View source for Ron Mercer

{{Short description|American basketball player}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name = Ron Mercer
| image = 
| width = 
| caption = 
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 7
| weight_lb = 210
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1976|05|18}}
| birth_place = [[Nashville, Tennessee]], U.S.
| high_school = 
*[[List of high schools in Tennessee#Davidson County|Goodpasture Christian]]<br>([[Madison, Tennessee]])
*[[Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Virginia)|Oak Hill Academy]]<br>([[Mouth of Wilson, Virginia]])
| college = [[Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball|Kentucky]] (1995–1997)
| draft_year = 1997
| draft_round = 1
| draft_pick = 6
| draft_team = [[Boston Celtics]]
| career_start = 1997
| career_end = 2005
| career_number = 5, 33, 1
| career_position = [[Small forward]] / [[shooting guard]]
| years1 = {{nbay|1997|start}}–{{nbay|1998|end}}
| team1 = [[Boston Celtics]]
| years2 = {{nbay|1999|full=y}}
| team2 = [[Denver Nuggets]]
| years3 = {{nbay|1999|end}}
| team3 = [[Orlando Magic]]
| years4 = {{nbay|2000|start}}–{{nbay|2001|end}}
| team4 = [[Chicago Bulls]]
| years5 = {{nbay|2001|end}}–{{nbay|2002|end}}
| team5 = [[Indiana Pacers]]
| years6 = {{nbay|2003|full=y}}
| team6 = [[San Antonio Spurs]]
| years7 = {{nbay|2004|full=y}}
| team7 = [[Brooklyn Nets|New Jersey Nets]]
| highlights = * [[NBA All-Rookie First Team]] ({{nbay|1997|end}})
* [[List of NCAA Division I men's basketball champions|NCAA champion]] ([[1996 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|1996]])
* Consensus first-team [[NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|All-American]] ([[1997 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|1997]])
* [[Southeastern Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year|SEC Player of the Year]] (1997)
* [[Naismith Prep Player of the Year]] (1995)
* 2× First-team [[Parade All-America Boys Basketball Team|''Parade'' All-American]] (1994, 1995)
* 2× [[Tennessee Mr. Basketball]] (1993, 1994)
| stats_league = NBA
| stat1label = [[Point (basketball)|Points]]
| stat1value = 5,892 (13.6 ppg)
| stat2label = [[Rebound (basketball)|Rebounds]]
| stat2value = 1,342 (3.1 rpg)
| stat3label = [[Assist (basketball)|Assists]]
| stat3value = 921 (2.1 apg)
}}
'''Ronald Eugene Mercer''' (born May 18, 1976) is an American former professional [[basketball]] player. After his career at the [[University of Kentucky]], Mercer played for several teams in the [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA); he ended his career with the [[New Jersey Nets]] in 2005.

==Basketball career==

===Early years===
Ron Mercer was twice named [[Tennessee Mr. Basketball Award|"Mr. Basketball" of Tennessee]] while at [[List of high schools in Tennessee#Davidson County|Goodpasture Christian School]] in [[Madison, Tennessee]]. He then transferred to [[Oak Hill Academy (Virginia)|Oak Hill Academy]] in [[Mouth of Wilson]], [[Virginia]], and was rated by Bob Gibbons to be the best prep player of the class of 1995.

===University of Kentucky===
Mercer had a very successful collegiate career, having been an [[All-American]] and all-[[Southeastern Conference]] player at Kentucky, and part of a national championship team his freshman year.<ref name=mercer_surrenders>[https://www.espn.com/nba/news/story?id=2949363 Ex-NBA player Mercer allegedly involved in strip club fight], updated July 26, 2007</ref>

===NBA===

====Boston Celtics====
Mercer was selected with the sixth overall pick of the [[1997 NBA draft]] by the [[Boston Celtics]] and was reunited with fellow Kentucky teammate [[Antoine Walker]], and [[Rick Pitino]], his coach at Kentucky who had just become the coach of the Celtics. Prior to Mercer's drafting, Pitino was recorded as saying that he did not envisage Mercer as having the necessary talent to be selected very high. Some felt this was just a ploy to scare the other teams away from him so as to increase the likelihood of Mercer being available by the time the Celtics got an opportunity to make their draft selection.<ref>"LOYALTY TO EX-CATS NOT PITINO PRIORITY", ''[[Lexington Herald-Leader]]'', published May 9, 1997</ref> It turned out it was.<ref>{{cite news|title=Celtics' Pitino won't tip draft hand|work=[[The Harlan Daily Enterprise]]|agency=Associated Press|date=June 23, 1998|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=uAtBAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QagMAAAAIBAJ&pg=6678,3730827|access-date=May 30, 2012}}</ref>

====Denver Nuggets and Orlando Magic====
After two seasons in Boston, Mercer was traded by the Celtics along with [[Popeye Jones]] and [[Dwayne Schintzius]] to the [[Denver Nuggets]] for [[Danny Fortson]], [[Eric Williams (basketball, born 1972)|Eric Williams]], [[Eric Washington (basketball)|Eric Washington]], and a future draft choice. He played 37 games for Denver in [[1999–2000 NBA season|1999–2000]], then played the final 31 games that season with the [[Orlando Magic]] due to a trade.

