DeShawn Stevenson (born April 3 1981 in Fresno, California) is an American professional basketball player currently with the Washington Wizards of the NBA. He originally committed to the University of Kansas, but decided to enter the NBA directly from Washington Union High School in his hometown of Fresno, and was picked by the Utah Jazz with the 23rd selection of the 2000 NBA Draft. A shooting guard, he has played for the Jazz and the Orlando Magic, averaging 8.2 points per game in his career. In 2001, Stevenson finished second in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. He is currently in a relationship with R&B star LeToya Luckett.
On June 20, 2001, 20-year-old Stevenson was charged with statutory rape. He was accused of having sexual intercourse with a 14 year-old girl from Fresno. On draft night, he was involved in a fight with high school basketball teammates. He served mostly as a bench warmer in his early days with the Utah Jazz, and under coach Johnny Davis with the Orlando Magic. Frustrated by the lack of playing time, he requested a trade out of Orlando during the winter of 2004. When Davis was let go by the Orlando Magic, interim head coach Chris Jent utilized Stevenson more. Late in the 2004-05 NBA season, Stevenson impressed Magic management enough to keep his spot on the team. He has also become known for his perimeter defense.
Stevenson opted out of the third and final year of his contract with Orlando and on August 3, 2006 he signed a two-year minimum contract with the Washington Wizards.
During a portion of the 2006-7 NBA season, Stevenson maintained a field-goal shooting percentage of fifty percent, an unusual accomplishment among guards. As a joke, Stevenson stated that he would only speak to other players on the team who were shooting at least fifty percent (only Etan Thomas and Brendan Haywood qualified), a group that did not even include all star Gilbert Arenas, much to Arenas's amusement. Stevenson also began calling himself "Mr. Fifty," which became a running joke among his teammates in the locker room.
In July 2007, Stevenson signed a 4-year deal with the Wizards for $15 million.
After Stevenson, with a sore knee, scored a career-high 33 points, including a game winning three-pointer as time expired in a Feb. 25 2008 victory over New Orleans, Wizards coach Eddie Jordan described Stevenson this way "He's a warrior, man, a true warrior. His confidence is growing -- he's making threes -- he's just a true pro. This is a man's league and he is man. In the dictionary next to that word there is a picture of DeShawn Stevenson." He is known for his durability. As of that game, Stevenson had started 223 consecutive games.
On the early morning of August 20, 2007, a 31-year oldman (Curtis Ruff) was shot and injured at Stevenson's home, following an argument with women that were invited from Destiny's Club in Orlando, Florida. Circumstances of the incident remain unclear.
