Maurice Edward Cheeks (born September 8, 1956) is an American 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 ...

coach and former player who serves as assistant coach for the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on Januar ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, 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 i ...

(NBA). He has also served as head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, Philadelphia 76ers and

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 ...

. Cheeks was inducted into the

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pres ...

as a player in 2018.

Early life

Cheeks was born in Chicago, and attended

DuSable High School Jean Baptiste Point DuSable High School is a public four-year high school campus located in the Bronzeville neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. DuSable is owned by the Chicago Public Schools district. The schoo ...

. He attended West Texas State University from 1974 to 1978. Cheeks was an all-Missouri Valley Conference player for three straight seasons, as he averaged 16.8 points per game and shot nearly 57% for his collegiate career. He is the third leading scorer in WTSU/WTAM history.

Playing career

After college, Cheeks was selected as the 36th pick in the second round of the 1978 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. He played 15 years as a point guard in the NBA, including 11 with the Philadelphia 76ers, He earned four trips to the

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, ...

, and he helped the 76ers to three trips to the NBA Finals in a four-year span in the early 1980s (1980, 1982, and 1983), including an NBA championship in 1983. While starting at point guard for a Sixers team that at times included stars Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Andrew Toney, and Charles Barkley, Cheeks was well regarded for his team play and defensive skills. He was named to four straight NBA All-Defensive squads from 1983 to 1986, and earned a spot on the second team in 1987.

Philadelphia 76ers (1978–1989)

Cheeks was selected with the 36th pick in the second round of the 1978 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. He had his best seasons with the 76ers. At the young age of 22 he gained a notable role on the 76ers, solidifying himself as the starting point guard and earning himself valuable minutes. The 76ers were also in playoff contention for every year that he was on the team except for the 1987–88 season. By his fifth year in the league, he was selected to his first All-Star appearance and had averaged 12.5 points, 6.9 assists, and 2.3 steals for the 1982–83 season. The 76ers also had the best season in this era, having a 65–17 record which is the second-best season record in the 76ers franchise history. They would go on to win the NBA championship that year, which was Cheeks' first and only championship. He would be an integral part of the 76ers for the rest of his time in Philadelphia, however the 76ers failed to repeat the level of success that they reached in the 1982–83 season. He would be selected to three more All-Star appearances from 1986 to 1988. In the 1986 playoffs he averaged a playoff career high 20.8 points throughout the whole postseason. In the 1986–87 season he would average a career high 15.6 points in what was considered the best season of his career. However the 76ers were no longer elite title contenders and lost in the first round in the 1987 playoffs. The following year they missed the playoffs in what was Cheeks' last all star appearance. Cheeks played one more season for the 76ers; they were back in the playoffs but got swept in the first round by the New York Knicks.

San Antonio Spurs (1989–1990)

In the 1989 off-season the Philadelphia 76ers traded Maurice Cheeks, Chris Welp, and David Wingate to the San Antonio Spurs for

Johnny Dawkins Johnny Earl Dawkins Jr. (born September 28, 1963) is an American basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the UCF men's basketball team. From 2008 to 2016, he was the head coach of Stanford. He was a two-time All-American ...

and

Jay Vincent Jay Fletcher Vincent (born June 10, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player. A 6'7" forward, Vincent played at Michigan State University under coach, Jud Heathcote, where he teamed with Magic Johnson and Greg Kelser to win ...

. At 33 years old, Cheeks was aging and in the twilight of his career but he still played well for the Spurs and averaged 10.9 points for his time in San Antonio. He played 50 games for the club and was the starting point guard. However he wasn't able to finish the 1989–90 season for the Spurs.

New York Knicks (1990–1991)

On February 21, 1990 Cheeks was traded to the New York Knicks for Rod Strickland. Cheeks played the remainder of the season in New York, averaging 7.9 points in 31 games for the franchise. The Knicks went 45–37 that year and made the 1990 playoffs, however they lost in the second round 1–4 to the

. The following year the Knicks made the playoffs and were swept by the Bulls in the first round.

