Nathaniel "Tiny" Archibald (born September 2, 1948) is an American retired 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 spent 14 years playing 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 ...

(NBA), most notably with the

Cincinnati Royals 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 Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

Kansas City–Omaha 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 Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

and Boston Celtics. In 1991, he was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Archibald was a willing passer and an adequate shooter from midrange. However, it was his quickness, speed and shiftiness that made him difficult to guard in the open court, as he would regularly drive past defenders on his way to the basket.

High school and college career

Archibald, a playground legend while growing up in a rough-and-tumble neighborhood in the South Bronx borough of New York City, played high school basketball for only one-and-a-half seasons, and was cut from the varsity squad at

DeWitt Clinton High School , motto_translation = Without Work Nothing Is Accomplished , image = DeWitt Clinton High School front entrance IMG 7441 HLG.jpg , seal_image = File:Clinton News.JPG , seal_size = 124px , ...

as a sophomore. He returned to the team as a junior. During his time without basketball, Archibald briefly flirted with dropping out of school after having been largely truant in past years. But with the help of two mentors, Floyd Layne and Pablo Robertson, Archibald turned it around. Robertson, a former standout at Loyola of Chicago and a

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...

, New York playground impresario, had seen the gifted, mercurial Archibald in action on the playgrounds and convinced the young man's high school coach to re-instate him on the squad. Despite playing only in blowouts as a junior, the shy, quiet teen managed to blossom into a high-school star, being named team captain and an All-City selection in 1966. Off the court, Archibald began to attend school regularly and worked to improve his poor academic standing, which deterred most colleges from offering him a scholarship. To improve his chances of playing major college basketball, Archibald enrolled at

Arizona Western College Arizona Western College (AWC) is a public community college in Yuma, Arizona. It offers associate degrees, occupational certificates, and transfer degrees. AWC also offers classes in Dateland, La Paz, San Luis, Somerton, and Wellton. Aca ...

, transferring to the

University of Texas at El Paso The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a public research university in El Paso, Texas. It is a member of the University of Texas System. UTEP is the second-largest university in the United States to have a majority Mexican American stud ...

(UTEP) the following year. He had three standout seasons at El Paso, from 1967 to 1970 under Hall of Fame coach

Don Haskins Donald Lee Haskins (March 14, 1930 – September 7, 2008), nicknamed "The Bear", was an American basketball player and coach. He played college basketball for three years under coach Henry Iba at Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State University). He w ...

Professional career

Cincinnati Royals / Kansas City Kings (1970–1976)

Archibald was selected in the second round of the

1970 NBA draft The 1970 NBA draft was the 24th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on March 23, 1970, before the 1970–71 season. In this draft, 17 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball player ...

(19th pick) by the

.Porter p 15 He was also drafted by the Texas Chaparrals of the American Basketball Association. In his NBA debut, Archibald recorded 17 points and 7 assists in a 128–104 loss to the New York Knicks. On March 13, 1971, Archibald set a then-career-high by scoring 47 points in a 136-127 victory 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 Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

. On November 18, 1972, Archibald recorded 51 points and 14 assists in a 127–117 win over the Houston Rockets. In 1972–73 season, Archibald led the NBA in scoring and

assist Assist or ASSIST may refer to: Sports Several sports have a statistic known as an "assist", generally relating to action by a player leading to a score by another player on their team: *Assist (basketball), a pass by a player that facilitates a ba ...

s (with 34 points and 11.4 assists, in 46 minutes a game, with all three averages being career-highs), becoming the only player to win the titles in both categories in the same season. (In the 1967–68 season,

Oscar Robertson Oscar Palmer Robertson (born November 24, 1938), nicknamed "the Big O", is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Robertson playe ...

led the NBA in points and assists per game but did not win the titles because they were based on totals rather than averages at the time. His scoring average of 34.0 points per game broke the NBA record for a guard and, as of 2020, is still a record for point guards. His 910 assists that season (11.4 assists per game) was also an NBA record at the time, breaking

Guy Rodgers Guy William Rodgers (September 1, 1935 – February 19, 2001) was an American professional basketball player born in Philadelphia. He spent twelve years (1958–1970) in the NBA, and was one of the league's best playmakers in the early to mid-19 ...

