Antonio Davis
A rugged NBA power forward who evolved from undrafted prospect to an All-Star and president of the players' union.
Born 1968 (age 58)·American basketball player·Birthday: October 31·Generation X
Biography
Antonio Davis carved out a 13-year NBA career through sheer will and physicality. Going undrafted out of UTEP in 1990, he didn't step onto an NBA court until he was 24, first proving himself in Europe with powerhouse teams in Greece and Italy. When he finally joined the Indiana Pacers, he became the defensive anchor and enforcer for a perennial playoff team, earning an All-Star nod in 2001. His value was leadership as much as rebounding; teammates respected his steady, professional approach. This respect led to his election as president of the National Basketball Players Association, where he helped navigate a critical period in labor relations before moving into a long-running career as a broadcast analyst.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Antonio was born in 1968, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Antonio Was Born
The biggest hits of 1968
#1 Movie
2001: A Space Odyssey
Best Picture
Oliver!
#1 TV Show
The Andy Griffith Show
Antonio's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1968Born
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1973Started school
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1981Became a teenager
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1984Could drive
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1986Could vote
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1989Turned 21
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1998Turned 30
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 40
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 50
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 58 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Selected as an NBA All-Star in 2001 while playing for the Toronto Raptors.
- Served as the president of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) from 2005 to 2006.
- Played a key role on the Indiana Pacers teams that reached the Eastern Conference Finals in 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, and 2000.
- Won a Greek League championship and the EuroLeague with Panathinaikos in 1996.
Did You Know?
He and his wife, Kendra, are the parents of twins, and his daughter, Kaela, played college basketball for the University of Tennessee.
He was traded from the Raptors to the Bulls in 2003 for Jalen Rose in a major mid-season deal.
After retiring, he became a studio analyst for ESPN and a co-host on SiriusXM NBA Radio.
He wore jersey number 33 for the majority of his NBA career.
“My job is to hold the ground, to do the work no one else wants.”
