1968–69 Phoenix Suns Season
The 1968–69 Phoenix Suns season was the inaugural season for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association. Head coach Red Kerr led the franchise to its first win in their debut game, over the Seattle SuperSonics. The Suns lost more games in their initial season than in any year since, and did not have a winning record against any other team. They played all their home games in the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Dick Van Arsdale was the franchise's first All-Star selection when he was selected to play in the 1969 All-Star Game. He was the team's second leading scorer at 21 points per game, behind eventual Hall of Fame member Gail Goodrich, who averaged 23.8, the seventh-highest in the league for the season. Goodrich was selected to replace an injured Jerry West in the All-Star Game. Offseason NBA Expansion Draft The Suns participated in the NBA's fourth expansion draft along with the Milwaukee Bucks, the other expansion team that joined the league in 196 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Johnny "Red" Kerr
John Graham "Red" Kerr (July 17, 1932 – February 26, 2009) was an American basketball player, coach, and color commentator. He played in the NBA from 1954 to 1966, mainly as a member of the Syracuse Nationals. He later held several coaching and administrative positions before embarking on a thirty-three-year career as a television color commentator for the Chicago Bulls. Playing career High school Although Johnny Kerr's first passion was soccer, an eight-inch growth spurt during his senior year at Tilden Technical High School, and some friendly persuasion from basketball Head Coach Bill Postl and school principal Robert Lakemacher, Kerr turned his attention to basketball. The 6' 9" center soon led his school's basketball team to the 1950 Chicago Public League Championship. Kerr graduated mid-year from Tilden (January 1950) and was all set to attend Bradley in the fall, however, after a visit from Illini freshman Irv Bemoras, touting the benefits of playing for Harry Combes and ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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San Diego Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before moving to Houston, Texas. In the Rockets' debut season, they won 15 games. After drafting Elvin Hayes first overall in the 1968 NBA Draft, they made their first appearance in the playoffs in 1969. After Hayes was traded, Moses Malone replaced him. Malone won two Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards during his time in Houston, and he led the Rockets to the 1978 conference finals in his first year with the Rockets. He also took the Rockets to the NBA Finals in 1981, but they were defeated in six games by the Boston Celtics. Two years after advancing to the finals, the Rockets traded Malone and had two losing seasons, with the first having a franchise-low 14 victories. This gave Houston two ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 16, 1966, and played its first game during the 1966–67 NBA season. The Bulls play their home games at the United Center, an arena on Chicago's West Side. The Bulls saw their greatest success during the 1990s when they played a major part in popularizing the NBA worldwide. They are known for having one of the NBA's greatest dynasties, winning six NBA championships between 1991 and 1998 with two three-peats. All six of their championship teams were led by Hall of Famers Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and coach Phil Jackson. The Bulls are the only NBA franchise to win multiple championships while never losing an NBA Finals series in their history. The Bulls won 72 games during the 1995–96 season, setting an NBA record that stood un ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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McCoy McLemore
McCoy McLemore Jr. (April 3, 1942 – April 30, 2009) was an American professional basketball player in the 1960s and 1970s. He played college basketball for Drake University. Basketball career Early years Born in Houston, Texas, McLemore attended Houston's Jack Yates High School. College McLemore first attended Moberly Area Community College, but then transferred to Drake University, leading his team to be co-Missouri Valley Conference champions. McLemore was inducted posthumously into the National Junior College Athletic Association Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011. Professional career He was a third-round pick by the San Francisco Warriors in 1964. McLemore was a member of the Chicago Bulls' inaugural team after being selected in the 1966 expansion draft. Two years later, the Phoenix Suns drafted McLemore in the 1968 expansion draft. In the middle of the 1968 season, he was traded to the Detroit Pistons. 1970 marked the third time McLemore was selected in an expans ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Baltimore Bullets (1963–73)
The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at the Capital One Arena, in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The franchise was established in 1961 as the Chicago Packers in Chicago, Illinois; they were renamed the Chicago Zephyrs in the following season. In 1963, they moved to Baltimore, Maryland, and became the Baltimore Bullets, taking the name from a previous team of the same name. In 1973, the team moved to the Washington metropolitan area and changed its name first to the Capital Bullets, then the following season to Washington Bullets. In 1997, they rebranded themselves as the Wizards. The Wizards have played in four NBA Finals; they won in 1978. They have appeared in 28 playoffs, won four conference titles (1971, 1975, 1978, 1979), and won eight di ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Stan McKenzie (basketball)