' mark of 908. He was named the Sporting News NBA MVP that season. During the 1975 NBA Playoffs, Archibald made the postseason for the first time in his career after the then-Kansas City Kings finished 44-38 in the regular season. Archibald went on to average 20.2 points and 5.3 assists in a six game series loss in the first round to

Bob Love Robert Earl "Butterbean" Love (born December 8, 1942) is an American former professional basketball player who spent the prime of his career with the National Basketball Association's Chicago Bulls. A versatile forward who could shoot with eith ...

and the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...

. Archibald played for the Royals/Kings franchise from 1970 to 1976.

New York Nets (1976–1977)

Although he was the Kings' most popular player, he was traded to 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, ...

for two first round draft picks (future all-star

Otis Birdsong Otis Lee Birdsong (born December 9, 1955) is an American former professional basketball player. He spent twelve seasons (1977–1989) in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and appeared in four NBA All-Star Games. A guard who attended Wint ...

and rookie of the year Phil Ford),

Jim Eakins James Scott Eakins (born May 24, 1946) is a retired American professional basketball player and two-time American Basketball Association champion. A 6'11" center from Brigham Young University, Eakins was selected in the fifth round of the 1968 ...

and Brian Taylor in 1976.Tiny Archibald Transactions
/ref> Archibald would go on to average a comparatively low 20.5 points per game in his 34 games with the Nets.

Buffalo Braves (1977–1978)

Injured for much of the 1976–77 season, he was traded by the Nets 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 ...

before the 1977–78 season, again for two first round draft picks (this time eventually becoming renowned defender

Micheal 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 ...

and prolific scorer Clifford Robinson), as well as George Johnson. Archibald tore his

Achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcaneus ( ...

and never played a regular-season game for the Braves.

Boston Celtics (1978–1983)

Buffalo traded him to the Boston Celtics as part of a 7-player deal before the start of the next season. His career at the Celtics started poorly. He showed up 20 pounds overweight. However, he adjusted and helped guide the Celtics to the best record in the NBA for three consecutive years (1979–1982). Archibald won his first and only

NBA championship The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...

with the Boston Celtics in the 1980–81 season alongside young NBA star

Larry Bird Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend", Bird is widely regarded a ...

. In Game 6 of the

1981 NBA Finals The 1981 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1980–81 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. It pitted the 62–20 Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics a ...

, Archibald recorded 13 points and 12 assists as the Celtics closed out the series against the Houston Rockets. On February 15, 1982, Archibald recorded a tenure-high 23 assists in a 145-144 win over the Denver Nuggets.

Milwaukee Bucks (1983–1984)

After being waived by the Celtics, Archibald played the 1983–84 season with the Bucks; this was his final season. He started at point guard in all 46 games he played.

Legacy

Archibald was an All-NBA First Team selection three times (

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: ...

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

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 ...

) and an All-NBA Second Team selection two times (

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using mean solar tim ...

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

). A seven-time

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, ...

selection (1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1980, 1981, and 1982), he was named the

1981 NBA All-Star Game The 1981 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game which was played February 1, 1981, at the Richfield Coliseum in Richfield, Ohio. This was the 31st edition of the National Basketball Association All-Star Game and was played during t ...

MVP. Archibald led the NBA in free throws made three times and free throw attempts twice. He competed in 876 professional games, scored 16,841 points (18.8 points per game), and dished out 6,476 assists. He was named one of the

50 Greatest Players in NBA History The 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, also referred to as NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team, were chosen in 1996 to honor the 50th anniversary of the founding of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was the third anniversary team ...

in 1996. Nate Archibald was inducted to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991. In 2021, he was announced as part of the NBA's 75th anniversary team. Informal nickname in Omaha, in addition to “Tiny”: Nate ‘The Skate’ Archibald, due to his ability to ‘skate’ by his opponents.

Coaching career

Archibald was an assistant coach, spending one season in the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

and two with Texas-El Paso (where he worked with

Tim Hardaway Timothy Duane Hardaway Sr. (born September 1, 1966) is an American former professional basketball player. Hardaway played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets a ...

