Ronald Carter Jr. (born August 31, 1956) is a retired American

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 ...

shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. A shooting guard's m ...

. He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

at the

Virginia Military Institute la, Consilio et Animis (on seal) , mottoeng = "In peace a glorious asset, In war a tower of strength""By courage and wisdom" (on seal) , established = , type = Public senior military college , accreditation = SACS , endowment = $696.8 mill ...

Early years

Carter attended Perry Traditional Academy. He accepted a basketball scholarship from the

. He contributed to the school winning two

Southern Conference The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly ...

championships (1975–76 and 1976–77). In the NCAA basketball tournament, he led his team to the

Elite Eight In the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship or the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship, the "Elite Eight" comprises the final eight teams, representing the regional finals, or national quarterfinals. In Division I and Divis ...

(

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 ...

) and the Sweet 16 ( 1977). As a senior, he set school records with 45 points scored in a single-game (against

Long Beach State College California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) is a public research university in Long Beach, California. The 322-acre campus is the second largest of the 23-school California State University system (CSU) and one of the largest universities i ...

), 19 free throws made in a single-game (against

Siena College Siena College is an American private Franciscan college in Loudonville, New York. Siena was founded by the Order of Friars Minor in 1937. The college was named after Bernardino of Siena, a 15th-century Italian Franciscan friar and preacher. St ...

), and an average of 26.3 points per contest during the season. He averaged 19.2 points (third in school history), 6.9 rebounds per game and had sixty 20+ scoring games (school record) during his career. He was a three-time All-SoCon and All-tournament selection. He was a two-time

Player of the Year and the

SoCon The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly ...

tournament's Most Outstanding Player (1976). He finished his college career as the tenth-highest scorer in conference history (2,228 points). Carter was the first athlete in school history to have his jersey retired (#13). In 1989, he was inducted into the VMI Sports Hall of Fame. He was named to the

's 75th Anniversary third-team Men's Basketball Team. In 2018, he was inducted into the

Hall of Fame.

Professional career

Carter was selected by 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 ...

in the 2nd round (26th pick overall) of the 1978 NBA draft, becoming the first

player to be drafted and to play in the league. He appeared in 46 games under head coach

Jerry West Jerome Alan West (born May 28, 1938) is an American basketball executive and former player. He played professionally for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His nicknames included "Mr. Clutch", for his ability ...

. He averaged 3.1 points per game and was waived on October 4, 1979. On November 15, 1979, he signed as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

with the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...

. He played in 13 games and averaged 2.5 points. He was cut on December 5. On February 15, 1980, he was re-signed as a

by the

. He was released on February 25. On September 15, 1983, he attempted a comeback and signed with the

. He was released on October 24.

Personal life

Carter has 4 children: sons Ronald and

Paul Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

, and daughters Bria and Brooke. Ronald III was a 2-time NCAA All-American triple jumper while attended

California State University, Long Beach California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) is a public research university in Long Beach, California. The 322-acre campus is the second largest of the 23-school California State University system (CSU) and one of the largest universities i ...

. Paul played collegiate basketball at the

University of Illinois at Chicago The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a Public university, public research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its campus is in the Near West Side, Chicago, Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus esta ...

and played professionally in Europe. , Ron Carter was the city manager of

Benton Harbor, Michigan Benton Harbor is a city in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is 46 miles southwest of Kalamazoo and 71 miles southwest of Grand Rapids. According to the 2020 census, its population was 9,103. It is the smaller, by population, of ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Ron 1956 births Living people American men's basketball players Basketball players from Pittsburgh Indiana Pacers players Los Angeles Lakers draft picks Los Angeles Lakers players Point guards Shooting guards VMI Keydets basketball players American city managers