Andrew (Drew) Melvin Gooden[1] (born September 24, 1981 in Oakland, California) is an American professional basketball player currently with the Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA. A 6'10", 250 lbs. power forward from the University of Kansas, Gooden was selected as the 4th overall pick by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2002 NBA Draft.

Gooden played the center position at El Cerrito High School where as a senior, he led his Gauchos to the 1999 California Interscholastic Federation Boys Division III championship game. Washington Union High School (led by NBA guard Deshawn Stevenson) won the championship game over El Cerrito HS by a score of 77-71. [2]

Gooden was a dominant College Player at the University of Kansas, where he averaged 19.8 points and 11.4 rebounds per game in 2001-2. Besides being a key contributed to Kansas' Final Four run, he also garnered individual honors including Sporting News First-Team All America and Basketball America Player of the Year honors.

As a professional, Gooden has established himself as a solid power forward, consistently bringing down double digit numbers in points and rebounds.

Gooden is half Finnish; his father, Andrew Gooden, met Drew's mother, Ulla, while playing pro basketball[3] in Äänekoski, Finland. [1] Gooden's parents divorced later on, and he stayed with his father in California.

Gooden re-signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers for three more years on August 14, 2006.
Source : Wikipedia