By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Nate Huffman lost today the biggest battle of his life to cancer. The former Euroleague champ was fighting with the illness, but as he had revealed his condition was terminal and he died at his 40 years of age.
Huffman played for Lakeview High School and then for Lansing Community College (where in ’94–’95 he averaged 29.8 points, 14.5 rebounds, and 6 blocks per game while shooting 66.8% from the field, and was named to the JUCO All America team). He then played for Central Michigan University from 1995 until 1997 (where in ’96–’97 he averaged 17.2 points, 11 rebounds (leading the Mid-America Conference in rebounding), and 1.8 blocks per game, and was named to the MAC Conference 1st team).
After college, Huffman signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Clippers, but did not make the team. In the 1997–98 season played for the Idaho Stampede of the CBA.He was second in the league in blocked shots per game (1.8), 6th in field goal percentage (.553), 8th in rebounds per game (7.6), 10th in free throw percentage (.801). He then moved to Europe and played for Baloncesto Fuenlabrada of Spain.
In the 1999–00 season he was signed by Maccabi Tel Aviv. During his time in Israel he won three national championships and state cups, and one European FIBA SuproLeague title (2001; when he averaged 17.9 points and 9 rebounds while playing 30 minutes per game as the team was 21–3). He was named the MVP of the Israeli Basketball League, and the FIBA SuproLeague MVP in 2001.
After his successes in Israel, he was signed in July 2002, by the Toronto Raptors of the NBA to a 3-year, $5.2 million contract (the third year being a team option), and appeared in 7 games, averaging 3.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 10.9 minutes. Shortly after, Huffman was released by Toronto which terminated his contract in January 2003 and the team management accused him that he hid a knee injury from them when he signed the contract. Huffman responded by suing them in 2003. In February 2004, however, an arbitrator ruled that the Raptors were responsible for Huffman’s contract