Blair signs 4-year deal with Spurs

Former Pitt forward DeJuan Blair signed his first professional contract Thursday, agreeing to a four-year contract with the San Antonio Spurs worth nearly $4 million, according to his agent Happy Walters.

Walters said three years and nearly $3 million of the contract were guaranteed by the Spurs.

Although Blair signed the deal in Las Vegas, he put off the celebration for more pressing matters. He had a basketball game to play in the Spurs' summer league. He scored 20 points and grabbed five rebounds against Oklahoma City.

After the game, Walters said Blair, who was unavailable for comment late last night, was planning to finally spend time with family members, who were with him in Las Vegas.

Blair was selected by the Spurs in the second round of the NBA Draft, the 37th overall choice.

He fell out of the first round, where many Draft analysts had predicted he would land, because some teams had fears about his surgically repaired knees and his size (6-foot-7, 265 pounds).

Blair, a graduate of Schenley High School where he led the Spartans to the 2007 PIAA Class AAAA championship, was chosen as a first-team All-American by The Associated Press last season. He also was Big East Co-Player of the Year and earned first-team all-conference honors.

He led the nation in offensive rebounding (5.6 per game), was fourth in total rebounding (12.3) and 19th in field-goal percentage (.593). He averaged 15.7 points per game, with 21 double-doubles. He's one of only two players in Pitt history with two 20-point, 20-rebound performances, joining Billy Knight with that distinction.

In the NCAA Tournament, where he helped lead Pitt to the Elite Eight, he averaged 16.8 points and 13.8 rebounds in four games.