Juan Dixon, American former professional basketball player,
is still remembered by basketball lovers for leading the University of Maryland
Terrapins to their first NCAA championship in
2002 and earning Most Outstanding Player honors at the 2002 Final Four.
Dixon
was recognized as one of the nation's best college players and was honored as
the 2002 ACC Men's Basketball Player of the Year and ACC Athlete of the Year.
This was after he led the Terps to their first ever Final Four appearance,
where the team finally lose to Duke Blue Devils representing Duke University.
Juan Dixon went on to become the all-time scoring leader for Maryland and became the only player in the
history of National Collegiate Athletic Association to accumulate 2,000 points,
300 steals and 200 three-point field goals.
However, his success story was cut short when he was
suspended indefinitely by the International Basketball Federation for using
anabolic-androgenic steroids
in February 2010.
Dixon tested positive for
Nandrolone after an anti-doping test was conducted on him in
Greece after he
joined Aris Thessaloniki of the Greek A1 League.
During the summer of 2005, Juan Dixon signed as a free agent
with the Portland Trail Blazers. In his first year with the Blazers, Dixon started 42 times
and played in 76 games while he only started four games and played in 63 in his
last year with the Wizards. Juan Dixon was later traded at the 2007 NBA trade
deadline to Toronto
for Fred Jones. He was then traded from the Toronto Raptors to the Detroit
Pistons on the 2008 NBA trade deadline, February 21, 2008 in exchange for
center Primož Brezec and cash considerations.
In March 2011, Dixon signed
with Bandirma Banvit in Turkey
and later joined the Maryland Terrapin coaching staff as a special assistant
under head coach Mark Turgeon on November 27, 2013.