| Height | 6 ft |
|---|---|
| Height in | 5 |
| Weight lb | 190 |
| Birth date | April 5, 1968 (age 58) |
| Birth place | Henderson, Kentucky, U.S. |
| High school | Carbondale (Carbondale, Illinois) |
| College | Illinois (1986–1990) |
| Draft year | 1990 |
| Draft round | 2 |
| Draft pick | 41 |
| Draft team | Atlanta Hawks |
| Career start | 1990 |
| Career end | 2000 |
| Career number | 42, 23, 25 |
| Years 1 | 1990–1991 |
| Team 1 | Quad City Thunder |
| Years 2 | 1991 |
| Team 2 | Atlanta Eagles |
| Years 3 | 1991–1992 |
| Team 3 | Quad City Thunder |
| Team 4 | San Antonio Spurs |
| Team 5 | Dallas Mavericks |
| Years 6 | 1993 |
| Team 6 | Wichita Falls Texans |
| Years 7 | 1993 |
| Team 7 | Levallois |
| Years 8 | 1993–1994 |
| Team 8 | Teamsystem Fabriano |
| Years 9 | 1994 |
| Team 9 | Wichita Falls Texans |
| Years 10 | 1994–1995 |
| Team 10 | Chicago Rockers |
| Years 11 | 1995 |
| Team 11 | Joventut Badalona |
| Team 12 | Detroit Pistons |
| Years 13 | 1996 |
| Team 13 | Chicago Rockers |
| Years 14 | 1996–2000 |
| Team 14 | Toshiba Brave Thunders Kanagawa |
| Highlights |
|
Stephen Dean Bardo (born April 5, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player who played three seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is currently a college basketball analyst.
Basketball career
During his standout career at the University of Illinois, 6'5" Bardo scored 909 points and compiled 495 assists. He was part of the Flyin' Illini team that qualified for the 1989 NCAA men's basketball tournament Final Four. That Fighting Illini team gained the moniker "Flyin' Illini" by Dick Vitale while broadcasting a game during the 1988–89 season. Bardo was named Big Ten defensive player of the year in 1989. Along with Bardo, the other starting members of that team included Nick Anderson, Kendall Gill, Lowell Hamilton, Kenny Battle, and key reserve Marcus Liberty.
Bardo was selected in the 1990 NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks, but never played for the team, playing one game (one minute) with the San Antonio Spurs during the 1991–92 NBA season. He also appeared for the Dallas Mavericks and Detroit Pistons, amassing 32 more regular season games, and leaving the National Basketball Association with per-game averages of 2 points, 2 rebounds and one assist.
Bardo also played in France, Italy, Japan, Spain, Venezuela overseas as well as the Continental Basketball Association (CBA). He was selected as CBA Defensive Player in 1993 and 1994.[1] Bardo was named to the All-CBA First Team in 1993, All-CBA Second Team in 1992 and 1994, and All-Defensive Team in 1992, 1993 and 1994. He enjoyed a 10-year professional playing career.[1]
College stats
| Season | Games | Points | PPG | Assists | APG | Steals | Big Ten Record | Overall Record | Postseason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986–87 | 31 | 119 | 3.7 | 85 | 2.7 | 23 | 13–2 | 23–8 | NCAA First Round |
| 1987–88 | 33 | 216 | 6.5 | 125 | 3.8 | 41 | 11–7 | 21–10 | NCAA Second Round |
| 1988–89 | 36 | 293 | 8.1 | 148 | 4.4 | 34 | 14–4 | 31–5 | NCAA Final Four |
| 1989–90 | 29 | 281 | 9.7 | 137 | 4.7 | 37 | 11–7 | 21–8 | NCAA First Round |
| Totals | 129 | 909 | 7.0 | 353 | 3.0 | 203 | 49–20 | 96–31 | 4 appearances |
Post-retirement
Since retiring in 2000, Bardo has worked in broadcasting. He has served as a color analyst for the Illini Sports Network, a sports reporter for WBBM-TV in Chicago, an analyst and reporter for CBS Sports, and a color analyst for college basketball on ESPN[2] and Big Ten Network. He has also participated on ESPN First Take. Additionally, he works as a motivational speaker,[3][4] and authored the book How To Make The League Without Picking Up The Rock.[2] In 2021, Bardo began filling in as an analyst on Bally Sports Wisconsin's Milwaukee Bucks broadcasts for regular color commentator Marques Johnson.
In May 2015, Bardo, who is African-American, publicly criticized the University of Illinois's athletic department over the lack of diversity among prominent head coaches at the university.[5]
References
- ^ "Stephen Bardo minor league basketball statistics". Stats Crew. Retrieved February 26, 2025.
- ^ "Keynote Speaker: Stephen Bardo"
- ^ "Stephen Bardo speaks about overcoming adversities, leadership"[dead link]
- ^ "Great Black Speakers profile". Archived 2011-01-26 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Duber, Vinnie (May 30, 2015). "Ex-Flyin' Illini Stephen Bardo voices frustration on Twitter". CSN Chicago. Retrieved 5 February 2016.