Xavier Maurice McDaniel (born June 4, 1963), nicknamed the 'X-Man' played both small forward and power forward.
While at Wichita State, McDaniel was the first person to lead the nation in both rebounding and scoring in the same season.
In college, McDaniel began to shave both his head and his eyebrows to look more intimidating and he continued this all throughout his pro career.McDaniel was selected by the SuperSonics in the first round of the 1985 NBA Draft and became an instant starter. He averaged 17.1 points per game and finished second in the NBA Rookie of the Year balloting to Patrick Ewing.
His second season, he was one of a trio of 20 ppg scorers with the SuperSonics along with Dale Ellis and Tom Chambers. The SuperSonics made it all the way to the Western Conference finals that season. He averaged over 20 points per game for the next three seasons as a Sonic, including the 1988-89 season when he was used primarily as a bench player.
McDaniel was traded fifteen games into the 1990-91 season to the Suns for Eddie Johnson and two draft picks. While the trade reunited him with teammate Tom Chambers, it didn't produce the results the Suns were looking for. At seasons' end, he was dealt to the Knicks where he was a perfect fit in Coach Pat Riley's physical style. He gained some notoriety for playing the Scottie Pippen tough in the seven-game playoff series that the Bulls won on their way to their second NBA title.
