Hall of Fame
From the 2009 Hall of Fame program:
It’s likely that no other player in Pepperdine basketball history brought more NBA scouts to campus than Doug Christie. He is remembered as one of the most acrobatic, athletic and graceful basketball players ever to grace the program.
He came to Pepperdine from Seattle, Wash., where he was a state player of the year and was regarded as one of the best players on the entire West Coast. Though he had to sit out his first year in Malibu due to NCAA academic requirements, his next three years (1990-92) were some of the best ever seen by a Waves’ player.
Christie captured All-American honorable mention honors from multiple publications in both his junior and senior seasons, and was named the West Coast Conference’s Player of the Year in both 1991 and 1992. He led the team in scoring, assists and steals both seasons, and averaged 19.5 points per game as a senior. On Pepperdine’s career records lists, he still ranks #3 in assists (395), #3 in steals (168), #10 in blocked shots (86) and #15 in points (1,392).
In his final two seasons, Pepperdine won both WCC regular-season and tournament titles and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately, Christie missed much of the 1991 postseason due to a knee injury, but he came back in his senior season and was awarded Most Valuable Player honors at the WCC Tournament, which included a game-high 26 points in the championship game against Gonzaga. He then added 23 points in a first-round NCAA Tournament game against Memphis State.
Two of his most memorable games came in back-to-back outings against Saint Mary’s during the 1990-91 season. Christie poured in a career-high 31 points in a one-point win in Moraga, Calif., on Jan. 26. He then recorded what is possibly the only triple-double in school history, accumulating 21 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in a double-overtime, 82-78 home victory on Feb. 1.
After Pepperdine, Christie began what would be a 15-year career in the NBA. He was drafted by the Seattle Supersonics with the 17th pick of the first round of the 1992 NBA Draft, but would later be traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he began his professional career. After a stint with the New York Knicks, he had his most success with the Toronto Raptors and the Sacramento Kings, playing parts of five seasons for both franchises. He won two Pacific Division titles with the Kings and made it to the 2002 Western Conference Finals. Christie’s career wound down with stints with the Orlando Magic, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers before he retired during the 2006-07 season.
Known as one of the league’s top stoppers for his stellar defense, he made the NBA’s All-Defensive Team four times with the Kings (once on the first team, three times on the second team). With 1,555 steals in his career, he ranks among the top 30 all-time in the NBA. He also ranks among the franchise leaders in steals with both Toronto and Sacramento. He tied an NBA record when he made eight steals in one half against Philadelphia on April 2, 1997.
Last year, Christie was Pepperdine’s honoree when the WCC inducted the first class into its new Hall of Honor.
He and his wife, Jackie, have three children, Chantel, Ta’kari and Douglas Jr., and the family resides in Seattle, Wash. Doug and Jackie are well known for their book, No Ordinary Love: A True Story of Marriage and Basketball, and their hit TV show, “Committed: The Christies.” He created Christie Sports Management earlier this year to help train and educate young basketball players.