Stanley McKenzie (October 6, 1944 – July 21, 2021) was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Born in Miami, Florida, McKenzie played college basketball at New York University. He scored over 1,000 points in his collegiate career, and was inducted into the NYU Hall of Fame in 1984. He was selected by the Baltimore Bullets in the 11th round of the 1966 NBA draft. He played one season with the Bullets, then played for the Phoenix Suns for two years (1968-1970). He next played for the Portland Trail Blazers (1970-1972). He was traded from the Trail Blazers to the Houston Rockets for Greg Smith on October 27, 1972. He retired from the NBA in 1973. He was married to Vashti Murphy McKenzie, who became the first woman Bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the AME Church or AME, is a Black church, predominantly African American Methodist Religious denomination, ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at Little Caesars Arena, located in Midtown. Founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as a semi-professional company basketball team called the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons in 1937, they would turn pro in 1941 as a member of the National Basketball League (NBL), where they won two NBL championships: in 1944 and 1945. The Pistons later joined the Basketball Association of America (BAA) in 1948. The NBL and BAA merged to become the NBA in 1949, and the Pistons became part of the merged league. In 1957, the franchise moved to Detroit. The Pistons have won three NBA championships: in 1989, 1990 and 2004. Franchise history 1937–1957: Fort Wayne (Zollner) Pistons Fred Zollner owned the Zollner Corporation, a foundry that manufactured pistons, primarily ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Paul Long
Paul Richard Long (born February 8, 1944) is a former NBA and ABA basketball player. He played professionally for the Detroit Pistons, Kentucky Colonels and the Buffalo Braves. Biography Long was born in Louisville, Kentucky and graduated from Waggener High School in Louisville. He attended Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia and Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He was drafted with the second pick in the fifth round of the 1967 NBA draft by the Detroit Pistons. In his first NBA season, Long averaged 3.6 points and 0.8 assists per game. Long then played for the Kentucky Colonels of the ABA in his second season, averaging 3.9 points and 1.3 assists per game. He played for the Pistons again in his third season, averaging 3.3 points and 0.7 assists per game. In his final NBA season, Long played for the Buffalo Braves The Buffalo Braves were an American professional basketball franchise based in Buffalo, New York. T ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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San Francisco Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 1946 in Philadelphia, the Warriors moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1962 and took the city's name, before changing its geographic moniker to Golden State in 1971. The club plays its home games at the Chase Center. The Warriors won the inaugural Basketball Association of America (BAA) championship in 1947, and won again in 1956, led by Hall of Fame trio Paul Arizin, Tom Gola, and Neil Johnston. After the trade of star Wilt Chamberlain in January 1965, the team finished the 1964–65 season with the NBA's worst record (17–63). Their rebuilding period was brief due in large part to the Warriors' drafting of Rick Barry four months after the trade. In 1975, star players Barry and Jamaal Wilkes powered the Warriors to their third cha ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Dave Lattin
David Lattin (born December 23, 1943) is an American former basketball player. He was the starting center for the Texas Western Miners in their NCAA championship year in 1966. During his playing career, he was listed at 6 feet 6 inches tall and 225 lbs. His nickname during his career was "Big Daddy D". David Lattin was born on December 23, 1943 in Houston Texas. His mother, Elsie Lattin, was widowed when Lattin’s father died in 1949. Lattin attended elementary and secondary schools in Houston before graduating from Evan E. Worthing Senior High School in 1963. Lattin was named All-State and All-American in basketball both his junior and senior years and was the first Texas player to be named to a High School All-American team. Lattin left Tennessee State in 1964 citing the lack of basketball competition. He returned to Houston and played the AAAU before receiving a full scholarship to attend Texas Western College in 1965 where he played with the Miners, a Division 1 team in ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Neil Johnson (basketball)
Neil A. Johnson (born April 17, 1943) is a retired American basketball player born in Jackson, Michigan. A 6'7" forward/center from Creighton University, Johnson played four seasons in the National Basketball Association as a member of the New York Knicks (1966–1968) and Phoenix Suns (1968–1970), then spent three seasons (1970–1973) in the American Basketball Association with the Virginia Squires. He averaged 6.9 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in his professional career and appeared in the 1971 ABA All-Star Game. Known as an "enforcer", Johnson is remembered in the ABA oral history book ''Loose Balls'' for punching Warren Jabali in a game between the Virginia Squires and Denver Rockets. Referee John Vanak called the punch "the most devastating punch e'dever seen on the court". According to Vanak, Jabali was one of the most physical players in the ABA, and had been shoving Johnson and his teammates throughout the game until Johnson retaliated. Dave Twardzik ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Dennis Hamilton
Dennis Eugene Hamilton (May 8, 1944 – June 18, 2012) was an American basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association and American Basketball Association from 1967 to 1971. Hamilton, a 6'8" forward from Huntington Beach High School in Huntington Beach, California, played collegiately at the Arizona State University from 1963 to 1966. For his career, he scored 1,079 points (13.6 per game) and shot .813 from the free throw line. He was named second team All-Western Athletic Conference in 1966. Undrafted after the completion of his college career, Hamilton signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers for the 1967–68 NBA season. For the season he averaged 2.8 points and 1.6 rebounds per game for a team that made it to the 1968 NBA Finals. Following the season, Hamilton was selected by the Phoenix Suns in the 1968 NBA Expansion Draft, then traded to the Atlanta Hawks for the 1968–69 NBA season. Hamilton then played two years in the American Basket ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |