Elton Brand (born March 11, 1979 in Cortland, New York) is a star power forward for the Los Angeles Clippers. A native of Peekskill, New York, Brand was raised as a normal person who liked to play any sport. At the age of thirteen, he enrolled to Peekskill High School and immediately indicated that he would belong to the school's varsity team, and was touted as a "can't-miss" player. He played AAU basketball with future NBA player Ron Artest.

After leading Duke University to the Final Four and being named the consensus National Player of the Year, Brand was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the first pick in the 1999 NBA Draft. The Bulls suffered through some losing seasons and in 2001 they traded Brand to the Los Angeles Clippers. Upon an injury to Shaquille O'Neal in 2002, Brand made his first career All-Star appearance, becoming the first Los Angeles Clipper since Danny Manning (in 1994) to be selected to the All-Star team.