Peter Kelly Tripucka (born February 16, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player who 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 ...

(NBA) from 1981 to 1991. He was a two-time NBA All Star and averaged over twenty points a game in five of the ten seasons that he played in. Tripucka played for the

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 L ...

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

and was a member of the Charlotte Hornets during their inaugural season in the NBA. The son of NFL Pro-Bowl (and CFL)

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

Frank Tripucka Francis Joseph TripuckaProfile
, polishsportshof.com; accessed December 28, 2015.

, Kelly was a color analyst for the New York Knicks for four years, ending with the 2011–12 season.

High school and college

Tripucka grew up in

Bloomfield, New Jersey Bloomfield is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the township's population was 53,105. It surrounds the Bloomfield Green Historic District. History The initial patent for the land that w ...

, and was a three-year starter from 1974 to 1977 for the Bloomfield High School boys' basketball team. In three varsity seasons he scored 2,278 points, including 1,045 during his senior campaign, and his jersey (#42) was retired by Bloomfield High School. Tripucka also was a four-year starter at Notre Dame, and led the Irish in scoring each year. His senior year, he averaged 18.2 points per game on 55.1% shooting, with 5.8 rebounds per gam

He also helped lead Notre Dame to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, NCAA Tournament in each of his four years.

Professional career

Detroit Pistons

Tripucka was selected 12th overall by the

in the

1981 NBA draft The 1981 NBA draft was the 35th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on June 9, 1981, before the 1981–82 season. The draft was broadcast in the United States on the USA Network. In this draft, 23 NBA t ...

. He proved to be a prolific scorer, averaging 21.6 points per game, and he made the All-Star team in his rookie year. The following season Tripucka had his best season as a professional, averaging a career-best 26.5 points and 4.1 assists per game. He played in only 58 games, however. In his third season with the Pistons, Tripucka continued to play well, averaging 21.3 points per game, and qualified for the All-Star team a second time in three seasons. He helped lead the Pistons to their first playoff appearance since the 1976–77 season, but they were eliminated in five games in the first round. The following season Tripucka played in only 55 games and averaged 19.1 points per game. He did start all 9 playoff games, however, and helped the Pistons advance to the second round. The 1985–86 season, Tripucka's fifth, was another successful one. He missed only one game during the regular season, averaged 20 points per game, and helped lead the Pistons to a third straight post-season appearance. In the playoffs, however, the Pistons were eliminated in the first round.

Utah Jazz

After five successful seasons in Detroit, the Pistons traded Tripucka and teammate

Kent Benson Michael Kent Benson (born December 27, 1954) is an American former collegiate and professional basketball player. Benson was a two time All-American at Indiana University, winning the 1976 Helms Foundation Player of the Year and helping lead t ...

to the

for Adrian Dantley and future draft picks. Tripucka and Jazz coach Frank Layden didn't get along with each other; at the time, Layden was beginning to build the team around the talents of

John Stockton John Houston Stockton (born March 26, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player. Regarded as one of the greatest point guards, players and passers of all time, he spent his entire NBA career (1984–2003) with the Utah Jazz, a ...

and

Karl Malone Karl Anthony Malone (born July 24, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Mailman", he is considered one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history. Malone sp ...

, and Tripucka was upset at his lack of involvement in the offense. He had two lackluster seasons with the franchise, averaging only 9.1 points per game during his two seasons with the team. The Jazz qualified for the playoffs during both of those seasons, but he didn't make much of an impact. During the 1988 NBA playoffs, he would only appear in two games.

Charlotte Hornets

After two frustrating seasons with the Jazz, he was traded to the Charlotte Hornets (a new expansion team at the time) for Mike Brown. In his first season with the Hornets, he returned to his All-Star form, leading the Hornets with 22.6 points per game. In a game between the Hornets and the Jazz in 1989, shortly after Layden resigned as the Jazz's coach,

expressed his devotion to Layden by writing "FRANK" on the heels of his sneakers. In a mock gesture, Tripucka responded by writing "DICK" on the back of his shoes (for then-Hornets coach

Dick Harter Richard Alvin Harter (October 14, 1930 – March 12, 2012) was an American basketball coach who served as both a head and assistant coach in both the NBA and NCAA. Early life Born in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, Harter attended the University ...

). The move was seen as a jab at Layden and Malone, who Tripucka felt ran him out of Utah. In Tripucka's second season with the Hornets, he averaged 15.6 points per game, but the team struggled, finishing one game behind their inaugural season's record. The 1990–91 season, Tripucka's third with the Hornets and tenth overall, saw him average career lows with only 7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, as he came off the bench.

CSP Limoges

After failing to find suitors in the NBA, Tripucka signed with French Nationale 1A club CSP Limoges for the 1991–1992 season. In February 1992, he was replaced with Tim Legler. In 7 league games, he averaged 17.6 points per game.

Later life

Tripucka was a

color commentator 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 ...

for Detroit Pistons television for eight seasons, from 1993 to 2001. After 2001 he left FSN Detroit and WKBD before leaving to take a full-time radio job with 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 ...

following the 2000–01 season. From 2003 to 2005, he served as the color commentator for New Jersey Nets telecasts on the

YES Network The Yankee Entertainment and Sports Network (YES) is an American pay television regional sports network owned by Yankee Global Enterprises (the largest shareholder with 26%), Sinclair Broadcast Group and Entertainment Studios (which owns 20%), ...

