Luther Dean "Ticky" Burden (February 28, 1953 – October 29, 2015) was an American

NBA 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 ...

and

ABA ABA may refer to: Businesses and organizations Broadcasting * Alabama Broadcasters Association, United States * Asahi Broadcasting Aomori, Japanese television station * Australian Broadcasting Authority Education * Académie des Beaux- ...

basketball player.

High school

Born in Haines City, Florida, Burden attended Albany, New York's Philip Schuyler High School, where he was a member of the basketball team.

College

Burden attended the University of Utah. He played for the United States men's national basketball team in the

1974 FIBA World Championship The 1974 FIBA World Championship was the 7th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's teams. It was hosted by Puerto Rico from July 3 to 14, 1974. The tournament was won by the Soviet Union. Venues Comp ...

, winning the bronze medal and scoring 20.2 points per game, a Team USA record which was overtaken by Kevin Durant in 2010. In 1975, his junior year, he averaged 28.7 points per game and set the Western Athletic Conference record for field goals in a season with 359.

Professional basketball

Following his junior season, he was allowed to turn pro as a hardship case. Burden was drafted by the

Virginia Squires The Virginia Squires were a basketball team based in Norfolk, Virginia, and playing in several other Virginia cities. They were members of the American Basketball Association from 1970 to 1976. The team originated in 1967 as the Oakland Oaks, a ...

of the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger, American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, ...

and the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

of the National Basketball Association. He chose Virginia, but left after one season, during which he had a serious argument with coach Bill Musselman. Upon joining the Knicks, he stated "In Virginia I saw the bad side of pro basketball, in New York I know I'll see the good side". In the 1976–77 season, Burden got into 61 games for the Knicks in a backup role, averaging 10 minutes and 5.7 points per game. However, in the 77–78 season Knicks coach Willis Reed became frustrated with Burden's lack of defensive play, and sent him to the disabled list for the remainder of the season after he played in just two games. Reed unsuccessfully attempted to trade Burden, but ending up placing him on waivers and releasing him following the season.

Legal trouble

On July 3, 1980, Burden and three other men allegedly robbed a bank in Hempstead,

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

. Burden was convicted after the three other men struck deals and testified against him, and was given a sentence of six to eighteen years. After serving two years, Burden's conviction was overturned when a court ruled that detectives did not possess search or arrest warrants when they raided Burden's home. Burden would later plead guilty to receiving stolen money in conjunction with the robbery, but was released after being given credit for time served.SPORTS PEOPLE; Burden Pleads Guilty
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Later life

As of 2010, Burden was working with the YWCA organization, mentoring and coaching basketball. Since 2012, Burden experienced medical problems related to ATTR

amyloidosis Amyloidosis is a group of diseases in which abnormal proteins, known as amyloid fibrils, build up in tissue. There are several non-specific and vague signs and symptoms associated with amyloidosis. These include fatigue, peripheral edema, weight ...

. He died in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on October 29, 2015, after developing a fever following cataract surgery.

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burden, Luther 1953 births 2015 deaths African-American basketball players All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players American people convicted of theft American sportspeople convicted of crimes Basketball players from Florida New York Knicks draft picks New York Knicks players People from Haines City, Florida Shooting guards Sportspeople from Polk County, Florida United States men's national basketball team players Utah Utes men's basketball players Virginia Squires draft picks Virginia Squires players 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American people 1974 FIBA World Championship players