Swen Erick Nater (born January 14, 1950) is a Dutch 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 played primarily in 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, ...

(ABA) and

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 is the only player to have led both the NBA and ABA in rebounding. Nater was a two-time

ABA All-Star The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist after merging with the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1976. In total, the league held nine all-star games, with al ...

and was the 1974

ABA Rookie of the Year The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a professional basketball league that operated from the until it ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976. The ABA presented a variety of annual awards and honors to recognize its players and ...

. 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 ...

for the

UCLA Bruins The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF). ...

, winning two

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

(NCAA) titles.

Early life

Nater was born in the Netherlands in

Den Helder Den Helder () is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Den Helder occupies the northernmost point of the North Holland peninsula. It is home to the country's main naval base. From here the Royal TESO fe ...

. His parents divorced when he was three years old. When his mother remarried and the family's economic situation deteriorated, she, her husband, and Nater's younger brother moved to the United States, leaving Nater and his sister in an orphanage. After three years it appeared they would remain in the Netherlands until a television show, ''

It Could Be You ''It Could Be You'' is a television game show produced by Ralph Edwards, Ralph Edwards Productions in the late 1950s in the United States, broadcast daily in the weekday daytime schedule for five years 1956–1961, and weekly in the evening on-and ...

'' (a forerunner to '' This Is Your Life''), discovered the situation and brought the two siblings to America to be reunited—on TV—with the rest of the family. At age nine, he was in a new country and did not speak a word of English. He took his stepfather's name and was known as Swen Langeberg. Nater did not get along with his stepfather, who did not want him to play basketball. Nater graduated from Long Beach Wilson High School in

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

. He tried out for their basketball team as a junior, but he was cut. He had arrived at the first practice barefoot but was told by the coach he needed shoes. His family unable to afford them, Nater returned to practice with shoes stolen from a teammate. The coach told Nater to leave. He did not try out as a senior.

College career

Nater attended and played basketball at

Cypress College Cypress College is a public community college in Cypress, California. It is part of the California Community Colleges System and belongs to the North Orange County Community College District. It offers a variety of general education (55 associat ...

, a junior college in

Cypress, California Cypress is a city in northwestern Orange County within Southern California. Its population was 50,151 at the 2020 census. History The first people living in the area now known as Cypress were the Gabrieleno, a Native American tribe of the Ton ...

(where he met his wife, Marlene). He played little as a freshman, but was a Community College All-American as a sophomore. He earned a scholarship to

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

. After leaving Cypress, he changed back to his father's name, Nater. He had already moved out from his stepfather's home after he forbade Nater from playing at Cypress. Nater

redshirted Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

his first year with the

. He helped

John Wooden John Robert Wooden (October 14, 1910 – June 4, 2010) was an American basketball coach and player. Nicknamed the Wizard of Westwood, he won ten National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) national championships in a 12-year period as head ...

's squads win two

NCAA titles The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athlete, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic sports, ...

. He was a backup to

Bill Walton William Theodore Walton III (born November 5, 1952) is an American television sportscaster and former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for coach John Wooden and the UCLA Bruins, winning three consecutive national ...

, and averaged just 3.2 points and 3.3 rebounds per game as a senior. He never started a collegiate game—his primary role was helping to develop Walton in practice.

Professional career

Nater was drafted by

The Floridians ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

in the 1972 ABA Draft, and then 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 ...

in the June 1972 ABA dispersal draft after the Floridians' demise. Nater was also drafted in the first round of the

1973 NBA draft The 1973 NBA draft was the 27th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 24 and May 5, 1973, before the 1973–74 season. In this draft, 17 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college baske ...

with the 16th overall pick by 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 ...

; he was the first NBA first-round pick to have played in the NCAA without ever starting a college game. Milwaukee offered him $50,000. In August 1973, he opted to sign a three-year, $300,000 contract with the Squires, who spread the payments over seven years. On November 21, 1973, the Squires traded Nater to the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...

for a draft pick and $300,000. With the Spurs, Nater was the

after averaging 14.1 points and 12.6 rebounds for the season. He led the ABA in field goal percentage in 1974 and led the league in rebounding in 1975. He was named to the

All-ABA Second Team The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a professional basketball league that operated from the until it ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976. The ABA presented a variety of annual awards and honors to recognize its players and ...

in 1974 and 1975 and participated in the

ABA All-Star Game The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist after merging with the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1976. In total, the league held nine all-star game An all- ...

both seasons. During his three seasons in the ABA, Nater played for the Spurs, Squires, and the

New York 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, ...

