Michael W. Riordan (born July 9, 1945) 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 court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. A 6'4"

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

/ forward from Holy Cross High School (

Queens, New York Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

) and Providence College, Riordan played 9 seasons (1968–1977) 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 ...

as a member of the New York Knicks and Baltimore/Capital/Washington Bullets. He scored 6,334 points in his NBA career and won an

NBA Championship The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...

with the Knicks in 1970. He was traded along with Dave Stallworth and an undisclosed amount of cash to the Baltimore Bullets for

Earl Monroe Vernon Earl Monroe (born November 21, 1944) is an American former professional basketball player. He played for two teams, the Baltimore Bullets and the New York Knicks, during his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Both teams ...

on November 11, 1971. He was named to the

NBA All-Defensive The NBA All-Defensive Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1968–69 NBA season to the best defensive players during the regular season. The All-Defensive Team is generally composed of ten players in two ...

Second Team in 1973. He later owned Riordan's Saloon in Annapolis, Maryland.

Military service

Riordan served in the United States Air Force, where he was a mechanic and played basketball at night. While playing for the Knicks, Riordan was in the New York Air National Guard at the 274th Mobile Communications Squadron located at

Roslyn Air National Guard Station Roslyn Air National Guard Station (ADC ID: P-3) is a closed United States Air Force station. It was located in East Hills, New York, on Long Island. It was originally part of Clarence MacKay's Harbor Hill estate. It was closed in 2000. History ...

, New York.Pepe, Phil
"The Bullets Were Coming...Then Guard Was Called"
''Daily News'', New York, New York, volume 51, number 237, March 28, 1970, page 30.

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1945 births Living people Allentown Jets players American men's basketball players American military sports players Baltimore Bullets (1963–1973) players Basketball players from New York City Capital Bullets players Holy Cross High School (Flushing) alumni New York Knicks draft picks New York Knicks players New York National Guard personnel Providence Friars men's basketball players Shooting guards Small forwards Sportspeople from Queens, New York Washington Bullets players United States Air Force airmen {{1940s-US-basketball-bio-stub