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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are pleased to recognize Shawn "The Matrix"
4Marion, formerly from North Chicago and Waukegan, now of the
5NBA team the Dallas Mavericks, for his many accomplishments;
6and
 
7    WHEREAS, Hailing from North Chicago and Waukegan, Shawn
8Dwayne Marion, who currently plays for The Dallas Mavericks, is
9widely regarded as one of the most versatile players in the
10NBA; Shawn was nicknamed "The Matrix" by TNT analyst Kenny
11Smith during the pre-season of his rookie year for his
12seemingly bionic athleticism; and
 
13    WHEREAS, As a child, Shawn grew up in a single parent home
14with his 3 sisters; his mother, Elaine, is the person that he
15admires most because of how strong she was raising him and his
16sisters in a single parent household; his memories of childhood
17led to the formation of the Shawn Marion Foundation, which
18assists single-parent families through vocational training and
19adult scholarships in an effort to help and inspire people who
20are experiencing situations similar to those Shawn went through
21as a child; and
 
22    WHEREAS, After high school Shawn played collegiate

 

 

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1basketball at Vincennes University, a junior college in
2Indiana, before transferring to the University of Nevada-Las
3Vegas where he majored in Communications and was drafted in the
4first round and ninth overall in the 1999 NBA Draft by the
5Phoenix Suns; showing explosive scoring potential and
6double-digit rebounding ability by his sophomore season, he was
7selected to the Western Conference All-Star team for the first
8time in the 2002-03 season; and
 
9    WHEREAS, In 2004, he was selected to the U.S. Olympic men's
10basketball team; in 2005, he was named a reserve on the Western
11Conference All-Star Team and selected to the 2004-05 All-NBA
12Third Team; that year, he became the first player since David
13Robinson to average in the top 5 in rebounding and steals since
14the league began tracking steals in 1973, a feat he repeated in
152005-06; and
 
16    WHEREAS, The 2005-06 NBA season was perhaps the best season
17of his career; he was the only player in the NBA ranked in the
18top 20 in points, rebounds, steals, blocks, field goal
19percentage, and minutes; he finished the season leading the
20Suns in points per game (21.8), rebounds per game (11.8),
21blocks per game (1.7), and steals per game (2.0); he also
22ranked 3rd in efficiency and earned a spot in the NBA All-Star
23Game for the third time; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, On July 9, 2009, he signed a 5-year, $39 million
2contract and was immediately traded to the Dallas Mavericks as
3part of a four-team swap; he wears the number 0 on his jersey;
4and
 
5    WHEREAS, He pledged $1 million to the Valley of the Sun
6United Way, which has gone for cancer research, building
7basketball courts, and supporting the Jr. Suns and Jr. Mercury
8basketball programs; he helped unveil the renovation of the
9City of Hialeah's Miami HEAT Learn and Play Center at Bucky
10Dent Gymnasium in March of 2008 and regularly participates in
11NBA charity games, including several appearances in Zo's Summer
12Groove and in the inaugural Steve Nash Foundation Charity
13Classic; and
 
14    WHEREAS, He was one of several NBA players and Hollywood
15celebrities to visit U.S. and coalition troops in Kuwait as
16part of Project Salute 2003; in September of that year he also
17had a basketball court named and dedicated in his honor at the
18Carl Hayden Community Center in Phoenix; after basketball, he
19would like to travel around the world, coach high school
20basketball, and start his own business; therefore, be it
 
21    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
22NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
23we recognize Shawn Marion for all his work both on and off the

 

 

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1basketball courts and for his work helping others; and be it
2further
 
3    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
4presented to Shawn "The Matrix" Marion as a symbol of our
5respect and esteem.