Ernest DiGregorio (born January 15, 1951), also known as "Ernie D.", is an American former professional basketball player. He was named

NBA Rookie of the Year The National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the top rookie(s) of the regular season. Initiated following the 1952–53 NBA season, it confers the Eddie Gottl ...

in the 1973–74 season and shares the NBA rookie record for assists in a single game with 25. Due to a severe knee injury suffered early in DiGregorio's professional career, he played only five NBA seasons. A 1973 NCAA All-American at

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

, DiGregorio was inducted into the

College Basketball Hall of Fame The National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Kansas City, Missouri, is a hall of fame and museum dedicated to men's college basketball. The museum is an integral portion of the College Basketball Experience created by the National ...

in 2019.

Early life

DiGregorio played on the 1968 Rhode Island (Class B) champions at North Providence High School.

College and NBA career

He and Marvin Barnes led Coach Dave Gavitt's Providence team to a Final Four appearance in the 1973 NCAA Tournament in DiGregorio's senior season, where they eventually lost to Memphis State, but only after Barnes sustained a knee injury that forced an early exit. After playing for the

Providence College Providence College is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic university in Providence, Rhode Island. Founded in 1917 by the Dominican Order and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, local diocese, it offers 47 undergradua ...

Friars, DiGregorio played on a college all-star team, and along with Bill Walton, led the U.S. in defeating a Soviet team in an exhibition game, which helped heal the still-open wound of the United States' loss in the 1972 Summer Olympic finals.

Buffalo Braves (1973–1977)

Ernie "D" was drafted by the

Kentucky Colonels The Kentucky Colonels were a member of the American Basketball Association for all of the league's nine years. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky colonels. The Colonels won the most games and had the highest winning percentage of ...

of the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger, American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, ...

but opted instead for the NBA. He was selected third overall by the

Buffalo Braves The Buffalo Braves were an American professional basketball franchise based in Buffalo, New York. The Braves competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division from 1970 ...

in the 1973 NBA draft out of Providence College, and won the

NBA Rookie of the Year Award The National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the top rookie(s) of the regular season. Initiated following the 1952–53 NBA season, it confers the Eddie Gottl ...

in 1973–74 after averaging 15.2 points and leading the league in both

free throw In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points by shooting from behind the free-throw line (informally known as the foul line or the charity stripe), a line situated at the end of the Key (basketball), restricted ...

percentage and assists per game. DiGregorio still holds the NBA rookie record for assists in a single game with 25 (a record now shared with

Nate McMillan Nathaniel McMillan (born August 3, 1964) is an American basketball coach and former player who serves as head coach of the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He coached the Seattle SuperSonics from 2000 to 2005, the Po ...

). He would never again come close to that level of production, but managed to have a decent NBA career, most of which he spent with the Braves. During the 1976–77 season, DiGregorio led the league in free throw percentage a second time, with a then-NBA record 94.5%. In 1977, he joined fellow NBA stars

Julius Erving Julius Winfield Erving II (born February 22, 1950), commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is an American former professional basketball player. Erving helped legitimize the American Basketball Association (ABA), and he was the best-known player ...

Rick Barry Richard Francis Dennis Barry III (born March 28, 1944) is an American retired professional basketball player who starred at the NCAA, American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA) levels. Barry ranks among the ...

Wilt Chamberlain Wilton Norman Chamberlain (; August 21, 1936 – October 12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player who played as a Center (basketball), center. Standing at tall, he played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 yea ...

, and

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 ...

, in endorsing Spalding's line of rubber basketballs, with a signature "Ernie D." ball making up part of the collection.

Los Angeles Lakers (1977–1978)

Before the 1977–78 season, DiGregorio was traded to the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

, and played in a Lakers' uniform in only 25 games before being waived.

Boston Celtics (1978)

The

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

signed him as a free agent but he played only sparingly for the rest of the season. He would not play in the NBA again, although he did not formally retire until 1981.

Honors

* In 1999, DiGregorio was elected to the

National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame The National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit institution honoring exceptional U.S. athletes of Italian descent. In 1977 George Randazzo created the Italian American Boxing Hall of Fame. This was as a means for ra ...

. * DiGregorio was inducted into the

in 2019.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Buffalo , 81 , , , , 35.9 , , .421 , , , , style="background:#cfecec;", .902* , , 2.7 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 8.2* , , 0.7 , , 0.1 , , 15.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Buffalo , 31 , , , , 23.0 , , .440 , , , , .778 , , 1.5 , , 4.9 , , 0.6 , , 0.0 , , 7.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Buffalo , 67 , , , , 20.4 , , .384 , , , , .915 , , 1.7 , , 4.0 , , 0.6 , , 0.0 , , 6.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Buffalo , 81 , , , , 28.0 , , .417 , , , , style="background:#cfecec;", .945* , , 2.3 , , 4.7 , , 0.7 , , 0.0 , , 10.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

L.A. Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

, 25 , , , , 13.3 , , .410 , , , , .800 , , 0.9 , , 2.8 , , 0.2 , , 0.0 , , 3.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, 27 , , , , 10.1 , , .431 , , , , .923 , , 1.0 , , 2.4 , , 0.4 , , 0.0 , , 3.9 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 312 , , , , 25.2 , , .415 , , , , .902 , , 2.0 , , 5.1 , , 0.6 , , 0.0 , , 9.6

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...

, style="text-align:left;”, Buffalo , 6 , , , , 40.0 , , .430 , , , , .889 , , 2.7 , , 8.7 , , 0.2 , , 0.0 , , 13.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...

, style="text-align:left;”, Buffalo , 9 , , , , 24.1 , , .484 , , , , 1.000 , , 1.4 , , 5.0 , , 0.6 , , 0.2 , , 7.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 15 , , , , 30.5 , , .453 , , , , .941 , , 1.9 , , 6.5 , , 0.4 , , 0.1 , , 10.0

College statistics

, - , style="text-align:left;", 1970–71 , style="text-align:left;",

, 28 , , , , 36.2 , , .481 , , , , .830 , , 4.0 , , 6.5 , , , , , , 18.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1971–72 , style="text-align:left;",

, 27 , , , , 38.0 , , .436 , , , , .802 , , 3.0 , , 7.9 , , , , , , 17.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1972–73 , style="text-align:left;",

, 31 , , , , 36.0 , , .478 , , , , .802 , , 3.2 , , 8.6 , , , , , , 24.5 , - class=sortbottom , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 86 , , , , 36.7 , , .468 , , , , .812 , , 3.4 , , 7.7 , , , , , , 20.5 , -

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Digregorio, Ernie 1951 births Living people All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players American people of Italian descent Basketball players from Rhode Island Boston Celtics players Buffalo Braves draft picks Buffalo Braves players Kentucky Colonels draft picks Los Angeles Lakers players People from North Providence, Rhode Island Point guards Providence Friars men's basketball players