Recruited by Benny Dees, Ratliff played for the Wyoming Cowboys beginning in 1991. He saw limited playing time his freshman year, playing with frontcourt upperclassmen Brian Rewers, Reggie Slater, and Tim Breaux. Following Slater and Breaux's graduations, Ratliff saw increased playing time his sophomore season, and would establish himself as Wyoming's starting center for his junior and senior year. During his senior year, Ratliff accumulated 144 blocks in 28 games, averaging 5.14 per game.[3]
Ratliff finished his college career as the second leading shot blocker in NCAA Division I history behind only Alonzo Mourning. His 425 blocked shots in his career as a Cowboy still stands as the most in school history, as of 2024[update].[4] Ratliff was inducted into the University of Wyoming Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005.[5]
NBA career
Ratliff after being traded to Minnesota in 2007
Ratliff was selected with the 18th overall pick in the 1995 NBA draft by the Detroit Pistons, for whom he played 2½ seasons. In December 1997, Ratliff alongside teammate Aaron McKie, were traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Eric Montross and Jerry Stackhouse.[6][7][8][9] In Detroit, Ratliff had played mostly off the bench; Sixers first year coach Larry Brown immediately inserted Ratliff into his starting lineup and Ratliff's usage and production went up. On March 22, 1998, Ratliff scored a career-high 27 points during a 108–90 loss against the Boston Celtics.[10]
In his first full season in Philadelphia, Ratliff posted 11.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game, while being named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. Alongside McKie, Eric Snow and Allen Iverson, they helped lead Philadelphia to the playoffs for the first time in eight years, where they would win the opening series against the Orlando Magic before falling to the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the playoffs.
The following season, Ratliff only played 57 games due to a stress fracture in his left ankle,[11][12][13] but averaged 11.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game to help the Sixers back to the playoffs, where they would again lose to the Indiana Pacers in the second round.
Though a fan favorite in Philadelphia and arguably a better fit for the team than Mutombo, Larry Brown decided to move forward with the trade once it was determined Ratliff would not be back in time for the playoffs.[17] The 2000–01 Sixers would eventually make it to that season's NBA Finals after starting 36–14 with Ratliff[18] and finishing 15–11 with Mutombo in his place.
Ratliff played just three games due to a hip injury the following season.[19][20] Coming off back-to-back season ending injuries, Ratliff responded by averaging 8.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and a league-leading 3.2 blocks in 81 games during the 2002–03 season.
Midway through the 2003–04 season, he was dealt to the Portland Trail Blazers, along with Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Dan Dickau, for Rasheed Wallace and Wesley Person.[21] Due to the timing of the trade and how far Atlanta and Portland were into their respective 82 game schedules, Ratliff would end up achieving an NBA rarity by playing 85 games in the season.[22] He also posted 307 blocks for the year; as of 2023, this is the only season a player eclipsed 300 blocks for a year since Dikembe Mutombo in 1996.[23] Despite being traded, this would represent Ratliff's best individual season; for the third time in four seasons he led the NBA in blocks, and for the second time in his career he was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team.
After the season, he signed a three-year contract extension with the Blazers.[24] Ratliff missed games over the next two seasons dealing with nagging injuries, and eventually lost his starting job to Joel Przybilla.
Ratliff signed with the 76ers for 2008–09 season.[29] Returning to Philadelphia now a veteran on the relatively young team, Ratliff was named team captain along Andre Miller and Andre Iguodala.
In the offseason he was signed by the San Antonio Spurs.[30] In February 2010, he was traded to the Charlotte Bobcats for a projected second round draft pick in 2016.[31] This reunited him with former Sixers, now Bobcats coach Larry Brown; the frontcourt rotation of Ratliff, Tyson Chandler and Boris Diaw helped the Bobcats to the number one ranked defense in the NBA,[32] their first ever winning record, and first playoff appearance in team history.[33]
In December 2011, Ratliff retired from basketball.[35]
Awards and honors
Ratliff won numerous awards during his career. The following are some of his collegiate achievements:[5]
First Team All-Western Athletic Conference (1994, 1995)
Inducted into the University of Wyoming Athletics Hall of Fame (2005)
Personal life and business ventures
Ratliff played basketball at Demopolis High School in Demopolis, Alabama, and later graduated from the University of Wyoming. He created The Theo Ratliff Center in Demopolis, Alabama which is a recreation center with a basketball court.
Ratliff was the owner of the Rome Gladiators basketball team.
In 2020, Ratliff wrote and published Theo The Hero, a children's book on how to deal with bullying.[36]
