A young and promising NBA star, Zach LaVine began making headlines with his dunking ablilty and stellar performance on the court. Through hard work and dedication, he gradually metamorphosed from a star high school and college player to a vital component of the Timberwolves and then to one of the hottest NBA stars. Read on to discover interesting facts about LaVine who despite several injury setbacks, remains undaunted in his quest to become an elite NBA player.

A Washington native, Zachary LaVine was born on 10th March 1995, in Renton. Born to athletic parents, LaVine was initially inclined to play baseball while growing up but his dreams changed after watching the 1996 sports comedy Space Jam which featured NBA star Michael Jordan. Inspired by Jordan and Kobe Bryant, LaVine instantaneously changed his focus to basketball instead.

Through hard work and constant practice at the backyard of his house, Zach gradually nurtured his dreams to reality. He began making headlines at Bothell High School, Washington where he played point guard with the school’s basketball team. The highlight of LaVine’s high school career would be in the year 2013 when he was named the Associated Press Washington State Player of the Year, Washington Mr Basketball, as well as a first-team Parade All-American selection.

Zach LaVine continued with his stellar performance to the University of California, Los Angeles (U. C. L. A. ) where he played for one season. During his collegiate career as the sixth man with the U. C. L. A. Bruins, LaVine also put up outstanding performances averaging 9. 4 points per game which earned him a spot with the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team. After only one season at U. C. L. A. , LaVine decided to forgo his remaining college years and declare his eligibility for the 2014 NBA Draft. He was selected as the 13th overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Career Stats and Injury Update

Zach LaVine’s professional basketball career began in July 2014 after signing his rookie scale contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Following an ankle injury sustained by the Wolves regular starter, Zach was placed as the team’s starting point guard. While playing for the franchise from 2015 to 2017, LaVine not only broke records with his winning streaks but also won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest twice. More so, in the Rising Stars Challenge, LaVine was named the MVP for Team USA.

Nonetheless, LaVine’s glory hasn’t been without a story as he has suffered a good number of injuries in the course of his career. Some of them include a hip injury in an AAU summer game and a ligament tear in his left leg in February 2017 which made him undergo a knee reconstruction surgery. Though Zach was later traded to the Chicago Bulls in June that same year, he thankfully bounced back from the ligament injury. But in April 2018, the Chicago Bulls announced that they would be shutting down LaVine for the rest of the season due to injuries.