Michael Curtis "Yogi" Stewart is a retired American basketball player who last played for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association.
Background
Stewart, son of former Santa Clara standout and European pro Mike Stewart, was born in Cucq, Pas-de-Calais, France and starred at Kennedy High School in Sacramento, California, leading the Cougars to back-to-back city section titles in 1990 and 1991.
Career
Stewart played four seasons at the University of California, Berkeley. He averaged 4.3 ppg and 4.7 rpg in 117 games and finished as the Bears" all-time leading shot-blocker (207). Stewart set a school record by blocking 59 shots as a freshman in 1993-1994 and holds the four best single-season totals for blocks in school history.
He never missed a game, playing in all 117 games during his collegiate career and shooting.510 from the field
Stewart went undrafted in the 1997 National Basketball Association draft, but was signed to a one-year contract by the Sacramento Kings on September 11, 1997. This was a dream come true for Stewart, as he had served as a ball boy for the Kings in his youth.
As a rookie in 1997-1998, he led the Kings in blocked shots and ranked second overall among National Basketball Association rookies. He also blocked nine shots in one game.
On January 21, 1999, Stewart was signed as a free agent by the Toronto Raptors.
During the ensuing offseason, he was re-signed to a six-year, $24 million contract by the team In 2002, Stewart was traded from the Raptors (along with a future first round pick) to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Lamond Murray.
Membership
At the 1994 United States. Olympic Festival, Stewart was a member of the bronze medal-winning West team