Otis Lee Birdsong (born December 9, 1955) 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. He spent twelve seasons (1977–1989) 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 S ...

(NBA) and appeared in four

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, ...

s. A guard who attended

Winter Haven High School Winter Haven High School is a four-year public high school located in Winter Haven, Florida, a city of 27,855 (2004 census). History The school opened in 1886 on the second floor of Boyd’s Hall, currently where City Hall stands. In 1890, a fr ...

and the

University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the university in Texas with over 47,000 students. Its campus, which is primarily in s ...

, Birdsong was selected by the

Kansas City Kings 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 (NBA), Western Conference Pacific Division ( ...

with the second pick of the 1977 NBA draft. He would spend four seasons with the Kings, averaging a career high 24.6 points per game during the 1980–81 season. He also played seven seasons 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, ...

and one with the Boston Celtics, and then ended his career at the end of the 1988–89 season.

Collegiate playing career

As a college freshman, Birdsong finished third among the team's scoring leaders with 14.3 points per game. The following year, Birdsong etched his name in the University of Houston's record books by becoming the first sophomore in the school's history to register 1,000 career points. When the Cougars began playing in the

Southwest Conference The Southwest Conference (SWC) was an NCAA Division I college athletic conference in the United States that existed from 1914 to 1996. Composed primarily of schools from Texas, at various times the conference included schools from Oklahoma ...

, Birdsong soon established himself as the dominant scorer in the league's history. In his first year as an SWC player, Birdsong led the league in scoring, finishing eighth nationally with a 26.1 average. Birdsong was named a 1977 Consensus All-American and Southwest Conference Player of the Year after leading the Houston Cougars to a 29–8 record and the National Invitational Tournament championship game against St. Bonaventure. Birdsong scored 38 points and made 18 free throws against the Bonnies, but Houston lost. He ranked fourth nationally in scoring and set an SWC record with 30.3 points per game. His accomplishments resulted in Birdsong being named SWC Player of the Decade. Otis_Birdsong_UH

In addition to receiving All-American honors, Birdsong was named to the All-Southwest Conference team in 1976 and 1977. Additionally, he was named District VI Player of the Year (encompassing Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas) by the United States Basketball Writers Association. He was a member of the USBWA's All-District VI Team in 1975, 1976 and 1977, and he was team captain both his junior and senior years. During his four seasons with the Cougars, the team compiled a 79–38 record. He left the University of Houston as the school's second leading all-time scorer with 2,832 total college career points. Birdsong also ranks second on Houston's career charts in field goals, third in all-time steals, sixth in assists and ninth in field goal percentages. He continues to hold the school record for free throws with a total of 480.

Professional career

After completing his eligibility at the University of Houston, Birdsong was the second player chosen in the 1977 NBA draft when he was taken by the

. On January 28, 1979, Birdsong recorded a career-high 11 assists alongside 30 points in a 137–109 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers. On January 29, 1980, Birdsong scored a career-high 49 points while making 20 of 25 field goals in a win against the Denver Nuggets. During the 1980-81 NBA season, after averaging a career best 24.6 points per game, Birdsong played a lead role in the 40-42 Five Seed Kings making an unlikely run to the Western Conference Finals. In the first round of the playoffs, Birdsong averaged 27 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2.3 steals, in a victory over the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

. However, the first game of the second round, Birdsong was sidelined with a devastating ankle injury. Despite this, the Kings, who also were missing starting guard Phil Ford due to an eye injury suffered in the regular season, pulled off a surprising 4-3 series victory over the Phoenix Suns. However, in the Western Conference Finals the Kings unexpected playoff run would come to an end, when defeated in five games by the

Moses Malone Moses Eugene Malone (March 23, 1955 – September 13, 2015) was an American professional basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1974 through 1995. A cen ...

-led Houston Rockets. On June 8, 1981, Birdsong was traded by Kansas City with a 1981 2nd round draft pick ( Steve Lingenfelter was later selected) to the New Jersey Nets for Cliff Robinson. Birdsong’s deepest postseason run with the Nets would come in 1984. The Nets upset the defending champion Philadelphia 76ers, led by

and

Julius Erving Julius Winfield Erving II (born February 22, 1950), commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is an American former professional basketball player. Erving helped legitimize the American Basketball Association (ABA), and he was the best-known player ...

, in the first round. Now accepting a more team-oriented role than in Kansas City, Birdsong was 4th in team points per game in the series at 14.4, while teammates

Buck Williams Charles Linwood "Buck" Williams (born March 8, 1960) is an American former professional basketball player and former assistant coach for the Portland Trail Blazers. He was well known for his rebounding ability and trademark goggles. Williams, ...

and

Michael Ray Richardson Micheal "Sugar" Ray Richardson (born April 11, 1955) is an American former professional basketball player and head coach. He played college basketball for the Montana Grizzlies. The No. 4 overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft, Richardson played in ...

took primary scoring duties. The following series, however, the Nets would fall to

Sidney Moncrief Sidney Alvin Moncrief (born September 21, 1957) is an American former professional basketball player. As an NCAA college basketball player from 1975 to 1979, Moncrief played for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks, leading them to the 1978 F ...

and 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 ...

