Luther Burden

Luther Burden
Personal information
Born (1953-02-28)February 28, 1953
Haines City, Florida
Died October 29, 2015(2015-10-29) (aged 62)
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight 185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school Schuyler (Albany, New York)
College Utah (1972–1975)
NBA draft 1975 / Round: 2 / Pick: 26th overall
Selected by the New York Knicks
Playing career 1975–1978
Position Shooting guard
Number 15, 14
Career history
1975–1976 Virginia Squires (ABA)
19761978 New York Knicks
Career highlights and awards
Career ABA and NBA statistics
Points 1,762 (13.1 ppg)
Rebounds 268 (2.0 rpg)
Assists 194 (1.4 apg)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Luther Dean "Ticky" Burden (February 28, 1953 – October 29, 2015) was an American NBA and ABA basketball player.[1]

High School

Burden played in Albany, New York's Philip Schuyler High School.

College

Born in Haines City, Florida, Burden attended the University of Utah. He played for the United States men's national basketball team in the 1974 FIBA World Championship, winning the bronze medal[2] and scoring 20.2 points per game, a Team USA record which was overtaken by Kevin Durant in 2010.[3] In 1975, his junior year, he averaged 28.7 points per game and set the Western Athletic Conference record for field goals in a season with 359.

Professional basketball

Following his junior season, he was allowed to turn pro as a hardship case. Burden was drafted by the Virginia Squires of the American Basketball Association and the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association. He chose Virginia, but left after one season, during which he had a serious argument with coach Bill Musselman. Upon joining the Knicks, he stated "In Virginia I saw the bad side of pro basketball, in New York I know I'll see the good side".[4] In the 1976-77 season, Burden got into 61 games for the Knicks in a backup role, averaging 10 minutes and 5.7 points per game. However, in the 77-78 season Knicks coach Willis Reed became frustrated with Burden's lack of defensive play, and sent him to the disabled list for the remainder of the season after he played in just two games. Willis unsuccessfully attempted to trade Burden, but ending up placing him on waivers and releasing him following the season.

Legal trouble

On July 3, 1980, Burden and three other men allegedly robbed a bank in Hempstead, Long Island. Burden was convicted after the three other men struck deals and testified against him, and was given a sentence of six to eighteen years.[5] After serving two years, Burden's conviction was overturned when a court ruled that detectives did not possess search or arrest warrants when they raided Burden's home.[6] Burden would later plead guilty to receiving stolen money in conjunction with the robbery, but was released after being given credit for time served.[6]

Later life

As of 2010, Burden was working with the YWCA organization, mentoring and coaching basketball.[7] Since 2012, Burden experienced medical problems related to ATTR amyloidosis. He died on October 29, 2015, after developing a fever from cataract surgery in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He was 62.[1][8][9]

External link

Luther Burden at Find a Grave

References

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