James M. O'Brien (born November 7, 1951) 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 Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player. O'Brien played college basketball at the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

and at the time he left Maryland he was the team's 6th all-time leading scorer. O'Brien was selected in both the 1973

ABA draft The American Basketball Association draft was held from 1967 to 1975. First overall picks Note: 1974 ABA College Draft, not 1974 ABA Draft of NBA Players Further reading *{{cite book, last=Bradley, first=Robert D., title=The Basketball Draft Fac ...

and

1973 NBA draft The 1973 NBA draft was the 27th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 24 and May 5, 1973, before the 1973–74 season. In this draft, 17 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college baske ...

. The

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...

, then of the ABA, selected him in the third round, while the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

chose him in NBA's third draft round as well. The

New York 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, ...

acquired O'Brien's ABA rights from Indiana in June 1973 and signed him to a one-year guaranteed contract for $100,000. He was cut by the Nets in training camp as Nets' coach

Kevin Loughery Kevin Michael Loughery (born March 28, 1940) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. Career biography Loughery spent 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (1962–1973), almost nine of them with the Baltimore ...

felt he was too heavy and too slow. He played semi-pro ball for Trenton in the Eastern League for a few months while getting paid by and practicing with the Nets. He was brought back to the Nets in January 1974 while a few Nets' players were injured and Loughery stated at the time that O'Brien was in much better condition than he was during training camp. He won the ABA championship in 1973–74 with the Nets. During the 1974 playoffs he only played in 4 games for a total of less than 10 minutes. In the finals he only played in 1 game for 3 minutes but scored 8 points in that short time. The Nets cut O'Brien during 1974 training camp and he was signed by the

Memphis Sounds The Memphis Sounds were an American professional sports franchise that played in Memphis, Tennessee from 1970 until 1975 as a member of the American Basketball Association. The team was founded as the New Orleans Buccaneers in 1967. Known durin ...

. O'Brien said of being cut by the Nets that:

I had the feeling I was going to be cut in camp. I thought it was between
Al Skinner Albert Lee Skinner Jr. (born June 16, 1952) is an American men's college basketball head coach and a former collegiate and professional basketball player. He was formerly the head coach of the Boston College Eagles men's basketball team and was t ...
and me but when
Ed Manning Edward R. Manning (January 2, 1944March 4, 2011) was an American professional basketball player and college and National Basketball Association (NBA) assistant coach. He was the father of former NBA player and college coach Danny Manning. He play ...
arrived and got the playing time I knew I was gone. I didn't panic though. I thought there was a place for me and I am very happy here in Memphis. I'm getting the playing time and I don't care if it's at guard or forward.

The Sounds folded after the 1974-75 season and O'Brien signed with the Cavaliers of the NBA, despite having an option year left on his ABA contract. O'Brien was waived by the Cavaliers before the 1975-76 season started.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Obrien, Jim 1951 births Living people American men's basketball players Basketball players from Virginia Cleveland Cavaliers draft picks Indiana Pacers draft picks Maryland Terrapins men's basketball players Memphis Sounds players New York Nets players People from Falls Church, Virginia Sportspeople from Fairfax County, Virginia Small forwards Guards (basketball)