Atlanta Hawks (1991–1992)

In the 1991 off-season the New York Knicks traded Maurice Cheeks to the Atlanta Hawks for Tim McCormick and a 1994 first round draft pick (which later became Charlie Ward). Cheeks' points average dropped drastically to 4.6 and he was no longer a starting calibre player. He became an unrestricted free agent in the 1992 off-season and did not re-sign with the Hawks. In the second-to-last game of the 1991–92 season, while playing for the Atlanta Hawks against the visiting New York Knicks, Cheeks picked off four steals to surpass longtime Philadelphia teammate Julius Erving for the ABA and NBA steals record of 2,272. In the same game, teammate Kevin Willis set the Atlanta Hawks season record for rebounds.

New Jersey Nets (1992–1993)

On January 7, 1993 the New Jersey Nets signed Cheeks as a free agent. He averaged a career-low 3.6 points for the season and he only played 35 games for the franchise. The Nets reached the playoffs but lost in the first round 2–3 to 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 ...

Retirement

After the season ended Cheeks became a free agent but never played in the NBA again. At 36 years old he retired from the NBA. Maurice Cheeks was inducted into the 2018

In NBA history, Cheeks ranks sixth in steals and eleventh in assists. Upon his retirement from the NBA in 1993, he was the NBA all-time leader in steals and fifth in assists. He averaged 11.7 points and over 2 steals per game for his career. In his rookie year, Cheeks averaged 4.1 steals per game in the 1979 NBA Playoffs, an NBA record for one playoff run.

Coaching career

After retirement, Cheeks spent one year coaching for 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 m ...

’s Quad City Thunder, before becoming the 76ers assistant head coach in 1994. He coached under head coaches John Lucas (1994–96), Johnny Davis (1996–97), and Larry Brown, and he was an instrumental part of the Philadelphia team that reached the

2001 NBA Finals The 2001 NBA Finals was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 2000–01 season. The defending NBA champion and Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers took on the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 7 ...

. In 2001, he was hired as Portland Trail Blazers head coach. He led the team to two playoff berths in four years as coach, but could not get past the first round. He was fired after a poor start to the 2004–05 campaign. On April 25, 2003, during a game between the Trail Blazers and the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Southwest Division. The ...

, Cheeks aided 13-year-old Natalie Gilbert in singing the American national anthem. After Gilbert forgot the words at "At the twilight's last gleaming", Cheeks rushed over to help her and they finished it together, as the entire Rose Garden Arena crowd sang with them. Cheeks and Gilbert received a standing ovation after the song was over. In 2005, Cheeks was named as head coach of the 76ers. Cheeks was popular among Sixers fans because of his eleven-year tenure with the Sixers, during which he helped guide the Sixers to the 1983 NBA championship. The move was also praised by Sixers star Allen Iverson, who worked with Cheeks during his run as Sixers' Assistant Head Coach. However, he missed the playoffs in each of his first two seasons. Frustrations began to grow with Sixers veterans Allen Iverson and Chris Webber, who were not happy with the team's direction. During the 2006–07 season, Iverson would be traded to the Nuggets and Webber would be released, leaving Cheeks with one of the youngest teams in the NBA. On February 20, 2007, the 76ers extended Cheeks' contract one year despite his losing record as coach. At the beginning of the 2007–08 season, expectations were low and the 76ers were picked to finish last in the Conference by many prognosticators. However, the Sixers clinched a playoff berth with a win over the Atlanta Hawks on April 4, 2008. It was their first postseason appearance since 2005, as well as the first in the post-Iverson era. However, they were eliminated by the

, 4–2. Even with this elimination, many fans considered this to be a successful season, considering that the Sixers were 12 games under .500 in early February and went on to have a 21–7 run that led them to the playoffs. The Sixers started out the 2008–09 NBA season 9–14, despite their signing of Elton Brand and re-signing of Andre Iguodala during the off-season. Due to their slow start, the 76ers fired Cheeks on December 13, 2008. On August 14, 2009, he was hired as an assistant coach for the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...

