Carlos Boozer (born November 20, 1981 in Juneau, Alaska) currently plays professional basketball for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Boozer was a two-time Parade All-American in High School, leading the Juneau-Douglas Crimson Bears to back-to-back state titles. He then followed the so-called "Alaskan basketball pipeline" to Durham, North Carolina where he played collegiately for Duke University, helping the team win the 2001 NCAA basketball tournament.
Boozer declared for the 2002 NBA Draft, relinquishing his final year of NCAA eligibility. He was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round of the NBA draft. After an impressive sophomore season, he signed with the Utah Jazz in 2004 as a restricted free agent for roughly six years and a total of $68 million USD. The move would prove to be highly controversial.
