Bob Lanier (basketball)

Bob Lanier
Personal information
Born (1948-09-10) September 10, 1948
Buffalo, New York
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight 250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
High school Bennett (Buffalo, New York)
College St. Bonaventure (1967–1970)
NBA draft 1970 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall
Selected by the Detroit Pistons
Playing career 1970–1984
Position Center
Number 16
Career history
As player:
1970–1980 Detroit Pistons
1980–1984 Milwaukee Bucks
As coach:
1995 Golden State Warriors
Career highlights and awards
Career statistics
Points 19,248 (20.1 ppg)
Rebounds 9,698 (10.1 rpg)
Blocks 1,100 (1.5 bpg)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Basketball Hall of Fame as player
College Basketball Hall of Fame
Inducted in 2006

Robert Jerry Lanier, Jr. (born September 10, 1948) is a retired American professional basketball player who played for the Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Lanier was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992.[1]

Biography

Lanier was born in Buffalo, New York. Under coach Fred Szwejbka, he played at Buffalo's Bennett High School, where he graduated in 1966.[2] He then played collegiately at St. Bonaventure University, in Allegany, New York.

Lanier was a three-time Converse All-America selection (1968–1970), and in 1970, he led St. Bonaventure to the NCAA Final Four. He was injured late in the regional championship game in a collision with Villanova's Chris Ford and did not participate in Bona's national semi-final loss to Artis Gilmore-led Jacksonville University. That year he was named Coach and Athlete Magazine player of the year, and the ECAC Player of the Year.

Lanier was drafted number one overall by the National Basketball Association's Detroit Pistons and was named to the All-Rookie Team following the 1970-71 season. He starred for Detroit until being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in 1980. In his five seasons with the Bucks, they won the division championship each year. The same year he retired, in 1984, he was awarded the Oscar Robertson Leadership Award.

In his 14 NBA seasons, Lanier averaged 20.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per game while shooting a respectable 51.4 percent from the field. He played in eight NBA All-Star Games, and was named Most Valuable Player of the 1974 game. Lanier was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992[1] and had his #16 jersey retired by both the Pistons and the Bucks.

In 1994-95, he became interim head coach of the Golden State Warriors for 37 games after Don Nelson stood down, in which he compiled a 12-25 win-loss record.

According to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Lanier would smoke cigarettes during halftime breaks. Abdul-Jabbar would try to take advantage of this by forcing Lanier to run more during the second half.[3]

At the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, visitors are able to compare the size of their foot to that of Lanier's. The largest shoe ever created by shoe company Allen Edmonds was a size 22 for Lanier.

The basketball court at Lanier's alma mater, St. Bonaventure, is named after him.

Lanier currently owns and operates Bob Lanier Enterprises, Inc., a promotional marketing company and is a member of the Proforma (Business) network.[4]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Robert J. "Bob" Lanier". Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
  2. ↑ "Bennett Coach Inspired Lanier: NBA Great Points to Mentor", The Buffalo News, February 16, 1995
  3. ↑ PBS News Hour, November 11, 2015
  4. ↑ "Bob Lanier Enterprises Joins Proforma". asicentral.com. The Advertising Specialty Institute. Retrieved 19 March 2015.

Bennett High School Yearbook 1966

External links

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