. On June 10, 2013, Cheeks agreed to become the head coach of the

. On February 9, 2014, the Detroit Pistons relieved him of his head coaching duties and replaced him with John Loyer on an interim basis for the remainder of the season. The move came after owner Tom Gores suggested that the Pistons were "better than our record" and weren't playing "at their maximum"–a veiled criticism of Cheeks. On June 29, 2015, Cheeks returned to the Thunder as an assistant coach. On November 14, 2020, Cheeks was hired by the Chicago Bulls as an assistant coach following the team's hiring of Billy Donovan.

Honors and awards

On September 7, 2018, Cheeks was inducted into the

as a player.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, 82 , , – , , 29.4 , , .510 , , – , , .721 , , 3.1 , , 5.3 , , 2.1 , , .1 , , 8.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 79 , , – , , 33.2 , , .540 , , .444 , , .779 , , 3.5 , , 7.0 , , 2.3 , , .4 , , 11.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , – , , 29.8 , , .534 , , .375 , , .787 , , 3.0 , , 6.9 , , 2.4 , , .5 , , 9.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 79 , , 79 , , 31.6 , , .521 , , .273 , , .777 , , 3.1 , , 8.4 , , 2.6 , , .4 , , 11.2 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;",

, 79 , , 79 , , 31.2 , , .542 , , .167, , .754 , , 2.6 , , 6.9 , , 2.3 , , .4 , , 12.5 , - , style="text-align:left;, , style="text-align:left;",

, 75 , , 75 , , 33.3 , , .550 , , .400 , , .733 , , 2.7 , , 6.4 , , 2.3 , , .3 , , 12.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 78 , , 78 , , 33.5 , , .570 , , .231 , , .879 , , 2.8 , , 6.4 , , 2.2 , , .3 , , 13.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 82 , , 39.9 , , .537 , , .235 , , .842 , , 2.9 , , 9.2 , , 2.5 , , .3 , , 15.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 68 , , 68 , , 38.6 , , .527 , , .235 , , .777 , , 3.2 , , 7.9 , , 2.6 , , .2 , , 15.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 79 , , 79 , , 36.3 , , .495 , , .136 , , .825 , , 3.2 , , 8.0 , , 2.1 , , .3 , , 13.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 71 , , 70 , , 32.4 , , .483 , , .077 , , .774 , , 2.6 , , 7.8 , , 1.5 , , .2 , , 11.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

, 50 , , 49 , , 35.3 , , .478 , , .111 , , .832 , , 3.3 , , 6.0 , , 1.6 , , .1 , , 10.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", New York , 31 , , 13 , , 24.3 , , .579 , , .429 , , .877 , , 2.4 , , 4.9 , , 1.4 , , .2 , , 7.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", New York , 76 , , 64 , , 28.3 , , .499 , , .250 , , .814 , , 2.3 , , 5.7 , , 1.7 , , .1 , , 7.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

, 56 , , 0 , , 19.4 , , .462 , , .500 , , .605 , , 1.7 , , 3.3 , , 1.5 , , .0 , , 4.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...

, 35 , , 0 , , 14.6 , , .548 , , .000 , , .889 , , 1.2 , , 3.1 , , .9 , , .1 , , 3.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 1101 , , 736 , , 31.6 , , .523 , , .255 , , .793 , , 2.8 , , 6.7 , , 2.1 , , .3 , , 11.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 4 , , 1 , , 11.0 , , .438 , , , , 1.000 , , .8 , , 1.0 , , .8 , , .0 , , 4.0

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;", 1979 , style="text-align:left;”,

, 9, , –, , 36.7, , .545, , –, , .661, , 3.9, , 7.0, , 4.1, , .4, , 18.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1980 , style="text-align:left;”,

, 18, , –, , 37.5, , .511, , .200, , .707, , 4.1, , 6.2, , 2.5, , .2, , 11.6 , - , 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 off ...

, style="text-align:left;”,

, 16, , –, , 32.1, , .544, , .000, , .762, , 3.2, , 7.3, , 2.5, , .8, , 10.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C., Un ...

