Person was selected fourth in the 1986 NBA draft by the Indiana Pacers; the small forward won the Rookie of the Year award in 1987 and played six seasons with Indiana. Person averaged a career high 21.6 points in 1988. During his NBA playing years he was known as “The Rifleman” due to his 3-point shooting ability and the fact that he was named after Chuck Connors, star of the TV series The Rifleman.[2] Person was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in 1993.
Person played for the San Antonio Spurs from 1994 through 1998. His “Rifleman” nickname remained appropriate as he held the Spurs season record for most threes in a season with 190 three-pointers made during the 1995-1996 season (a record that stood for almost two decades until Danny Green exceeded it during the 2014-2015 season.) Person didn’t play in the entire 1996-1997 season due to injury.
Smallthoughts: Old School Tuesday …spotlights…Chuck Person aka the Rifleman
| Career history | |
|---|---|
| As player: | |
| 1986–1992 | Indiana Pacers |
| 1992–1994 | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| 1994–1998 | San Antonio Spurs |
| 1999 | Charlotte Hornets |
| 1999–2000 | Seattle SuperSonics |
| As coach: | |
| 2000–2001 | Cleveland Cavaliers (assistant) |
| 2005–2007 | Indiana Pacers (assistant) |
| 2007–2008 | Sacramento Kings (assistant) |
| 2009–2013 | Los Angeles Lakers (assistant) |
| 2013-2014 | Jeonju KCC Egis (assistant) |
| 2014–present | Auburn (assistant) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
As player:
As assistant coach: |
|
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 13,858 (14.7 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 4,763 (5.1 rpg) |
| Assists | 2,645 (2.8 apg
|
