 morris peterson, jr. (born august 26, 1977) is an american retired professional basketball player. he is also a cousin of former basketball player jonathan bender. == college career == born in flint, michigan, peterson played collegiate basketball at michigan state university, and helped lead them to the 2000 ncaa title. in his senior year at msu, peterson led the team in scoring, field goal percentage, and free throw percentage. he had a team-high 30 double-digit scoring efforts. he was voted big ten player of the year and first team all-big ten, and he placed as first or second team all-american on five different polls. he was selected 21st overall by the raptors in the 2000 nba draft, and was a starter in the majority of their games during his first three seasons. on january 17, 2009, msu retired his number 42 with msu's other all time greats before their game against the illinois fighting illini. == nba career == === toronto raptors === drafted in the first round by the raptors in 2000, peterson was a fan favorite from the moment he stepped on the floor. while enjoying some early success in his professional career, peterson's production faced a steady decline, before stepping up in the wake of the new era of raptor youngsters being ushered in, taking on a more expansive leadership role and transforming himself into an elite perimeter defender, a clutch performer and consistent scorer. he is known for his three-point shooting, acrobatic shots, defense, and fearless driving to the basket. on december 28, 2005, peterson set a record for career games played as a raptor, surpassing [[alvi
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