Rony Seikaly

Rony Seikaly is a former Lebanese professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association where he was named the 1990 NBA Most Improved Player while with the Miami Heat. At the end of his professional career, he also played in Spain for FC Barcelona.

Player Profile and Personal Life

Ronald Fred Seikaly was born on May 10, 1965, in Beirut, Lebanon. He stands 211 cm tall and his weight was last listed at 115 kg. When he was 10, he moved from Lebanon to the United States where he started attending boarding school in the country. When he was 14, he attended the American School in Athens, Greece.

He speaks English, French, Greek, and Arabic. He was first married to Elsa Benitez. They divorced in 2006. In 2015, he married Martha Gaeff. Seikaly is also a musician and has been an active DJ and music producer since 2005.

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Position	Center
Height / weight	2.11 m / 115 kg
Born	10 May 1965
Nationality	United States
Playing Style	Right Handed

Team History
FC Barcelona Basquet	2000
New Jersey Nets	1998 - 1999
Orlando	1996 - 1998
Golden State	1994 - 1996
Miami Heat	1988 - 1994

College Career

In 1983, he returned to the United States to play collegiate basketball for Syracuse University. He attended the university from 1984 to 1988. While there, he was named to the Second-team All-Big East from 1986 to 1988. In 1988, he was also named to the Consensus Second-Team NCAA All-American.

When he retired, the University’s Syracuse Orange team retired Jersey Number 4 in his honor.

Professional Career

Seikaly was drafted into the NBA in 1988, picked by the Miami Heat in the first round as 9th overall. He played with the Heat from 1988 to 1994. At the time of his draft, he became the first Lebanese player to be drafted into the NBA.

In November 1994, he was traded to the Golden State Warriors. He only played 36 games in his first season with the Warriors. In November 1996, he was traded to the Orlando Magic, post-Shaquille O’Neal. He started in 47 games for the 1997-1998 season.

In 1998, Seikaly was traded to the New Jersey Nets but he suffered a foot injury that ended his career. His final season in the NBA was the 1998-1999 season.

In 2000, he attempted a basketball comeback and signed with FC Barcelona in the Spanish ACB League.