College Career

Peterson played collegiate basketball at Michigan State University, and helped lead them to the 2000 NCAA title. He was selected 21st overall by the Raptors in the 2000 NBA Draft, and was a starter in the majority of their games his first three seasons.

In his senior year at MSU, Peterson led the team in scoring, field goal percentage, and free throw percentage. He had a team-high 30 double-digit scoring efforts. He was voted Big Ten Player of the Year and First Team All-Big Ten, and he placed as first or second team All-American on five different polls. On January 17, 2009, MSU retired his number 42 with MSU’s other all time greats before their game against the Illinois Fighting Illini.

NBA Career

Drafted in the first round by the Raptors in 2000, Peterson was a fan favorite from the moment he stepped on the floor. While enjoying some early success in his professional career, Peterson’s production faced a steady decline, before stepping up in the wake of the new era of Raptor youngsters being ushered in, taking on a more expansive leadership role and transforming himself into an elite perimeter defender, a clutch performer and consistent scorer. He is known for his three-point shooting, acrobatic shots, defense, and fearless driving to the basket.

On December 28, 2005, Peterson set a record for career games played as a Raptor, surpassing Alvin Williams with 418 games played. Peterson also leads the NBA in longest consecutive games played, appearing in 371 straight until November 22, 2006, when he missed his first game in over four years. Peterson posted career highs in points and rebounds averaging 16.8 points and 4.6 rebounds and threw in 2.3 assists per game through 82 games played in the 2005–06 season.

Perhaps the biggest highlight of his career occurred against the Washington Wizards on March 30, 2007 in a game that helped determine the two teams’ playoff seeding. The Raptors trailed 109–106 with only 3.8 seconds left and no timeouts remaining. The Wizards’ Michael Ruffin intercepted the full-court pass and tried to toss the ball away in a celebration of an apparent win. But the ball slipped from his hands and was not thrown high enough. There was still enough time on the clock as Peterson grabbed the ball out of thin air and launched a “Hail Mary” three-pointer and sank it to send the game into overtime. The Raptors went on to defeat the Wizards, 123–118. Another famous moment of his career was the photo taken of him hitting a lay-up blindfolded.

On July 13, 2007, the New Orleans Hornets signed Peterson to a four-year contract, worth $23 million. Currently in his third season, Mo has become a fan favourite in New Orleans and lthough he is no longer a Raptor, Peterson remains popular in Toronto, with his #24 jersey still seen often at the Air Canada Centre.

Off The Court

Mo comes from a very talented and athletic family. His father, Morris, played basketball and football at Alcorn State and his mother, Valerie, was part of the volleyball, basketball and track teams at Mississippi Valley State. His two sisters, Tonda and Trina also played basketball at a college level for Alabama State and his second cousin Jonathan Bender is a former NBA player.

Mo, who studies child development at Michigan State, is also deeply involved with the youth community. During his stay in Toronto, Mo founded “Mo’s Maniacs,” an organization that offers at-risk youths the opportunity to experience the NBA at a young age. He has since brought the organization with him to New Orleans and continues to share the game with the young.

Accolades

- NBA All-Rookie First Team: 2001
- Career-high: March 31, 2006 Peterson scored a career-best 38 points vs. the Phoenix Suns.
- First-round draft choice (21st overall) by Toronto in 2000.
- Recorded his 800th career three-point field goal April 3, 2005 vs. the Detroit Pistons.
- Had a career-high 14 rebounds April 8, 2005.
- Started the Toronto Raptors’ active streak for three-point field goals made consecutively as a team.

Take a ride with me and the fine folks at RaptorsTV as we take a trip back to Flint, Michigan, the place where I grew up.