MacLean played in college at UCLA from 1989 to 1992. He set a UCLA varsity freshman season record with 231 rebounds,[3] breaking Don Bragg's previous mark (186) set in 1952.[4] MacLean still holds the school record for points scored (2,608) which is also the Pac-12 Conference's (then known as the Pac-10) all-time scoring record, passing Sean Elliott's then record of 2,555 points.[5] In his senior season, MacLean led UCLA to the 1992 Elite 8. He was inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 2002.
NBA career
MacLean was the 19th pick (1st round) in the 1992 NBA draft. He was initially drafted by the Detroit Pistons but was traded on draft day to the Washington Bullets.[2] MacLean, along with his 1994–95Washington Bullets teammates Rex Chapman, Tom Gugliotta, and Scott Skiles, all reunited in Phoenix in 1999–2000 when Chapman, Gugliotta, and MacLean were Suns players and Skiles was the head coach. As highly productive scoring Bullets teammates in 1994–95, Chapman averaged 11.0 points per game (ranked 4th highest on the team), Gugliotta averaged 16.0 (5th on the team), Skiles averaged 13.0 (6th on the team), and MacLean averaged 11.0 (7th on the team). However, as Suns teammates, Gugliotta averaged 13.7 (5th on the team), Chapman averaged only 6.6 (9th on the team), and MacLean averaged only 2.6 (15th on the team). MacLean is considered by many to have had one of the quickest releases in the game.[6]
In November 2000, the NBA suspended MacLean five games for testing positive for steroids.[7] He was the first player suspended for steroid use.[8]Charles Barkley later commented "I've seen Don MacLean naked, and he doesn't use steroids."[9]
