Golden State Warriors Undrafted in the
1988 NBA draft, Starks signed with the
Golden State Warriors in September 1988 as a free agent. Because the Warriors had drafted fellow shooting guard
Mitch Richmond with the fifth overall pick that year, Starks played limited minutes in only 36 games while Richmond won
Rookie of the Year.
Other leagues Starks played stints in the
Continental Basketball Association (
Cedar Rapids Silver Bullets, 1989–90) and
World Basketball League (
Memphis Rockers, 1990–91). As a result, Starks has referred to Ewing as his saving grace. Starks eventually became the starting shooting guard, becoming a key player on the team and playing eight seasons in New York, from 1990 to 1998. Starks was a poster child for their physical play during that era, along with teammates
Anthony Mason and
Charles Oakley. He was a participant in the 1992
NBA Slam Dunk Contest. Starks executed a famous play that became known simply as "The Dunk." In Game 2 of the 1993 Eastern Conference Finals against the
Chicago Bulls, Starks was in the court's right corner, and closely guarded by
B. J. Armstrong. Ewing came to set a screen for Starks, who faked to the left, as if to exploit the screen, but then drove along the baseline and, with his left hand, dunked over
Horace Grant and
Michael Jordan. One of the low points of Starks' career came in the
1994 NBA Finals against the
Houston Rockets. In the closing seconds of Game 3 and the Knicks trailing by three, Starks was fouled by Rockets center
Hakeem Olajuwon while attempting a three-pointer. At the time, the NBA allowed only two free throws during a foul on a three-pointer. Starks made both, but Houston won 93–89 (the league would change the rule to allow three free throws the next season). Starks and the Knicks then watched
their home court host the
New York Rangers'
first Stanley Cup celebration in 54 years, with their 3–2 win over the
Vancouver Canucks in Game 7 of the
1994 Stanley Cup Finals. It served as an inspiration In the offseason,
Pat Riley left the Knicks to go to the
Miami Heat after a dispute with then General Manager
Dave Checketts. The Knicks hired
Don Nelson, bringing back the tensions from Starks' first season in Golden State. Nelson started
Hubert Davis over Starks. Nelson was eventually fired mid-season, and the Knicks replaced him with
Jeff Van Gundy. In 1996-97, newly acquired shooting guard
Allan Houston took over Starks' starting spot. Despite this change, Starks was a steady contributor off the bench and won the
NBA Sixth Man of the Year award in 1997. On February 18, 1997, Starks hit a
buzzer-beating three-pointer to defeat the Phoenix Suns at home, 95–94. On the play, he rebounded an Allan Houston missed three while getting to the three-point line and head-faked the Suns'
Wesley Person before releasing the shot just as the horn sounded. Replays were inconclusive as to whether the shot was released in time, but the basket stood. This may have been the most dramatic regular season moment of Starks' career, as it was his only buzzer beater to win an NBA game.
Return to Golden State In January 1999, Starks was traded back to his original team, the
Golden State Warriors, along with
Chris Mills and
Terry Cummings, in exchange for
Latrell Sprewell. Starks remained with the Warriors until February 2000, when he was traded to the Chicago Bulls as part of a three-team trade that sent
Billy Owens and
Larry Hughes to the Warriors.
Chicago Bulls Starks played for the
Chicago Bulls for four games in the
1999–2000 season. When the Bulls were unable to trade him before the February trade deadline, both sides contacted the league and inquired whether Starks could be released without pay so he could join a contender. The matter went to arbitrator who ruled that Starks could be released without pay, but would not be eligible for the playoffs with another team. With the ruling, Starks rescinded his request to be released but the Bulls released him anyway, citing their desire to focus on the younger core of the team.
Utah Jazz Starks finished his career with the
Utah Jazz, playing for the franchise from 2000 to 2002. ==Later career and retirement==