Brian David Scalabrine (born March 18 1978 in Long Beach, California) is an American professional basketball player currently with the Boston Celtics of the NBA. A , power forward from USC, Scalabrine was selected by the New Jersey Nets in the 2nd round (35th overall) of the 2001 NBA Draft.
Nicknamed "Veal", he languished on the Nets bench for his first few years as the team's twelfth man and only logged in minimal minutes during the season. In 2005 though, with the Nets plagued by injuries, he stepped up and logged decent minutes, averaging 6.3 points and 4.5 rebounds a game. Scalabrine's crowning moment as a Net came in Game 5 of the 2004 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals between the Nets and the Detroit Pistons. In the game's three overtimes, he drained four unlikely three pointers for 12 of his 17 points, helping the Nets to a shocking 3-2 series lead, before losing the series.
On August 2, 2005, Scalabrine signed a five-year contract with the Boston Celtics worth 15 million dollars.
When Matt Bonner was drafted in 2003, Jay Bilas referred to him as a "poor man's Brian Scalabrine". Three years later, in his NBA preview on ESPN.com, Chad Ford ironically called Scalabrine a "poor man's Matt Bonner".
Scalabrine is sometimes riding a stationary bike amongst the crowd, believed by many to be a charm of good luck.