). He has also coached the New Jersey Jammers of the

USBL The United States Basketball League (USBL) was a professional men's spring basketball league. The league was formed in 1985 and ceased operations in 2008. The USBL started in 1985 as one of the first basketball leagues to play a late-spring to ...

and in a Boston recreational league. Archibald coached in the

National Basketball Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA Dev ...

in 2001. He resigned a year later to take a position with the NBA's community relations department. Archibald was also named the head coach for the Long Beach Jam in 2004 in the revived ABA, but he would ultimately resign from his position on January 17, 2005 during their second and final season in the ABA.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

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, 76 , , – , , 43.1 , , .486 , , – , , .822 , , 2.9 , , 9.2 , , – , , – , , 28.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Kansas City–Omaha , 80 , , – , , style="background:#cfecec;", 46.0* , , .488 , , – , , .847 , , 2.8 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 11.4* , , – , , – , , style="background:#cfecec;", 34.0* , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Kansas City–Omaha , 35 , , – , , 36.3 , , .451 , , – , , .820 , , 2.4 , , 7.6 , , 1.6 , , 0.2 , , 17.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Kansas City–Omaha , 82 , , – , , 39.6 , , .456 , , – , , .872 , , 2.7 , , 6.8 , , 1.5 , , 0.1 , , 26.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Kansas City , 78 , , – , , 40.8 , , .453 , , – , , .802 , , 2.7 , , 7.9 , , 1.6 , , 0.2 , , 24.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", New York , 34 , , – , , 37.6 , , .446 , , – , , .785 , , 2.4 , , 7.5 , , 1.7 , , 0.3 , , 20.5 , - , 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 ...

, 69 , , – , , 24.1 , , .452 , , – , , .788 , , 1.5 , , 4.7 , , 0.8 , , 0.1 , , 11.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , 80 , , 35.8 , , .482 , , .222 , , .830 , , 2.5 , , 8.4 , , 1.3 , , 0.1 , , 14.1 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , 72 , , 35.3 , , .499 , , .000 , , .816 , , 2.2 , , 7.7 , , 0.9 , , 0.2 , , 13.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 68 , , 51 , , 31.9 , , .472 , , .375 , , .747 , , 1.7 , , 8.0 , , 0.8 , , 0.0 , , 12.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 66 , , 19 , , 27.4 , , .425 , , .208 , , .743 , , 1.4 , , 6.2 , , 0.6 , , 0.1 , , 10.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-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 ...

, 46 , , 46 , , 22.6 , , .487 , , .222 , , .634 , , 1.7 , , 3.5 , , 0.7 , , 0.0 , , 7.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 876 , , 268 , , 35.6 , , .467 , , .224 , , .810 , , 2.3 , , 7.4 , , 1.1 , , 0.1 , , 18.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 6 , , 4 , , 27.0 , , .450 , , – , , .833 , , 3.0 , , 6.7 , , 1.8 , , 0.2 , , 12.3

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;”, Kansas City–Omaha , 6, , –, , 40.3, , .364, , –, , .814, , 1.8, , 5.3, , 0.7, , 0.0, , 20.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1980 , style="text-align:left;”,

, 9, , –, , 36.9, , .506, , .500, , .881, , 1.2, , 7.9, , 1.1, , 0.0, , 14.2 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

† , style="text-align:left;”,

, 17, , –, , 37.1, , .450, , .000, , .809, , 1.6, , 6.3, , 0.8, , 0.0, , 15.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1982 , style="text-align:left;”,

, 8, , –, , 34.6, , .429, , .000, , .893, , 2.1, , 6.5, , 0.6, , 0.3, , 10.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...

, style="text-align:left;”,

, 7, , –, , 23.0, , .324, , .167, , .759, , 1.4, , 6.3, , 0.3, , 0.0, , 9.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 47 , , – , , 34.9 , , .423 , , .118 , , .826 , , 1.6 , , 6.5 , , 0.7 , , 0.0 , , 14.2

Personal life

He completed his

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

from

University of Texas-El Paso The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a public research university in El Paso, Texas. It is a member of the University of Texas System. UTEP is the second-largest university in the United States to have a majority Mexican American stude ...

by going back for three consecutive summers just prior to finishing his NBA career. He then taught in the New York City school system and attended night school at Fordham University. He received a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

from Fordham University in 1990 and a professional diploma in supervision and administration in 1994. He began long-distance correspondence work toward a

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''li ...