Born: June 15, 1985
Height: 6-5 / 1,96 m
Weight: 199 lbs / 90 kg
Darryl Strawberry, Jr. or simply D.J. was born June 15, 1985 in Corona , California . His parents are Lisa Watkins and Darryl Strawberry, and he has two brothers and four sisters. His father was a major league baseball player for 17 seasons with the New York Mets and the New York Yankees and helped them win four World Series Championships. A graduate of Mater Dei High School in Corona , Ca, Strawberry built a reputation for hard-nosed defense. During his senior year, he was involved in a nationally-televised match-up against St. Vincent-St. Mary High School , where he was assigned the task of defending their star player and future NBA superstar Lebron James. Strawberry was lauded for his efforts, which included holding James to a 33% shooting performance (0-for-8 from beyond the three-point line) and forcing him into seven turnovers.
Strawberry attended the University of Maryland where he was a swingman for the Terrapins, playing both point guard and shooting guard. Strawberry received Honorable Mention All-ACC Freshman honors, and during his junior year, he received Honorable Mention All-ACC Defensive Team honors. During the 2005-2006 season, Strawberry was the only player to start all 32 games and averaged 10.3 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. He led the team in steals and assists and ranked sixth in the ACC with 1.6 steals per game. In 2007, the Phoenix Suns made him the 59th pick of the NBA Draft.