Norman Allen Van Lier III (April 1, 1947 – February 26, 2009) was 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 Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player and television broadcaster who spent the majority of his career with 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 January ...

Early life

Norman Van Lier was born in

East Liverpool, Ohio East Liverpool is a city in southeastern Columbiana County, Ohio, United States. The population was 9,958 at the 2020 census. It lies along the Ohio River within the Upper Ohio Valley and borders Pennsylvania to the east and West Virginia to t ...

to Helen and Norm Sr., who worked in a steel mill for 31 years. He was raised, along with three brothers and a sister, in

Midland, Pennsylvania Midland is a borough located along the Ohio River in western Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the borough population was 2,430. It is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. Founded in 1906, it was initiall ...

. Van Lier had three other brothers who died after birth; he named one of them Elgin Baylor Van Lier I. Van Lier would look back fondly to his childhood playing tackle football with a taped coffee can for a ball due to their circumstances. He would later credit this upbringing in forming his famed work ethic later in life.Ben Joravsky.
Back in the Game
. ''Chicago Reader''. July 21, 1994. Retrieved on March 4, 2009

High school career

Van Lier was a member of the 1965 Midland High School Leopards, considered by many to be one of the greatest high school basketball teams of all time, finishing 28-0 and easily winning the Pennsylvania State Championship. One of Van Lier's teammates was future NBA player Simmie Hill. During weekends, Van Lier would hitchhike to the playgrounds in Harlem, once even playing with

Billy Cunningham William John Cunningham (born June 3, 1943) is an American former professional basketball player and coach, who was nicknamed the ''Kangaroo Kid'' for his leaping and record-setting rebounding abilities. He spent a total of 17 seasons with the ...

. Van Lier was also a co-captain of his football team, where he played both

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 Am ...

and

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are two slightly di ...

. He was recruited to play for several colleges, but none allowed him to play his desired position of quarterback. Van Lier had received offers to play professional baseball as well, after starring on his high school and county all-star teams.

College career

Van Lier's modest 6'1" stature and his emphasis on defense kept him under the radar of stardom, and he was not recruited by major basketball powers. He attended

Saint Francis University Saint Francis University (SFU) is a private Catholic university in Loretto, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1847 and conducted under the tradition of the Franciscan Friars of the Third Order Regular. The university is situated on in the fore ...

of Pennsylvania, where he eventually emerged as a standout point guard. He graduated from Saint Francis University in 1969.

Professional career

Cincinnati Royals (1969–1971)

The

selected Van Lier in the third round of the

1969 NBA draft The 1969 NBA draft was the 23rd annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 7 and May 7, 1969, before the 1969–70 season. In this draft, fourteen NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college ba ...

, but immediately traded him to the

Cincinnati Royals The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the olde ...

, with whom he led the NBA in assists in 1971. On January 5 of that year, Van Lier became the first player in NBA history to have a scoreless

double-double In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the term ...

with zero points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds in a victory against the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

. A scoreless double-double did not happen for another 50 years, when on December 26, 2021, rookie Josh Giddey of 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 ...

compiled 10 assists and 10 rebounds in the Thunder's 117–112 win over the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division and play their hom ...

Chicago Bulls (1971–1978)

The Bulls reacquired Van Lier during the 1971–72 season, and he remained with the Bulls until 1978, appearing in three All-Star games (

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...

) over the course of six seasons. Nicknamed "Stormin' Norman" for his tenacity and aggression, Van Lier was one of the most popular Bulls players of the 1970s. During his ten-year career, Van Lier was named to three NBA All-Defense First Teams and five NBA All-Defense Second Teams. He has the most selections alongside

Michael Cooper Michael Jerome Cooper (born April 15, 1956) is an American basketball coach and former player who is the boys varsity coach at Culver City High School. He played for the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning ...

to not be inducted into the

Naismith 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 prese ...

. He was named to the All-NBA Second Team in 1974. Van Lier was waived by the Bulls in October 1978. On January 19, 1977, Van Lier broke the record for the longest successful field goal in NBA history at 84 feet; the record stood for 24 years until

Baron Davis Baron Walter Louis Davis (born April 13, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player who is a studio analyst for the ''NBA on TNT''. He was a two-time NBA All-Star, made the All-NBA Third Team in 2004, and twice led the NBA in s ...

eclipsed it on November 17, 2001 from a distance of 89 feet.

Milwaukee Bucks (1978–1979)

After playing briefly with the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

, Van Lier retired in 1979 with career totals of 8,770 points and 5,217 assists.

Coaching career

In 1989, Van Lier was the assistant coach of the

Worcester Counts The Worcester Counts were a professional basketball franchise based in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1989. The team played its inaugural season in the World Basketball League before folding. The Worcester Counts were one of numerous failed minor lea ...

in the

World Basketball League World Basketball League (WBL) was a minor professional basketball league in the United States and Canada that ran from 1988 to 1992. It was founded as the International Basketball Association in November 1987, before changing its name prior to the 1 ...

. Van Lier was the head basketball coach for the Worcester Vocational Technical High School team during part of the 1989–90 season. His team reached the Massachusetts Division II championship game.

