Calvin Jerome Murphy (born May 9, 1948) is an American former professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
player who after a prolific collegiate career at
Niagara, where he averaged 33.1 points per game over his three years, played in the
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
as a guard for the
San Diego/Houston Rockets from 1970 to 1983. He is a currently a member of the Houston Rockets' AT&T SportsNet TV broadcast team. Standing at a height of , Murphy has the distinction of being the shortest NBA player inducted into the
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and to play in an
NBA All-Star Game
The National Basketball Association All-Star Game is a basketball exhibition game hosted every February by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and showcases 24 of the league's star players. It is the featured event of NBA All-Star Weekend, ...
(the latter since tied by
Isaiah Thomas in
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...
).
Early years
Before basketball, Calvin Murphy was a world-class
baton twirler. He says he was "bullied into it" as his mother and all six of her sisters were twirlers.
As an 8th grader, in 1963, he won a national championship in baton twirling.
His reputation as a twirler earned him invitations to perform at major sporting events and the
1964 New York World's Fair.
In 1977, at the height of his basketball career in Houston, Murphy won the Texas State Men's Twirling Championship.
He played basketball for
Norwalk High School, where he was All-State three times and All-America twice. He is a member of the Connecticut Coaches Association Hall of Fame and a Connecticut Sportswriters Gold Key Award winner.
Norwalk High School's address is now 23 Calvin Murphy Rd. in his honor.
College (1967–1970)
Murphy attended
Niagara University, where he was a three-time All-American. He scored 2,548 points in 77 games (33.1 points per game).
One of his best games was a 68-point outing against Syracuse University at Niagara's Gallagher Center. In 1970, he led Niagara to the NCAA tournament and advanced to the second round, where they lost to Villanova. During his career he was famous for being one of "The Three M's", along with
Pete Maravich
Peter Press Maravich ( ; June 22, 1947 – January 5, 1988), known by his nickname Pistol Pete, was an American professional basketball player. Maravich was born in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, and raised i ...
and
Rick Mount
Richard Carl Mount (born January 5, 1947) is a former American basketball player in the American Basketball Association (ABA). He was the first high school athlete to be featured on the cover of ''Sports Illustrated''.
Early life
Rick Mount's fath ...
, both of whom were NCAA Men's Division I Basketball All-Americans at the same time as Murphy.
Murphy is a member of the Alpha Nu Omega chapter of the
Iota Phi Theta fraternity, being initiated alongside fellow future Hall of Famer
Elvin Hayes
Elvin Ernest Hayes (born November 17, 1945), nicknamed "the Big E", is an American former professional basketball player and radio analyst for his alma-mater Houston Cougars. He is a member of the NBA's 50th and 75th anniversary teams, and a ...
.
NBA (1970–1983)
Murphy was drafted by the
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 pl ...
(now the Houston Rockets) as the first pick in the second round (18th overall) of the
1970 NBA draft
The 1970 NBA draft was the 24th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on March 23, 1970, before the 1970–71 season. In this draft, 17 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball player ...
. In his first season, after averaging 15.8 points and 4 assists per game, Murphy was nominated to the
NBA All-Rookie team. A diminutive guard at , Murphy was known for his quickness and defensive ability.
During the
1975 NBA Playoffs, Murphy averaged a postseason career-high of 24.4 points and 5.6 assists per game, as the Rockets advanced past the
New York Knicks in the first round (Houston was in the Eastern Conference at the time), before being eliminated by the
Boston Celtics in the semifinals. Two seasons later, on March 18, 1978, Murphy set a career high with 57 points scored during a 106–104 loss to the
New Jersey Nets
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...
. The following year, he earned his only
All-Star selection.
During the
1980-81 NBA season
__NOTOC__
Year 198 (CXCVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sergius and Gallus (or, less frequently, year 951 ''Ab u ...
, Murphy played a key role in the Rockets making it to the NBA Finals. That postseason run, on April 17, 1981, Murphy led the Rockets to a decisive Western Conference Semifinals Game 7 win over the
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...
with 42 points, a postseason career high. After advancing past the
Kansas City Kings
The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Pacific Division ( ...
in the conference finals, in the
1981 NBA Finals
The 1981 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1980–81 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. It pitted the 62–20 Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics a ...
Murphy and the Rockets lost to the
Boston Celtics in a six-game series. Murphy retired in 1983.
Murphy was one of the best free-throw shooters in league history, setting NBA records for most consecutive free throws made and for the highest free throw percentage in a single season (1980–1981), though both records have since been broken. He set many other records within the Rockets organization, including that of all-time leading scorer until that record was broken in 1994 by
Hakeem Olajuwon. Despite being among the shortest players in the league, Murphy was considered to be an "enforcer" due to his physical playing style and willingness to confront other players for hard fouls. Murphy was inducted into the
Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993.
Post-NBA life
After retirement, Murphy continued to work for the Rockets organization in numerous roles, mainly as television analyst for Rockets games. He is currently the halftime and post-game analyst for local Rockets broadcasts on AT&T SportsNet.
In 2004, he faced trial in Houston for sexually abusing five of his daughters. He was acquitted of these charges in December of that year.
He hosted ''The Calvin Murphy Show'' on
ESPN Radio's Houston affiliate from 2007 until its cancellation in January 2010.
