Puerto Rican-American professional basketball player Renaldo Balkman was born on July 14, 1984 in Staten Island, New York, USA. He first went to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, then attended Laurinburg Institut. He was responsible in leading the team at Laurinburg to a 40-2 record and No. 1 national prep school ranking.

In 2002, Balkman was discovered by University of South Carolina coach Dave Odom. He played college basketball at USC and led the team to two wins against national champion Florida during the 2005-2006 college basketball season. He was named the 2006 NIT Most Valuable Player with an average of 9.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game.

Renaldo Balkman began his professional basketball career when he was selected as the 20th overall pick by the New York Nicks during the 2006 NBA Draft. He rejoined the New York Knicks through a trade from the Denver Nuggets.

Balkman is also a member of the Puerto Rican national basketball team. He played during the 2010 Centrobasket in the Dominican Republic, winning the gold medal after defeating the Dominican Republic 89-80. He also played during the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games, where Puerto Rico won the gold medal after defeating Mexico 82-77. He then played in the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico where they defeated Mexico 74-72 and won the gold medal.