Jerome Lane Sr. (born December 4, 1966) 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 who played six seasons in the
National Basketball Association (NBA). Lane played
college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athle ...
for the
University of Pittsburgh, where he was an
All-American and led the
NCAA in rebounding as a sophomore.
High school career
Born in
Akron, Ohio
Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city pro ...
, Lane played shooting guard for
Saint Vincent-Saint Mary High School and appeared in the
McDonald's All-American Game.
College career
He joined the
Pittsburgh Panthers
The Pittsburgh Panthers, commonly also referred to as the Pitt Panthers, are the athletic teams representing the University of Pittsburgh, although the term is colloquially used to refer to other aspects of the university such as alumni, facu ...
in 1985–86 as a 170-pound freshman. By his junior season, the 6'6" forward was 60 pounds heavier. In 1986–87, his 13.5 rebounds per game made him the first player 6'6" or shorter to lead the country in rebounds per game (13.5) since Niagara's
Alex Ellis in 1957–58. He left school after leading the
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in ten men's sports and twelve women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the eleven full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and ...
in rebounding during the 1987–88 season.
Professional career
Lane was selected in the first round of the
1988 NBA draft
The 1988 NBA draft took place on June 28, 1988, in New York City, New York. The length was reduced from seven rounds in the previous year to three rounds. This was also the first draft for the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat, prior to their i ...
by the
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...
with the 23rd pick overall. Lane played in the
NBA for five seasons with the Nuggets,
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 estab ...
,
Milwaukee Bucks and
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 Centr ...
. Lane shined in the
Continental Basketball Association
The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) (originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association) was a men's professional basketball mi ...
as a star for the Oklahoma City Cavalry. He was an all-star in the league from 1994–96 and led the league in rebounding in 1995 (11.8) and 1996 (16.8). After a successful stint in Spain he returned to the CBA and led the league once more in rebounding in 1999, pulling down 14.5 rebounds per game for the Idaho Stampede.
Career statistics
NBA
Regular season
, -
, align="left" ,
1988–89
, align="left" ,
Denver
, 54 , , 1 , , 10.2 , , .426 , , .000 , , .384 , , 3.7 , , 1.1 , , 0.4 , , 0.1 , , 4.8
, -
, align="left" ,
1989–90
, align="left" ,
Denver
, 67 , , 46 , , 14.3 , , .469 , , .000 , , .367 , , 5.4 , , 1.6 , , 0.8 , , 0.3 , , 5.0
, -
, align="left" ,
1990–91
, align="left" ,
Denver
, 62 , , 25 , , 22.3 , , .438 , , .250 , , .411 , , 9.3 , , 2.0 , , 0.8 , , 0.2 , , 7.5
, -
, align="left" ,
1991–92
, align="left" ,
Denver
, 9 , , 5 , , 15.7 , , .250 , , .000 , , .421 , , 4.9 , , 1.4 , , 0.2 , , 0.1 , , 3.1
, -
, align="left" ,
1991–92
, align="left" ,
Indiana
, 3 , , 0 , , 10.0 , , .600 , , .000 , , .000 , , 6.0 , , 1.3 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 2.0
, -
, align="left" ,
1991–92
, align="left" ,
Milwaukee
, 2 , , 0 , , 3.0 , , 1.000 , , .000 , , .500 , , 2.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 1.5
, -
, align="left" ,
1992–93
, align="left" ,
Cleveland
, 21 , , 2 , , 7.1 , , .500 , , .000 , , .250 , , 2.5 , , 0.8 , , 0.6 , , 0.1 , , 2.8
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 218 , , 79 , , 14.7 , , .441 , , .063 , , .379 , , 5.8 , , 1.5 , , 0.6 , , 0.2 , , 5.3
Playoffs
, -
, align="left" ,
1988–89
, align="left" ,
Denver
, 2 , , 0 , , 10.5 , , .286 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 3.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 3.0
, -
, align="left" ,
1989–90
, align="left" ,
Denver
, 2 , , 2 , , 7.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , .500 , , 0.5 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.5
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 4 , , 2 , , 8.8 , , .200 , , .000 , , .750 , , 1.8 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 1.8
College
, -
, align="left" ,
1985–86
, align="left" ,
Pitt
, 29 , , - , , 24.5 , , .470 , , - , , .655 , , 5.1 , , 1.6 , , 0.8 , , 0.4 , , 9.1
, -
, align="left" ,
1986–87
, align="left" ,
Pitt
, 33 , , - , , 35.4 , , .568 , , .500 , , .603 , , 13.5 , , 2.2 , , 1.3 , , 0.4 , , 15.8
, -
, align="left" ,
1987–88
, align="left" ,
Pitt
, 31 , , - , , 35.2 , , .513 , , .000 , , .615 , , 12.2 , , 2.8 , , 1.3 , , 0.2 , , 13.9
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 93 , , - , , 31.9 , , .525 , ,
.267 , , .618 , , 10.4 , , 2.2 , , 1.1 , , 0.4 , , 13.1
Playing style
Although best known for his rebounding skills, Lane was also an adept ball handler. His
jump shot and foul shooting were never consistent. He was voted as the best rebounder in the history of the
ACB.
Shattering the backboard
On January 25, 1988 in a college basketball game featuring Lane's
Pittsburgh team playing
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 ...
on a national television broadcast, Lane
broke the glass backboard with a one-handed dunk with
Sean Miller
Sean Edward Miller (born November 17, 1968) is an American college basketball coach who currently serves as head coach of the Xavier Musketeers. He previously was in that position from 2004 to 2009, after which he took the head coach position f ...
assisting on the play. Often referred to simply as "The Dunk", the play was famously called by
color analyst
A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The phrase "colour commentator" is primarily used in Canadian English and t ...
Bill Raftery
William Joseph Raftery (born April 19, 1943) is an American basketball analyst and former college basketball coach.
High school and college years
Raftery attended Saint Cecilia High School in Kearny, New Jersey, where he starred in basketball an ...
when he exclaimed "Send it in, Jerome!!" The play is on ESPN's list of the "100 Greatest Sports Highlights" and has been the subject of numerous articles even decades later.
Personal life
His son Jerome Lane Jr. is a wide receiver who once signed with the
New York Giants of the
National Football League (NFL).
See also
*
Notes
External links
*
Jerome Lane career statsat basketball reference.com
Men's Rebounding Leadersat basketball.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lane, Jerome
1966 births
Living people
African-American basketball players
All-American college men's basketball players
American expatriate basketball people in the Philippines
American expatriate basketball people in Spain
American men's basketball players
Basketball players at the 1987 Pan American Games
Basketball players from Akron, Ohio
Cantabria Baloncesto players
CB Valladolid players
Cleveland Cavaliers players
Denver Nuggets draft picks
Denver Nuggets players
Idaho Stampede (CBA) players
Indiana Pacers players
La Crosse Catbirds players
Liga ACB players
McDonald's High School All-Americans
Milwaukee Bucks players
Oklahoma City Cavalry players
Pan American Games medalists in basketball
Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States
Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)
Philippine Basketball Association imports
Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball players
Power forwards (basketball)
Rapid City Thrillers players
Shell Turbo Chargers players
St. Vincent–St. Mary High School alumni
Medalists at the 1987 Pan American Games
21st-century African-American people
20th-century African-American sportspeople