Mark Madsen is a name few remember, and it’s usually for his dancing skills or lack of skills. Madsen played alongside Shaquille O’Neal for two seasons and won the 2001 and 2002 NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers.
After Madsen’s NBA career ended in 2009, he stayed in basketball by becoming an assistant coach with the Utah Flash of the then NBA Development League (D-League). Madsen’s coaching career expanded after that, as he became an assistant at Stanford and, eventually, with the Lakers.
Madsen’s coaching career continued to grow as he found opportunities to be a head coach, first, with the Los Angeles D-Fenders, the D-League team of the Lakers. Later, Madsen became the head coach of Utah Valley University.
Madsen coached Utah Valley for four seasons, compiling a 70-51 record. Utah Valley reached the NIT Semifinals under Madsen in the 2022–23 season.
Today, Madsen is the head coach at the University of California, Berkeley, for their men’s basketball team. He was hired on March 29, 2023.
Mark Madsen’s Forgotten NBA Career
The name Shaquille O’Neal brings up images of winning championships, as we all remember Shaq holding up three NBA trophies with the Los Angeles Lakers. But does anyone remember Mark Madsen, Shaq’s forgotten teammate?
Most older fans probably remember Madsen for his horrible dance moves during the 2001 championship parade. I mean, who can forget those moves by Madsen as Shaq spit out a rap to the Lakers faithful?
Still, how much does anyone really know about Madsen as an NBA player? Mark Madsen, otherwise known as “Mad Dog” thanks to his relentless hustle style of play, helped Stanford University reach four NCAA tournament appearances.
Even though Madsen only averaged 10.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks per game in his collegiate career, he finished his tenure at Stanford in the school’s top 10 total for blocks and rebounds.
This led to the Los Angeles Lakers selecting Madsen with the 29th pick in the 2000 NBA Draft. There, Madsen, alongside Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, won two titles in 2001 and 2002.
Madsen would end up playing in the NBA for nine seasons. The first three with the Lakers, and the remaining six with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Madsen would appear in 453 career NBA games, finishing with averages of 2.2 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. Over the course of his career, Madsen only saw 11.8 minutes per game of playing time.
This might not sound like the greatest NBA career, but winning two titles is special. Ultimately, the goal is to win an NBA championship, and Madsen won two of them. That’s a successful career, in my book.
As for today, Madsen looks to lead the University of California, Berkeley, to an NCAA tournament berth. Mark Madsen may be the forgotten teammate of Shaquille O’Neal, but he’s had enough success to be remembered as a solid role player turned head coach.
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