James Staton "Country" King (born February 7, 1941) 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 Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
player and former college coach.
A 6'2" guard from the
University of Tulsa
The University of Tulsa (TU) is a Private university, private research university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It has a historic affiliation with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Presbyterian Church, although it is now nondenominational, and the campus ...
, King was selected by 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 Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...
in the second round of the
1963 NBA draft
The 1963 NBA draft was the 17th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 30 and May 7, 1963, before the 1963–64 season. In this draft, nine NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college baske ...
. King played 10
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 ...
seasons (1963–1973) with four teams: the Lakers, the
San Francisco Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...
, 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 Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The Kings are the ...
, 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 Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...
. He represented the Warriors in the
1968 NBA All-Star Game
The 1968 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game which was played at Madison Square Garden in New York City, January 23, 1968.
*Coaches: East: Alex Hannum, West: Bill Sharman.
*Officials: Mendy Rudolph and Don Murphy
*MVP: Hal Gree ...
, and he retired with 4,377 career points.
King later coached the
Tulsa Golden Hurricane
The Tulsa Golden Hurricane are the athletic teams that represent the University of Tulsa. These teams are referred to as the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (or variously as TU or Tulsa). Before adopting the name Golden Hurricane in 1922, the Universit ...
from 1975 to midway through the 1979–1980 season, when he resigned after seasons. The school retired his jersey number 24, and in 1984, he was inducted into the University of Tulsa Hall of Fame.
NBA career
In Los Angeles, King played much of his first three seasons behind former UCLA teammates
Gail Goodrich and
Walt Hazzard
Mahdi Abdul-Rahman (born Walter Raphael Hazzard Jr.; April 15, 1942 – November 18, 2011) was an American professional basketball player and college basketball coach. He played in college for the UCLA Bruins and was a member of their first natio ...
, after which the Lakers left him unprotected in the expansion draft. No sooner were he and
Jeff Mullins claimed by Chicago on May 1, 1966, than they were traded to San Francisco in return for All-Star guard
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-196 ...
. The move proved to be a fortuitous one for both players, as they were instrumental in the Warriors' drive to the 1966–67 Western Division title. On April 18, 1967, King (28 points) and superstar teammate
Rick Barry
Richard Francis Dennis Barry III (born March 28, 1944) is an American former professional basketball player who starred at the NCAA, American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA) levels. Barry ranks among the m ...
(55) combined for 83 points in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, a 130–124 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. Only the Lakers tandem of
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 ...
(61) and
Jerry West
Jerry Alan West (May 28, 1938 – June 12, 2024) was an American basketball player and executive. He played professionally for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and is widely regarded as one of the greatest ...
(26) had scored more in a championship series game.
King was even better in the 1967–68 season, when he emerged as one of the best combo guards in the league. Despite the absence of Barry, who had jumped to the rival ABA in the off-season, the Warriors picked up where they left off, only this time with King in a lead role. In his first 15 games, he ranked among the NBA scoring leaders at 24.2 points per game. He also averaged 4.9 assists and 4.7 rebounds in that span. King suffered a knee injury which a short time later would reduce his effectiveness. Nonetheless, he was selected to play with the West team in the 1968 All-Star Game in New York. In a 144–124 loss, he had four points and two assists off the bench.
Prior to the 1969–70 campaign, King and
Bill Turner were traded to the Cincinnati Royals in return for
Jerry Lucas
Jerry Ray Lucas (born March 30, 1940) is an American former basketball player. He was a nationally awarded high school player, national college star at Ohio State University, and 1960 Olympic medal, gold medal Olympian and international player be ...
. But, King saw action in only 31 games because of knee problems. He signed with Chicago one year later and played his final three seasons off the bench there.
NBA career statistics
Regular season
Playoffs
Head coaching record
External links
NBA career stats
1941 births
Living people
American men's basketball coaches
American men's basketball players
Basketball coaches from Oklahoma
Chicago Bulls expansion draft picks
Chicago Bulls players
Cincinnati Royals players
Los Angeles Lakers draft picks
Los Angeles Lakers players
NBA All-Stars
Point guards
San Francisco Warriors players
Sportspeople from Fort Smith, Arkansas
Basketball players from Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa Golden Hurricane men's basketball coaches
Tulsa Golden Hurricane men's basketball players
20th-century American sportsmen
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