Mystery Player #58
Tuesday, September 1, 2026 · already played
The answer
Spoiler for the puzzle of Tuesday, September 1, 2026. Today's puzzle is not revealed anywhere on this page.
Nick Van Exel
G · 1993–2006
Nick Van Exel's career
Nick Van Exel played 13 seasons between 1993 and 2006, across 6 franchises — Lakers, Nuggets, Mavericks, Warriors, Trail Blazers and Spurs. Over 880 regular-season games he averaged 14.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 6.6 assists, finishing with 12,658 career points. He was 1× All-Star.
He entered the league in the 1993 draft, taken 37th overall in the second round, well outside the picks that carry guarantees. That makes him a product of the 1990s, and his career totals should be read against the pace and rules of that period.
Across a long career of 13 seasons he was a consistent starter at 14.4 points per game. He was a genuine playmaker, not just a finisher.
- Games
- 880
- PPG
- 14.4
- RPG
- 2.9
- APG
- 6.6
- Points
- 12,658
- Rebounds
- 2,545
- Assists
- 5,777
- 3PM
- 1,528
Teams
- Lakers · 1994–1998
- Nuggets · 1999–2002
- Mavericks · 2002–2003
- Warriors · 2004
- Trail Blazers · 2005
- Spurs · 2006
Honours
1× All-Star
How the clues read
Every guess that day was scored against Nick Van Exel across nine categories. These were the values behind the grid.
- Position:
- G
- Debut season:
- 1993
- Status:
- Retired
- Nationality:
- USA
- Teams:
- Lakers, Nuggets, Mavericks, Warriors, Trail Blazers, Spurs
- Points per game:
- 14.4
- Championships:
- 0
- All-Star selections:
- 1
Why this was a fair answer
Answers are never obscure by design: the pool is every NBA All-Star who debuted in the 1969-70 season or later, plus current players carrying a real scoring role. Nick Van Exel qualifies on the first route, with 1 All-Star selection — a one-time selection.
With 6 franchises on his record, the shared-team clue was unusually generous here — a wide range of guesses would have lit it up green and pointed the wrong way as often as the right one. He never won a title, which quietly rules out a large share of the most-guessed names.
Play it yourself
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