John Herbert Best (born March 27, 1971) is an American former professional basketball player. A forward/center listed at 6-foot-8, he played college basketball at Tennessee Tech for 4 years, and in his senior year he ranked 3rd in the NCAA Division I in scoring with an average of 28.5 points per game. He was selected by the New Jersey Nets in the second round of the 1993 NBA draft (36th overall), but he was cut before the beginning of the 1993–94 NBA season and started his professional career in France. After playing in Puerto Rico, Switzerland and the Philippines, Best joined German team Bayer Giants Leverkusen where he was the Basketball Bundesliga Top Scorer in 2001 with an average of 22.9 points per game. He then participated in the 2003–04 Euroleague with Alba Berlin and retired after three more seasons in France with Élan Chalon. High school career Best grew up in Neptune, New Jersey and then moved to Memphis, Tennessee with his family in 1987, before his junior year of high school. While being at Neptune High School he had not played in the varsity basketball team; he later had a 6 inches growth spurt and when at Whitehaven High School in Memphis he played two years in the varsity team. In his senior season at Whitehaven he averaged 21.1 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game. College career Best signed for Tennessee Tech in April 1989. He wasn't cleared to play until November because his old high school in New Jersey had not given a final certification for a science course taken in the 9th grade: after the school provided the certification, Best became eligible. While at Tennessee Tech he chose to wear number 25 and he played mostly center during his college career. In his freshman season he played 15 games (no starts) and averaged 3.1 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game, receiving limited playing time; he also won the Golden Eagle Award given by Tennessee Tech every year to players who showed "sacrifice, dedication and hard work": he received the award together with his teammate Mitch Cupples. After the graduation of forward Earl Wise, the 1989–90 top scorer at Tennessee Tech, coach Frank Harrell gave Best a spot in the starting lineup, and he led the team during his sophomore season, recording a team-best 13.9 points per game. In a preseason game on