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Player profile · CLE / LAC / POR
Darnell Valentine
Darnell Valentine stats, teams and career impact
#701 all-timeCareer averages · 8.7 PPG · 2.1 RPG · 5.0 APGPeak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
- Position
- Point guard
- Final NBA team
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Height / weight
- 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) · 183 lb (83 kg)
- Born
- February 3, 1959 (67 yrs old)
- College
- Kansas
- NBA seasons
- 9 seasons · 1981–82 to 1990–91
Career summaryDarnell Valentine was a point guard who played 9 NBA seasons, from 1981–82 through 1990–91.
- Career PPG
- 8.7
- Career RPG
- 2.1
- Career APG
- 5.0
- #39 in 1982–83
- #701 all-time
Best-Season Impact Rank
Career Impact Rank
Peak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
Career overview
Why Darnell Valentine ranks #701 all time
Darnell Valentine ranks #701 all time. Across his three best seasons, his average league finish was #53.3. His full-career value ranks #687, so longevity is a major reason he lands this high.
450+ minutes required per season
620 games · Career Value Rank #687
Head to head
Compare Darnell Valentine with…
Suggested matchups from basketball rivalries, comparable roles, and similar careers. Compare career impact, peak seasons, and the numbers behind the result.
- Darnell Valentine vs. Tony Delk Similar career path
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- Darnell Valentine vs. Damon Jones Similar career path
- Darnell Valentine vs. Kelly Tripucka Same-era comparison
- Darnell Valentine vs. Cliff Robinson Same-era comparison
- Darnell Valentine vs. Lewis Lloyd Same-era comparison
- Darnell Valentine vs. Darrell Griffith Same-era comparison
Full player detailsTeam history, career shooting and sources
Full team history
- Teams
- Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Clippers, and Cleveland Cavaliers
Career shooting
NBA regular season- Field goal
- 43.7%FG%
- Three-point
- 26.1%3P%
- Free throw
- 78.7%FT%
620 career games · 14,395 minutes
Sources and updateConventional stats and measurements: Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 13, 2026. hussEyquation ranking data through 2025–26. Life dates: Wikidata; conflicting dates checked against Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 17, 2026.
Traditional box score
Darnell Valentine stats by season
Start with scoring and impact, then switch views for shooting or the full advanced picture. Career percentages use total makes and attempts.
Swipe for PPG · RPG · APG · Impact · Team · G · GS · MPG →
| 1990–91 | 9.4 | 2.6 | 5.4 | +0.03 | CLE | 65 | 60 | 28.3 | 46.4% | 24.0% | 83.1% | #111 | 73.9 |
| 1988–89 | 4.8 | 1.3 | 2.3 | -1.38 | CLE | 77 | 4 | 14.1 | 42.6% | 21.4% | 81.3% | #161 | 13.7 |
| 1987–88 | 7.1 | 2.0 | 4.8 | +1.24 | LAC | 79 | 31 | 20.7 | 41.8% | 45.5% | 74.3% | #52 | 111.5 |
| 1986–87 | 11.2 | 2.3 | 6.9 | +0.68 | LAC | 65 | 52 | 27.1 | 41.0% | 23.2% | 81.5% | #69 | 100.9 |
| 1985–86 | 7.4 | 2.0 | 4.0 | -1.75 | LAC/POR | 62 | 29 | 19.6 | 41.5% | 28.6% | 74.3% | #180 | 6.5 |
| 1984–85 | 11.6 | 2.9 | 7.0 | +0.56 | POR | 75 | 59 | 30.4 | 47.3% | 0.0% | 79.3% | #71 | 125.6 |
| 1983–84 | 10.2 | 1.9 | 5.8 | -0.71 | POR | 68 | 60 | 27.8 | 44.7% | 0.0% | 78.9% | #129 | 51.4 |
| 1982–83 | 12.5 | 2.5 | 6.2 | +1.93 | POR | 47 | 36 | 27.6 | 45.4% | 0.0% | 79.3% | #39 | 107.2 |
| 1981–82 | 6.4 | 1.8 | 3.3 | -1.52 | POR | 82 | 14 | 16.9 | 41.3% | 0.0% | 76.0% | #179 | 13.8 |
| Career | 8.7 | 2.1 | 5.0 | — | CLE/LAC/POR | 620 | — | 23.2 | 43.7% | 26.1% | 78.7% | — | — |
Source: Basketball Reference regular-season totals, accessed Sep 13, 2026.
What these measures mean
- Era-centered box impact
- Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average.
- Impact Rate Rank
- The player's place among qualified players in one season.