Statistics and accomplishments
*Inducted to the Naismith
Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993
*Jersey #23 retired by the Houston Rockets
*Second highest Free Throw Percentage in a Season – 206 of 215 (95.8%) in 1980–81
*NBA Consecutive Free Throws Made – 3rd, 78 (December 27, 1980 – February 28, 1981)
*NBA All-Rookie Team: 1971
*NBA All-Star Team: 1979
*Games played; 1,002
*Career points: 17,949 (17.9 points per game)
*Career steals: 1,165
*Career assists: 4,402 (4.4 apg)
*Career high points: 57 (against New Jersey Nets- March 18, 1978)
*Career playoff high: 42 (against San Antonio Spurs- April 17, 1981)
*1000-point seasons: 11
NBA career statistics
Regular season
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...
, 82 , , – , , 24.6 , , .458 , , – , , .820 , , 3.0 , , 4.0 , , – , , – , , 15.8
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
, 82 , , – , , 31.0 , , .455 , , – , , .890 , , 3.1 , , 4.8 , , – , , – , , 18.2
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
, 77 , , – , , 22.0 , , .465 , , – , , .888 , , 1.9 , , 3.4 , , – , , – , , 13.0
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
, 81 , , – , , 36.1 , , .522 , , – , , .868 , , 2.3 , , 7.4 , , 1.9 , , .0 , , 20.4
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
, 78 , , – , , 32.2 , , .484 , , – , , .883 , , 2.2 , , 4.9 , , 1.6 , , .1 , , 18.7
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
, 82 , , – , , 36.5 , , .493 , , – , , .907 , , 2.5 , , 7.3 , , 1.8 , , .1 , , 21.0
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
, 82 , , – , , 33.7 , , .490 , , – , , .886 , , 2.1 , , 4.7 , , 1.8 , , .1 , , 17.9
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
, 76 , , – , , 38.2 , , .491 , , – , , .918 , , 2.2 , , 3.4 , , 1.5 , , .0 , , 25.6
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
, 82 , , – , , 35.9 , , .496 , , – , , .928 , , 2.1 , , 4.3 , , 1.4 , , .1 , , 20.2
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
, 76 , , – , , 35.2 , , .493 , , .040 , , .897 , , 2.0 , , 3.9 , , 1.9 , , .1 , , 20.0
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
, 76 , , – , , 26.5 , , .492 , , .235 , , style="background:#cfecec;", .958*, , 1.1 , , 2.9 , , 1.5 , , .1 , , 16.7
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
, 64 , , 0 , , 18.8 , , .427 , , .063 , , .909 , , 1.0 , , 2.5 , , .7 , , .0 , , 10.2
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
, 64 , , 0 , , 22.2 , , .447 , , .286 , , .920 , , 1.2 , , 2.5 , , .9 , , .1 , , 12.8
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 1,002 , , – , , 30.5 , , .482 , , .139 , , .892 , , 2.1 , , 4.4 , , 1.5 , , .1 , , 17.9
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star
, 1 , , 0 , , 15.0 , , .600 , , – , , – , , 1.0 , , 5.0 , , 2.0 , , .0 , , 6.0
Playoffs
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
1975
It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.
Events
January
* January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
, style="text-align:left;”,
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
, 8, , –, , 38.1, , .462, , –, , .895, , 2.4, , 5.6, , 1.8, , .1, , 24.4
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
1977
Events January
* January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrat ...
, style="text-align:left;”,
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
, 12, , –, , 35.0, , .479, , –, , .933, , 1.6, , 6.3, , 1.6, , .2, , 19.3
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the '' International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the '' Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the so ...
, style="text-align:left;”,
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
, 2, , –, , 36.5, , .290, , –, , .889, , 1.5, , 3.0, , 4.0, , .5, , 13.0
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
1980
, style="text-align:left;”,
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
, 7, , –, , 37.9, , .537, , .500, , 1.000, , 1.4, , 3.7, , 1.6, , .0, , 18.7
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...
, style="text-align:left;”,
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
, 19, , –, , 28.4, , .495, , .286, , .967, , 1.3, , 3.0, , 1.4, , .0, , 18.1
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
1982
, style="text-align:left;”,
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
, 3, , –, , 19.0, , .227, , .000, , .875, , 1.0, , 1.3, , .3, , .0, , 5.7
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 51 , , – , , 32.5 , , .475 , , .286 , , .932 , , 1.5 , , 4.2 , , 1.5 , , .1 , , 18.5
See also
*
*
*
List of NCAA Division I men's basketball players with 60 or more points in a game
References
External links
NBA.com: Calvin Murphy Bio– Murphy's NBA bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Calvin
1948 births
Living people
African-American basketball players
All-American college men's basketball players
American men's basketball players
Basketball players from Connecticut
Houston Rockets assistant coaches
Houston Rockets players
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees
National Basketball Association All-Stars
National Basketball Association broadcasters
National Basketball Association players with retired numbers
National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductees
Niagara Purple Eagles men's basketball players
Norwalk High School (Connecticut) alumni
Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)
Point guards
San Diego Rockets draft picks
San Diego Rockets players
Shooting guards
Sportspeople from Norwalk, Connecticut
21st-century African-American people
20th-century African-American sportspeople