====Chicago Bulls====
Mercer left after that season, signing as a free agent with the [[Chicago Bulls]] the next year.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHI/2001_transactions.html|title=2000-01 Chicago Bulls Transactions}}</ref> He averaged 19.7 points per game in his first year with them.

This was Mercer's career high in points per game and was the second leading scorer on the team.
<ref>{{Cite web |title=2000-01 Chicago Bulls Roster and Stats |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHI/2001.html |access-date=2022-11-25 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref>

====Indiana Pacers====
Despite Mercer's 16.8 points per game in 2001–02, he was traded midway through the season alongside [[Brad Miller (basketball)|Brad Miller]], [[Metta Sandiford-Artest|Ron Artest]], and [[Kevin Ollie]] to the [[Indiana Pacers]] for [[Jalen Rose]], [[Travis Best]], [[Norman Richardson (basketball)|Norman Richardson]], and a second-round draft pick. In Indiana, he served merely as a reserve player and his play declined rapidly over his one-and-a-half-season stint with the club.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/mercero01.html|title = Ron Mercer Stats}}</ref>

====San Antonio Spurs====
Before the [[2003–04 NBA season|2003–04 season]], Mercer was traded to the [[San Antonio Spurs]] in a three-team trade that again involved [[Brad Miller (basketball)|Brad Miller]] and the [[Sacramento Kings]]' [[Hedo Türkoğlu]].<ref>[https://www.espn.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=stein_marc&id=1584734 Pacers set to sign Brad Miller, trade him to Kings - NBA - ESPN]</ref> After playing 39 games with the Spurs, he was released.<ref>[https://www.espn.com/nba/news/story?id=1746008 Proven scorer Mercer now a free agent - NBA - ESPN]</ref>

====New Jersey Nets====
Prior to the [[2004–05 NBA season|2004–05 season]], Mercer signed with his seventh NBA team, the [[Brooklyn Nets|New Jersey Nets]].<ref>[http://www.nba.com/nets/news/sign_ron_mercer_081204.html Nets Sign Ron Mercer]</ref> On August 15, 2005, prior to the [[2005–06 NBA season]], he was waived by the Nets to avoid the league's [[Luxury tax (sports)|luxury tax]] as part of the new labor agreement.{{citation needed|date=July 2013}}

==Sexual assault allegation==
In 1997, Mercer and fellow former Celtic player [[Chauncey Billups]] were accused of sexually assaulting a woman at the home of teammate [[Antoine Walker]]. According to a civil suit, Billups, Mercer, and Walker's roommate Michael Irvin assaulted the woman at Walker's condo after leaving a Boston comedy club on November 9, 1997. A medical examination on the following day revealed injuries consistent with the victim's testimony. No criminal charges were filed, but Billups and Mercer settled a [[civil suit]] in 2000.<ref>Murphy, Shelley (October 6, 1999). "Renewed suit: Walker failed to stop rape". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on January 23, 2018. Retrieved January 22, 2018.</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Basketballstats |nba= 1500 |bbr= m/mercero01 }}
*{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991010022857/http://www.fansonly.com/schools/kty/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/kty-m-baskbl-mercer.html |date=October 10, 1999 |title=Kentucky Wildcats biography }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20030210123735/http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3177 ESPN player card]

{{Naismith Prep Player of the Year Award}}
{{1996 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball navbox}}
{{1997 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans}}
{{Southeastern Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year navbox}}
{{1997 NBA draft}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mercer, Ron}}
[[Category:1976 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:All-American college men's basketball players]]
[[Category:American men's basketball players]]
[[Category:Basketball players from Nashville, Tennessee]]
[[Category:Boston Celtics draft picks]]
[[Category:Boston Celtics players]]
[[Category:Chicago Bulls players]]
[[Category:Denver Nuggets players]]
[[Category:Indiana Pacers players]]
[[Category:Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players]]
[[Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans]]
[[Category:New Jersey Nets players]]
[[Category:Orlando Magic players]]
[[Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)]]
[[Category:San Antonio Spurs players]]
[[Category:Shooting guards]]
[[Category:Small forwards]]