piston. He arrived in Michigan in 2002 and remained there until 2008 before returning again in 2013 for one season.
Chauncey’s time in a Piston uniform defined his NBA career. He quickly gained the nickname “Mr. Big Shot” after making multiple late-game shots for Detroit. He was also was named MVP of the 2004 NBA Finals after helping lead his team to an unexpected win over the heavily favored Los Angeles Lakers, headed by the one and only Kobe Bryant. He decided to end his career at the end of the 2013-2014 season.
Billups retired with 15,802 points, 2,992 rebounds, and 5,636 assists. He averaged 15.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists a game.
With retired jerseys in both Michigan and Colorado, Chauncey Billups now spends a lot of his time back in Boulder, encouraging the next generation of Buffs.
“His whole NBA career, he would always come back here, and let guys know ‘Hey I sat in that same seat and you guys can do exactly what I did,’” said Rodney Billups. “Now that he’s retired, he has even more time to come back and educate these kids on his role and what it takes.”
When Chauncey returns to campus for events like football games at Folsom Field, expect the fans inside Folsom to lose their minds. Without Chauncey Billups, Colorado would not have made as big a mark in the athletic community.
From Denver to Boulder to Detroit, and several other cities in between, Chauncey Billups has enhanced the game of basketball. As he receives the high honor of having his jersey sway from the Detroit rafters, we are all reminded of an outstanding basketball player. It is the perfect way to put a cap on an outright impressive career, and Colorado will forever be grateful for his contribution to the basketball program as well as enhancing Buffalo spirit.