. Nater's NBA career began with the

. During the 1976-77 NBA season, Nater amassed three games where he had at least 20 rebounds and 20 points, including a 30 point and 33 rebound performance in a 126-109 win over the

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 (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Sou ...

on December 19, 1976. After the season ended, Milwaukee traded Nater to the

Buffalo Braves The Buffalo Braves were an American professional basketball franchise based in Buffalo, New York. The Braves competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division from 1970 ...

for Buffalo's first round draft pick, which Milwaukee used to select

Marques Johnson Marques Kevin Johnson (born February 8, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player who is a basketball analyst for the Milwaukee Bucks on Bally Sports Wisconsin. He played as a small forward in the National Basketball Associati ...

. When the Braves moved to

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

and became the Clippers a year later, Nater became a local favorite. Nater led the NBA in rebounding average during the 1979–80 season, making him the only player ever to lead both the NBA and ABA in rebounding. On January 12, 1982, he had surgery to remove bone chips from his right knee. The injury limited him to just 14 games in 1981–82 and seven in 1982–83. Before the 1983–84 season, Nater was traded by the Clippers along with a just-drafted

Byron Scott Byron Antom Scott (born March 28, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player and head coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). As a player, Scott won three NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers during their S ...

to 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 ...

for

Norm Nixon Norman Ellard Nixon (born October 11, 1955) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Diego/Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also played with Scav ...

Eddie Jordan Edmund Patrick Jordan, OBE (born 30 March 1948), also known as EJ, is an Irish businessman, television personality and former motorsport team owner. Born in Dublin, Jordan worked first at the Bank of Ireland. He won the Irish Kart Championshi ...

, and a 1986 second-round draft pick (which would eventually be dealt to the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

and become

Jeff Hornacek Jeffrey John Hornacek (; born May 3, 1963) is an American professional basketball coach and a former player who is a coaching consultant for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously was the head coach for both the ...

). The Lakers acquired him to backup

Kareem Abdul Jabbar Kareem (alternatively spelled Karim or Kerim) ( ar, کریم) is a common given name and surname of Arabic origin that means "generous", "noble", "honorable". It is also one of the Names of God in Islam in the Quran. Given name Karim * Karim Ab ...

. Nater and Scott helped lead the Lakers to the NBA Finals that year, but the next season the team did not offer him a guaranteed contract. Nater played for Australian Udine in the Italian League, where he was the best paid player and led the league in rebounding even though the team ended up being relegated. The next season, he initially accepted an offer from Barcelona in the Spanish League, but ultimately he changed his mind and decided to retire.

Career statistics

ABA

Regular season

, - , align="left" , 1973–74 , align="left" ,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, 17 , , - , , 22.0 , , .556 , , .000 , , .630 , , 9.1 , , 1.0 , , 0.4 , , 0.9 , , 12.6 , - , align="left" , 1973–74 , align="left" ,

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

, 62 , , - , , 32.3 , , .551 , , .000 , , .740 , , 13.6 , , 1.8 , , 0.4 , , 0.8 , , 14.5 , - , align="left" , 1974–75 , align="left" ,

, 78 , , - , , 34.8 , , .542 , , .000 , , .752 , , style="background:#cfecec;" , 16.4* , , 1.2 , , 0.6 , , 1.1 , , 15.1 , - , align="left" , 1975–76 , align="left" ,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, 43 , , - , , 23.6 , , .485 , , .000 , , .718 , , 10.3 , , 0.4 , , 0.4 , , 0.6 , , 8.7 , - , align="left" , 1975–76 , align="left" ,

, 33 , , - , , 23.5 , , .498 , , .000 , , .675 , , 9.8 , , 1.1 , , 0.4 , , 0.8 , , 11.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 233 , , - , , 29.5 , , .532 , , .000 , , .722 , , 13.1 , , 1.2 , , 0.5 , , 0.9 , , 13.0

Playoffs

, - , align="left" , 1973–74 , align="left" ,

, 7 , , - , , 30.1 , , .553 , , .000 , , .714 , , 11.7 , , 2.1 , , 0.4 , , 0.7 , , 14.9 , - , align="left" , 1974–75 , align="left" ,

, 6 , , - , , 39.0 , , .476 , , .000 , , .429 , , 16.5 , , 1.0 , , 0.2 , , 1.0 , , 14.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 13 , , - , , 25.0 , , .475 , , .244 , , .846 , , 3.5 , , 2.4 , , 0.8 , , 0.3 , , 13.6

NBA

Regular season

, - , align="left" , 1976–77 , 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 ...

