Michael David Ruffin (born 21 January 1977 in Denver, Colorado) is an American professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA. He is a 6'8", 248 lb forward/center.
After playing college basketball at the University of Tulsa, Ruffin was drafted in the second round of the 1999 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls. He has played for the Bulls, the Philadelphia 76ers, the Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards. He has averaged 1.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per game through his career but is considered to be a defensive presence on the court. He is known for his blocks and hard dunks, thus giving him the nickname "Giltawn's clone".
Michael Ruffin is best known for committing a costly error for his team in the dying seconds of a March 30, 2007 game against the Toronto Raptors. With his Washington Wizards up 109-106 with 3.8 seconds left, Ruffin intercepted a Raptors half-court inbounds pass only to heave the ball in the air as if in celebration for his team winning the game, but the ball was not thrown high enough and the Raptors' Morris Peterson caught the ball on its descent and made a 31-foot three-point shot with 0.2 seconds remaining to tie the score and send the game into overtime. The Raptors went on to defeat the Wizards, 123-118.