Media career

Van Lier served as a

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 the ...

on Bulls radio broadcasts from 1980 to 1982. In 1989 he was the assistant coach of the

in the

. From 1992 to 2009, he was a television pre-game and post-game analyst for Chicago Bulls games. He frequently appeared on other Chicago television programs to discuss the Bulls, and at one point co-hosted a sports talk radio show.Jim Frasier. . ''New Pittsburgh Courier''. July 3, 2008. Retrieved on February 27, 2009. Van Lier also served as a special

disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music f ...

on the Chicago

rock music Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States an ...

station 97.9 WLUP. In 2002 and 2004, he had supporting roles in the movies '' Barbershop'' and '' Barbershop 2: Back in Business''.

Legacy

On June 21, 2008, Van Lier was inducted into the

WPIAL The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) is an interscholastic athletic association in Western Pennsylvania. It is District 7 of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association. History The Western Pennsylvania Inte ...

Hall of Fame. "Western Pennsylvania is football country, but my years are considered the golden era of basketball not only in the state but maybe the country," Van Lier said that night. "Uniontown, Midland, Schenley and Ambridge could play with anybody, anytime and in any era in the country."

Death

On February 25, 2009, Van Lier was unexpectedly absent from his scheduled television appearance on

Comcast SportsNet NBC Sports Regional Networks is the collective name for a group of regional sports networks in the United States that are primarily owned and operated by the NBCUniversal division of the cable television company Comcast. The networks were origina ...

following a Bulls game. He was found dead in his apartment in Chicago's Near West Side neighborhood on February 26, 2009. Fellow Bulls broadcaster and former Bulls head coach

Johnny "Red" Kerr John Graham "Red" Kerr (July 17, 1932 – February 26, 2009) was an American basketball player, coach, and color commentator. He played in the NBA from 1954 to 1966, mainly as a member of the Syracuse Nationals. He later held several coaching ...

also died later that day.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

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, 10 , , , , 27.5 , , .311 , , , , .773 , , 5.8 , , 5.1 , , , , , , 7.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

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, 69 , , , , 31.0 , , .456 , , , , .791 , , 4.3 , , 7.1 , , , , , , 12.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

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, 80 , , , , 36.0 , , .445 , , , , .787 , , 5.5 , , 7.1 , , , , , , 13.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

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, 80 , , , , 35.8 , , .406 , , , , .778 , , 4.7 , , 6.9 , , 2.0 , , .1 , , 14.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

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, 70 , , , , 37.0 , , .420 , , , , .792 , , 4.7 , , 5.8 , , 2.0 , , .2 , , 15.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

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, 76 , , , , 39.8 , , .366 , , , , .737 , , 5.4 , , 6.6 , , 2.0 , , .3 , , 12.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

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, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , , , 37.8 , , .412 , , , , .778 , , 4.5 , , 7.8 , , 1.6 , , .2 , , 10.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

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, 78 , , , , 32.4 , , .419 , , , , .751 , , 3.6 , , 6.8 , , 1.8 , , .1 , , 7.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

, 38 , , , , 14.6 , , .390 , , , , .904 , , 1.1 , , 4.2 , , 1.1 , , .1 , , 2.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 746 , , , , 35.1 , , .414 , , , , .780 , , 4.8 , , 7.0 , , 1.8 , , .2 , , 11.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 3 , , 1 , , 12.3 , , .286 , , , , .500 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , .7 , , .3 , , 1.7

Playoffs

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1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

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, 4 , , , , 36.0 , , .415 , , , , .857 , , 6.3 , , 8.3 , , , , , , 14.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...

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, 7 , , , , 36.9 , , .349 , , , , .733 , , 5.3 , , 5.1 , , , , , , 14.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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, 11 , , , , 42.4 , , .424 , , , , .830 , , 4.3 , , 6.8 , , 1.5 , , .3 , , 14.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

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, 13 , , , , 42.1 , , .409 , , , , .747 , , 5.2 , , 4.7 , , 1.5 , , .4 , , 15.1 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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, 3 , , , , 44.7 , , .158 , , , , .833 , , 5.0 , , 9.7 , , 3.3 , , .3 , , 5.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 38 , , , , 40.8 , , .389 , , , , .784 , , 5.0 , , 6.2 , , 1.7 , , .3 , , 13.9

References

External links

Career Stats
at basketball-reference.com
Obituary
in the

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

The Bullfighter - an upcoming documentary film
* Book, "Cincinnati's Basketball Royalty", by Gerry Schultz {{DEFAULTSORT:Van Lier, Norm 1947 births 2009 deaths African-American basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Pennsylvania Basketball players from Pennsylvania Chicago Bulls announcers Chicago Bulls draft picks Chicago Bulls players Cincinnati Royals players Continental Basketball Association coaches Milwaukee Bucks players National Basketball Association All-Stars People from Beaver County, Pennsylvania People from East Liverpool, Ohio Point guards Saint Francis Red Flash men's basketball players Sportspeople from the Pittsburgh metropolitan area 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American people