James Charles McElroy, Jr. (born October 4, 1953) 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. He was born in

Cotton Plant, Arkansas Cotton Plant is a city in southern Woodruff County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 529. History In 1820, when settlers from neighboring states first came to the Cotton Plant area, it was c ...

. A 6'3"

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 ...

from Central Michigan University, McElroy played 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 ...

from 1975 to 1982 as a member of the New Orleans Jazz,

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...

, and

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

. He averaged 9.9 points and 3.5 assists in his career and ranked tenth overall in total assists (453) during the

1978–79 NBA season The 1978–79 NBA season was the 33rd season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Seattle SuperSonics winning the NBA Championship, beating the Washington Bullets 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals, a rematch of the previ ...

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* 1953 births Living people African-American basketball players American men's basketball players Atlanta Hawks players Basketball players from Arkansas Central Michigan Chippewas men's basketball players Detroit Pistons players Junior college men's basketball players in the United States New Orleans Jazz draft picks New Orleans Jazz players People from Cotton Plant, Arkansas Shooting guards 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople {{1950s-US-basketball-bio-stub