. Tripucka joined the New York Knicks MSG broadcast team on November 7, 2008, placing him alongside Walt "Clyde" Frazier, Gus Johnson and

Mike Breen Michael Breen (born May 22, 1961) is an American play-by-play sports commentator for '' NBA on ABC'' and is the lead announcer for New York Knicks games on the MSG Network. Breen also calls NBA games for ESPN and was formerly a play-by-play anno ...

. He remained with the broadcast team until 2012. Tripucka has also called college basketball for

Westwood One Westwood One is an American radio network owned by Cumulus Media. The company syndicates talk, music, and sports programming. The company takes its name from an earlier network also named Westwood One, a company founded in 1978. The compan ...

radio. Tripucka currently resides in

Boonton Township, New Jersey Boonton Township is a township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 4,380, an increase of 117 (2.7%) from the 2010 census count of 4,263, which in turn reflected a de ...

with his family. He is the son of former football quarterback

Frank Tripucka Francis Joseph TripuckaProfile
, polishsportshof.com; accessed December 28, 2015.

, and father of professional football player Travis Tripucka.

Honors

In 2000, Tripucka was named to the National Polish-American Hall of Fame, and the '' Star-Ledger'' named Tripucka the "New Jersey Boys' Basketball Player of the Century". In 2008, he was named to the "50 Greatest Pistons" team. Tripucka shares the record for most points scored in his first road playoff game, with 40. He is one of six Pistons to have scored 40 or more in a playoff game, along with Dave Bing, Isiah Thomas, Jerry Stackhouse,

Chauncey Billups Chauncey Ray Billups (born September 25, 1976) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 17 seasons in the NBA. Afte ...

and Richard (Rip) Hamilton.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

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, 58 , , 58 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 38.8* , , .489 , , .378 , , .845 , , 4.6 , , 4.1 , , 1.2 , , 0.3 , , 26.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 76 , , 75 , , 32.8 , , .459 , , .118 , , .815 , , 4.0 , , 3.0 , , 0.9 , , 0.2 , , 21.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 55 , , 43 , , 30.5 , , .477 , , .400 , , .885 , , 4.0 , , 2.5 , , 0.9 , , 0.3 , , 19.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , 81 , , 32.4 , , .498 , , .480 , , .856 , , 4.3 , , 3.3 , , 1.1 , , 0.1 , , 20.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

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, 49 , , 21 , , 19.9 , , .459 , , .419 , , .868 , , 2.4 , , 2.1 , , 0.7 , , 0.1 , , 7.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

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, 79 , , 73 , , 30.4 , , .430 , , .365 , , .883 , , 4.1 , , 2.8 , , 0.9 , , 0.2 , , 15.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 71 , , 1 , , 16.7 , , .454 , , .333 , , .910 , , 2.3 , , 2.1 , , 0.4 , , 0.2 , , 7.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 707 , , 575 , , 29.6 , , .473 , , .361 , , .849 , , 3.8 , , 3.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.2 , , 17.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 2 , , 0 , , 10.5 , , .429 , , – , , .500 , , 0.5 , , 2.0 , , 0.5 , , 0.0 , , 3.5

Playoffs

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

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

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, 5, , –, , 41.6, , .471, , .000, , .804, , 4.6, , 3.0, , 2.2, , 0.0, , 27.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

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, 9, , 9, , 32.0, , .415, , .000, , .875, , 4.3, , 3.2, , 0.4, , 0.3, , 14.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 **Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal enter ...

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1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...

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, 5, , 5, , 14.0, , .700, , .000, , 1.000, , 1.4, , 0.6, , 0.8, , 0.0, , 6.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicenten ...

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, 2, , 0, , 4.5, , .333, , –, , –, , 0.5, , 0.5, , 0.0, , 0.0, , 0.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 25 , , 18 , , 30.0 , , .462 , , .000 , , .856 , , 3.7 , , 2.3 , , 0.9 , , 0.2 , , 15.6

Personal life

He is the son of former Notre Dame Quarterback and

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

Hall of Fame QB

Frank Tripucka Francis Joseph TripuckaProfile
, polishsportshof.com; accessed December 28, 2015.

. He is also the uncle of football players Shane Tripucka and Travis Tripucka as well as the father of professional lacrosse player Jake Tripucka.

References

External links

Pistons In-Focus: Kelly Tripucka, Part 1
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tripucka, Kelly 1959 births Living people All-American college men's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in France American men's basketball players American people of Polish descent Basketball players from New Jersey Bloomfield High School (New Jersey) alumni Charlotte Hornets players College basketball announcers in the United States Detroit Pistons announcers Detroit Pistons draft picks Detroit Pistons players Limoges CSP players National Basketball Association All-Stars National Basketball Association broadcasters National Basketball Association executives New Jersey Nets announcers New York Knicks announcers Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) People from Bloomfield, New Jersey People from Boonton Township, New Jersey People from Glen Ridge, New Jersey Shooting guards Small forwards Sportspeople from Essex County, New Jersey Utah Jazz players YES Network

High school and college

Professional career

Detroit Pistons

Utah Jazz

Charlotte Hornets

CSP Limoges

Later life

Honors

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Personal life

See also

References

External links