Shawn Bradley (born March 22, 1972 in Landstuhl, West Germany, now Germany) is a 7ft. 6in. (2.29 m) former professional basketball player who played center for the Dallas Mavericks (NBA). His nicknames are "The Stormin' Mormon", "The Deathstick", "Missionary Impossible", the "Mormon Mantis", and the "Praying Mantis". Born in Germany, Bradley grew up in Castle Dale, Utah, in the United States and has dual citizenship. Bradley has competed internationally for Germany; he and Dallas teammate Dirk Nowitzki were members of the German national basketball team that finished third (ahead of the USA) at the 2002 FIBA World Championships in Indianapolis.
Bradley was highly regarded as an NBA prospect after playing well for BYU. In the 1993 NBA Draft, he was the second pick overall. He had a nice outside shot and was an intimidating shotblocker. However, in the NBA, Bradley had a reputation for being inconsistent, being too light to be a physical force in the paint as well as not aggressive when it comes to defense. He was also known for getting into foul trouble due to his lack of coordination (i.e. he fell down a lot), even compared to other players of his size, such as Yao Ming.
Bradley is a deeply religious person. When he was 19, he served for two years as a Mormon missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in New South Wales, Australia. Bradley often donates to charities and is a big fan of country music. As of 2005, his wife Anette and he have six children.
Bradley announced his retirement from professional basketball in June 2005 so that he could start a chicken farm in Utah.
