Guy William Rodgers (September 1, 1935 – February 19, 2001) was an American 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 (appro ...

player born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. He spent twelve years (1958–1970) in the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

, and was one of the league's best playmakers in the early to mid-1960s. Rodgers led the NBA in assists twice, and placed second six times. Rodgers was inducted into

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pre ...

in 2014.

Amateur career

Rodgers attended Northeast High School in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, graduating in 1954. He played collegiately at

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist ministe ...

from 1955 to 1958 for Hall of Fame Coach Harry Litwack. Rodgers led Temple to a 74–16 record and third-place finishes in the

1956 NCAA basketball tournament The 1956 NCAA basketball tournament involved 25 schools playing in Single-elimination tournament, single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA college basketball. It began on ...

, 1957 National Invitation Tournament and the 1958 NCAA basketball tournament. He became the school's leading career scorer with 1,767 points (19.6 points per game). Rodgers remains the third leading scorer in Temple history The 1958 AP First Team All-American team consisted of four

Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pres ...

inductees: Rodgers at Temple,

Elgin Baylor Elgin Gay Baylor ( ; September 16, 1934 – March 22, 2021) was an American professional basketball player, coach, and executive. He played 14 seasons as a forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lak ...

of Seattle, fellow Philadelphia native

Wilt Chamberlain Wilton Norman Chamberlain ( ; August21, 1936 – October12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player. Standing tall, he played Center (basketball), center in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 seasons. He was enshrin ...

of Kansas, and

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 played ...

of Cincinnati. The other was Don Hennon of Pittsburgh.

NBA

Warriors

Rodgers was a territorial pick of the

Philadelphia Warriors The history of the Golden State Warriors began in Philadelphia in 1946. In 1962, the franchise was relocated to San Francisco, California and became known as the San Francisco Warriors until 1971, when its name was changed to the current Golden ...

in the 1958 NBA draft. Rodgers played alongside Chamberlain with the Warriors from 1959 through 1964, and parts of the 1964–65 season. In Chamberlain's famous 100-point game, Rodgers recorded 20 assists. In the 1962–63 season, Rodgers led the NBA in assists with 10.4 per game, playing in his first

NBA All-Star game The National Basketball Association All-Star Game is the annual all-star game hosted each February by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and showcases 24 of the league's All-star, star players. Since 2022, it was held on the third Sunday of ...

. On March 14, 1963, Rodgers tied

Bob Cousy Robert Joseph Cousy ( , born August 9, 1928) is an American former professional basketball player. He played point guard for the Boston Celtics from 1950 to 1963, and briefly with the Cincinnati Royals during the 1969–70 season. A 13-time NBA ...

's NBA record of 28 assists in a single game. Rodgers excelled the following season as well, and was named to his second consecutive All-Star game alongside Chamberlain. The 1964 Warriors team was dominant in the regular season, and defeated the

St. Louis 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 Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at S ...

to advance to the NBA Finals before losing the series to the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

4–1.

Bulls

After averaging 18.6 points and 10.7 assists in 1965–1966, Rogers was traded on September 7, 1966, to the expansion Chicago Bulls for Jim King, Jeff Mullins and cash. Rodgers played the 1966–67 season in Chicago and was named an NBA All-Star for the fourth and final time in his career. That same season, Rodgers averaged 18.0 points and handed out a then-NBA record 908 assists (11.2), which is still the Chicago Bulls single-season record.

Royals

Four games into the 1967–68 season, Rodgers was traded to the Cincinnati Royals, joining Oscar Robertson in the backcourt.

Bucks

The next season, Rodgers was left unprotected by the Royals in the NBA expansion draft, and he was selected by new

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 Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

. Rodgers joined the Bucks for his two final NBA seasons, playing alongside rookie

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ( ; born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. , April 16, 1947) is an American former basketball player. He played professionally for 20 seasons for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Associatio ...

and helping the Bucks to their first playoff berth and first playoff series victory during the 1970 NBA playoffs. He barely missed out on winning a title, however: before the following season, Rodgers retired, yet the Bucks would acquire his former teammate

, and win their first

NBA Championship The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

. Rodgers remains one of the few players in NBA history to have played for at least two expansion teams during their inaugural season.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Personal life

Rodgers died on February 19, 2001, at age 65 after a heart attack. He was survived by sons Tony and Mark, and daughter Nicole. "Without question Guy Rodgers was the best passer I ever played with or against.

Pete Maravich Peter Press Maravich ( ; June 22, 1947 – January 5, 1988), known by his nickname Pistol Pete, was an American professional basketball player. He starred in college at Louisiana State University's Tigers basketball team; his father, Press Mar ...

was close, but Guy was better. He made every play exciting", said basketball TV analyst Jon McGlocklin, who was a teammate of Rodgers in Milwaukee.

Honors

* Rodgers was a 2014 inductee to the

. During ceremonies on August 8, 2014.

Earl Monroe Vernon Earl Monroe (born November 21, 1944) is an American former professional basketball player. He played for two teams, the Baltimore Bullets and the New York Knicks, during his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Both teams ...

served as Rodgers' presenter. His son Tony, accepted on behalf of the Rodgers family. * Rodgers is one of four Temple retired jersey numbers. His #5 hangs in the Liacouras Center. Teammate Hal Lear (#6), Mark Macon (#12) and Bill Mlkvy (#20) are the others. * Rogers was inducted into the Temple Athletic Hall of Fame in 1971. * Rodgers was a charter member of the Philadelphia Big Five Hall of Fame in 1973. * The Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame inducted Rogers in 2005.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodgers, Guy 1935 births 2001 deaths 20th-century American sportsmen All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Philadelphia Chicago Bulls players Cincinnati Royals players Milwaukee Bucks expansion draft picks Milwaukee Bucks players Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees NBA All-Stars Philadelphia Warriors draft picks Philadelphia Warriors players Point guards San Francisco Warriors players Temple Owls men's basketball players