, style="text-align:left;”,

, 21, , –, , 36.4, , .472, , .111, , .769, , 3.0, , 8.2, , 2.3, , .3, , 14.3 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", 1983† , style="text-align:left;”,

, 13, , –, , 37.2, , .503, , .500, , .703, , 3.0, , 7.0, , 2.0, , .2, , 16.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1984 , style="text-align:left;”,

, 5, , –, , 34.2, , .522, , .000, , .867, , 2.4, , 3.8, , 2.6, , .0, , 16.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1985 , style="text-align:left;”,

, 13, , 13, , 37.2, , .529, , .000, , .857, , 3.5, , 5.2, , 2.4, , .4, , 15.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1986 , style="text-align:left;”,

, 12, , 12, , 43.3, , .516, , .000, , .849, , 4.7, , 7.1, , 1.1, , .3, , 20.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1987 , style="text-align:left;”,

, 5, , 5, , 42.0, , .530, , .000, , .857, , 2.6, , 8.8, , 1.8, , .8, , 17.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1989 , style="text-align:left;”,

, 3, , 3, , 42.7, , .512, , .000, , .846, , 3.7, , 13.0, , 2.3, , .3, , 17.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1990 , style="text-align:left;”, New York , 10, , 10, , 38.8, , .481, , .000, , .903, , 3.9, , 8.5, , 1.7, , .2, , 12.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the ...

, style="text-align:left;”, New York , 3, , 3, , 33.7, , .609, , .333, , .500, , 3.0, , 5.3, , 1.0, , .3, , 10.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

, style="text-align:left;”,

, 5, , 0, , 16.4, , .478, , –, , .000, , 1.2, , 2.8, , 1.2, , .2, , 4.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 133 , , 46 , , 36.5 , , .512 , , .098 , , .777 , , 3.4 , , 6.9 , , 2.2 , , .3 , , 14.4

Head coaching record

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Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

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, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 50, , 32, , , , style="text-align:center;", 3rd in Pacific, , 7, , 3, , 4, , .429 , style="text-align:center;", Lost in

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

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 41, , 41, , , , style="text-align:center;", 3rd in Pacific, , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", Missed Playoffs , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 55, , 22, , 33, , , , style="text-align:center;", (fired), , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", — , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 38, , 44, , , , style="text-align:center;", 2nd in Atlantic, , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", Missed Playoffs , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 35, , 47, , , , style="text-align:center;", 3rd in Atlantic, , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", Missed Playoffs , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 40, , 42, , , , style="text-align:center;", 3rd in Atlantic, , 6, , 2, , 4, , .333 , style="text-align:center;", Lost in

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

, style="text-align:left;", , 23, , 9, , 14, , , , style="text-align:center;", (fired), , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", — , - , style="text-align:left;",

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 ...

, style="text-align:left;", , 50, , 21, , 29, , , , style="text-align:center;", (fired), , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", — , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:left;", Career , , , 620, , 305, , 315, , , , , , 16, , 5, , 11, , , ,

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cheeks, Maurice 1956 births Living people African-American basketball coaches African-American basketball players American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Atlanta Hawks players Basketball coaches from Illinois Basketball players from Chicago Chicago Bulls assistant coaches Continental Basketball Association coaches Detroit Pistons head coaches Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees National Basketball Association All-Stars National Basketball Association players with retired numbers New Jersey Nets players New York Knicks players Oklahoma City Thunder assistant coaches Philadelphia 76ers assistant coaches Philadelphia 76ers draft picks Philadelphia 76ers players Philadelphia 76ers head coaches Point guards Portland Trail Blazers head coaches San Antonio Spurs players West Texas A&M Buffaloes basketball players 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople

Early life

Playing career

Philadelphia 76ers (1978–1989)

San Antonio Spurs (1989–1990)

New York Knicks (1990–1991)

Atlanta Hawks (1991–1992)

New Jersey Nets (1992–1993)

Retirement

Coaching career

Honors and awards

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Head coaching record

See also

References

External links