, 72 , , - , , 27.2 , , .528 , , - , , .754 , , 12.0 , , 1.5 , , 0.8 , , 0.7 , , 13.0 , - , align="left" , 1977–78 , align="left" , Buffalo , 78 , , - , , 35.6 , , .504 , , - , , .765 , , 13.2 , , 2.8 , , 0.5 , , 0.6 , , 15.5 , - , align="left" , 1978–79 , align="left" ,

, 79 , , - , , 25.4 , , .569 , , - , , .800 , , 8.9 , , 1.8 , , 0.5 , , 0.4 , , 10.7 , - , align="left" , 1979–80 , align="left" ,

, 81 , , - , , 35.3 , , .554 , , .000 , , .718 , , style="background:#cfecec;" , 15.0* , , 2.9 , , 0.6 , , 0.5 , , 13.4 , - , align="left" , 1980–81 , align="left" ,

, 82 , , - , , 34.3 , , .553 , , .000 , , .795 , , 12.4 , , 2.4 , , 0.6 , , 0.6 , , 15.6 , - , align="left" , 1981–82 , align="left" ,

, 21 , , 7 , , 27.4 , , .577 , , 1.000 , , .747 , , 9.1 , , 1.4 , , 0.3 , , 0.4 , , 12.5 , - , align="left" , 1982–83 , align="left" ,

, 7 , , 0 , , 7.3 , , .300 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 1.9 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 0.0 , , 2.3 , - , align="left" , 1983–84 , align="left" ,

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, 69 , , 0 , , 12.0 , , .490 , , .000 , , .692 , , 3.8 , , 0.4 , , 0.4 , , 0.1 , , 4.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 489 , , 7 , , 28.4 , , .537 , , .250 , , .760 , , 10.8 , , 2.0 , , 0.5 , , 0.5 , , 12.2

Playoffs

, - , align="left" , 1983–84 , align="left" ,

, 17 , , - , , 8.6 , , .500 , , .000 , , .769 , , 2.4 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 3.4

After the NBA

He built the basketball program at Christian Heritage College in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

, and coached from 1985 to 1995. He left the position because it "was high on work and low on pay.” He was living in

El Cajon, California El Cajon ( , ; Spanish: El Cajón, meaning "the box") is a city in San Diego County, California, United States, east of downtown San Diego. The city takes its name from Rancho El Cajón, which was in turn named for the box-like shape of the va ...

, where his two daughters were born and raised. Nater later lived in

Enumclaw, Washington Enumclaw ( ) is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 12,543 at the 2020 census. The Enumclaw Plateau, on which the city resides, was formed by a volcanic mudflow (lahar) from Mount Rainier approximately 5,700 y ...

,What a long, strange trip it's been, Swen
Espn.co.uk, Retrieved 2018-12-11. where he went to work for

Costco Costco Wholesale Corporation (doing business as Costco Wholesale and also known simply as Costco) is an American multinational corporation which operates a chain of membership-only big-box retail stores (warehouse club). As of 2022, Costco i ...

, for whom he was a sporting goods assistant buyer. and then in

Des Moines, Washington Des Moines ( ) is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 32,888 as of the 2020 census. The city is located on the east shore of Puget Sound, near the center of the Seattle metropolitan area. It is bordered by the ...

overlooking

Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ) is a sound of the Pacific Northwest, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. It is located along the northwestern coast of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected ma ...

, with his wife Dr. Wendy Ghiora. Nater has also co-authored books with basketball coaches Wooden and

Pete Newell Peter Francis Newell (August 31, 1915 – November 17, 2008) was an American college basketball, college men's basketball coach and basketball instructional coach. He coached for 15 years at the San Francisco Dons men's basketball, University of ...

Publications

* *

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nater, Swen 1950 births Living people Buffalo Braves players Cypress Chargers men's basketball players Dutch expatriate basketball people in the United States Lega Basket Serie A players Los Angeles Lakers players Miami Floridians draft picks Milwaukee Bucks draft picks Milwaukee Bucks players National Basketball Association players from the Netherlands New York Nets players Pallalcesto Amatori Udine players People from Den Helder People from Des Moines, Washington People from Enumclaw, Washington Power forwards (basketball) San Antonio Spurs players San Diego Clippers players Sportspeople from King County, Washington UCLA Bruins men's basketball players Virginia Squires draft picks Virginia Squires players Wilson Classical High School alumni Sportspeople from North Holland

Early life

College career

Professional career

Career statistics

ABA

Regular season

Playoffs

NBA

Regular season

Playoffs

After the NBA

Publications

See also

References

External links