- Value contribution / Season Value
- Completed seasons use a fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. The live season instead uses Season Value, combining that season's impact with workload.
- Career Impact Rank
- An all-time rank weighted toward the player's best three, five, and ten seasons.
72.1 composite · lower is better
68.4 average league finish
605 total value
Career standing
How Darnell Valentine ranks all time
These are league placements, not raw scores. Each season is judged against that season's qualified player pool.
Best in the league
Elite finishes
Upper-tier finishes
Tie-breaker across top-ten seasons
Career Composite Score72.1
Best 3, Best 5, and Best 10 average league finishes receive 50%, 30%, and 20% window weights. Missing seasons receive a replacement finish just below the player's typical qualified field. Lower is better.
- Best 3 effective weight
- 74%
- Missing-season finish
- 256.0
- Qualified seasons
- 9
- All-time rank
- #701
Strongest seasons
Every season
Darnell Valentine advanced stats by season
Era-centered box impact supports comparisons through time. Impact Rate and its rank compare players only within that season.
More advanced statsAge, minutes, impact, rank, value and data coverage
Scroll for more columns
| 1990–91Historical Defense Estimate | CLE | 31 | 65 | 1,841 | +0.03 | 62.2 | #111 | 73.9 | 64th | Broad |
| 1988–89Historical Defense Estimate | CLE | 29 | 77 | 1,086 | -1.38 | 39.2 | #161 | 13.7 | 37th | Broad |
| 1987–88Historical Defense Estimate | LAC | 28 | 79 | 1,636 | +1.24 | 79.6 | #52 | 111.5 | 75th | Broad |
| 1986–87Historical Defense Estimate | LAC | 27 | 65 | 1,759 | +0.68 | 73.4 | #69 | 100.9 | 70th | Broad |
| 1985–86Historical Defense Estimate | LAC/POR | 26 | 62 | 1,217 | -1.75 | 29.5 | #180 | 6.5 | 30th | Broad |
| 1984–85Historical Defense Estimate | POR | 25 | 75 | 2,278 | +0.56 | 72.3 | #71 | 125.6 | 75th | Broad |
| 1983–84Historical Defense Estimate | POR | 24 | 68 | 1,893 | -0.71 | 48.4 | #129 | 51.4 | 49th | Broad |
| 1982–83Historical Defense Estimate | POR | 23 | 47 | 1,298 | +1.93 | 85.0 | #39 | 107.2 | 69th | Broad |
| 1981–82Historical Defense Estimate | POR | 22 | 82 | 1,387 | -1.52 | 29.9 | #179 | 13.8 | 34th | Broad |
Career movement
Darnell Valentine's career impact by season
Peak +1.93 in 1982–83 · 9 seasons · 14,395 minutes
The same historical box-score model is used for every season, making the career shape comparable through time. The vertical scale adapts to this player's range and always includes zero.
Era-centered box impactMinutes
—’90
Player-specific impact scaleWorkload
Career comparison
Compare the shape, not the calendar
Align by NBA experience to compare season one with season one, or by age to compare players at the same stage of life.
Darnell ValentineTony Delk
| NBA season | Darnell Valentine | Tony Delk |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | -1.5 | 0.6 |
| 2 | 1.9 | 0.4 |
| 3 | -0.7 | -1.1 |
| 4 | 0.6 | -0.3 |
| 5 | -1.8 | -0.0 |
| 6 | 0.7 | 0.7 |
| 7 | 1.2 | 1.7 |
| 8 | -1.4 | -1.0 |
| 9 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
| 10 | Did not play | 1.3 |
NBA season number
Similar career arcs
Players with careers similar to Darnell Valentine
The career-similarity score compares era-centered box impact, peak, prime, workload, career length, position, and experience-aligned trajectory. It describes career shape, not playing style, equal ability, or probability.
PG · All-Time Career #1038
Tony Delk
93career similarity score
91/100 closest-season score · 1982–83 ↔ 1996–97PG · All-Time Career #339Clem Haskins
93career similarity score
87/100 closest-season score · 1982–83 ↔ 1967–68PG · All-Time Career #994B.J. Armstrong
93career similarity score
87/100 closest-season score · 1982–83 ↔ 1990–91Impact Rate shows how strong a player was compared with everyone else that season. Season Value adds how much he played; completed player-profile rows instead show each season's fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. Career Impact Rank rewards a high peak, a long prime, and repeated seasons near the top. Older seasons use clearly labeled estimates where the NBA did not record today's full set of statistics. Read how every ranking works →