Michael Stewart (basketball)

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For other persons named Michael Stewart, see Michael Stewart (disambiguation).

Michael Curtis "Yogi" Stewart (born April 24, 1975 in Cucq-Trépied-Stella-Plage, France) is an American former NBA basketball player who last played for the Atlanta Hawks. Stewart earned his nickname "Yogi" from his brother Michael for his childhood love of Yogi Bear cartoons.

Stewart starred at Kennedy High in Sacramento, California, leading the Cougars to back-to-back city section titles in 1990 and 1991.

Stewart played four seasons at California. He averaged 4.3 ppg and 4.7 rpg in 117 games, but finishing as the Bears' all-time leading shotblocker (207). Stewart set school a school record by blocking 59 shots as a freshman in 1993-94 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.

At the 1994 U.S. Olympic Festival, Stewart was a member of the bronze medal-winning West team.

Stewart went undrafted and was signed to a one year contract by the Kings on September 11, 1997. This was a dream come true for Michael, as he served as a ballboy for the Kings in his youth. In 1997-98, he led the Kings in blocked shots and ranked second overall among NBA rookies. 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 6-year, $24 million contract by the team. Michael is now retired and enjoying life as a businessman living in central Florida.