. In total, he scored over 12,000 career points, averaging 18 points per game, in 12 seasons with the Kings,

and Boston Celtics. Birdsong played in four

s. He was a member of the

All-NBA Second Team The All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season. The voting is conducted by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The team has been sele ...

in 1981. Birdsong returned to Houston following his career and served as a member of the Cougars' radio broadcast team for several seasons before moving to

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

. In 2000, Birdsong was inducted in the University of Houston's Hall of Honor as well as the Polk County, Florida Hall of Fame. In 2006, he was inducted into the

Florida High School Florida State University School (FSUS) is a laboratory school located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is sponsored by Florida State University and works in close collaboration with the Florida State University College of Education. T ...

Hall of fame. On October 20, 2014, in

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. Accord ...

, Birdsong was inducted into the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame (presented by the

Texas Sports Hall of Fame The Texas Sports Hall of Fame recognizes athletes, coaches, and administrators who have made "lasting fame and honor to Texas sports". It was established in 1951 by the Texas Sports Writers Association. Once it made its first induction (baseball ...

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Kansas City , 73 , , , , 25.7 , , .492 , , , , .697 , , 2.4 , , 2.4 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , 15.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Kansas City , 82 , , , , 34.6 , , .509 , , , , .725 , , 4.3 , , 3.4 , , 1.5 , , .2 , , 21.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Kansas City , 82 , , , , 35.2 , , .505 , , .278 , , .694 , , 4.0 , , 2.5 , , 1.7 , , .3 , , 22.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Kansas City , 71 , , , , 36.5 , , .544 , , .286 , , .697 , , 3.6 , , 3.3 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , 24.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, 37 , , 22 , , 27.7 , , .469 , , .000 , , .583 , , 2.6 , , 3.4 , , .8 , , .1 , , 14.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 62 , , 54 , , 30.4 , , .511 , , .333 , , .566 , , 2.4 , , 3.9 , , 1.4 , , .3 , , 15.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 69 , , 57 , , 31.4 , , .508 , , .250 , , .608 , , 2.5 , , 3.9 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , 19.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 56 , , 45 , , 32.9 , , .511 , , .190 , , .622 , , 2.6 , , 4.1 , , 1.5 , , .1 , , 20.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 77 , , 74 , , 31.1 , , .513 , , .364 , , .581 , , 2.6 , , 3.4 , , 1.1 , , .2 , , 15.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 7 , , 6 , , 18.1 , , .452 , , .000 , , .667 , , 1.0 , , 2.4 , , .4 , , .0 , , 6.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 67 , , 59 , , 28.1 , , .458 , , .360 , , .511 , , 2.5 , , 3.3 , , .8 , , .2 , , 10.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, 13 , , 0 , , 8.3 , , .500 , , .333 , , .000 , , 1.0 , , .7 , , .2 , , .1 , , 2.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 696 , , 317 , , 31.1 , , .506 , , .274 , , .655 , , 3.0 , , 3.2 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , 18.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 4 , , 0 , , 13.0 , , .375 , , , , .500 , , 1.5 , , .5 , , .8 , , .0 , , 3.5

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;", 1979 , style="text-align:left;”, Kansas City , 5 , , , , 33.6 , , .513 , , , , .711 , , 3.6 , , 1.8 , , 2.0 , , .0 , , 21.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1980 , style="text-align:left;”, Kansas City , 3 , , , , 37.6 , , .484 , , .000 , , .429 , , 7.7 , , 2.3 , , 1.3 , , .0 , , 22.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1981 , style="text-align:left;”, Kansas City , 8 , , , , 29.3 , , .571 , , 1.000 , , .611 , , 2.6 , , 3.4 , , 1.5 , , .0 , , 15.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1983 , style="text-align:left;”,

, 2 , , , , 18.5 , , .375 , , .000 , , .500 , , 1.0 , , 4.5 , , 1.5 , , .0 , , 6.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1984 , style="text-align:left;”,

, 11 , , , , 35.2 , , .415 , , .000 , , .521 , , 2.4 , , 3.7 , , 1.8 , , .1 , , 15.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1986 , style="text-align:left;”,

, 3 , , 3 , , 44.0 , , .527 , , .000 , , .579 , , 4.0 , , 3.3 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , 23.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1989 , style="text-align:left;”,

, 3 , , 1 , , 6.7 , , .200 , , .000 , , , , .7 , , .3 , , .3 , , .3 , , .7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 35 , , 4 , , 31.1 , , .480 , , .091 , , .583 , , 3.0 , , 3.0 , , 1.6 , , .1 , , 15.6

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Birdsong, Otis 1955 births Living people African-American basketball players All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players at the 1975 Pan American Games Basketball players from Florida Boston Celtics players Houston Cougars men's basketball players Kansas City Kings draft picks Kansas City Kings players Medalists at the 1975 Pan American Games National Basketball Association All-Stars New Jersey Nets players Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States Pan American Games medalists in basketball People from Winter Haven, Florida Shooting guards Sportspeople from Winter Haven, Florida United States men's national basketball team players 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople