Pat Riley? Head coach of the Lakers, Knicks and Heat? A player? Yes.Riley even had a mustache back then.
He was selected by the San Diego Rockets in the 1st round of the 1967 NBA Draft, and was also drafted as a wide receiver by the Dallas Cowboys in the 11th round of the 1967 NFL Draft. He joined the Rockets and was later selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1970 NBA expansion draft, but was immediately traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, which he helped toward the 1972 NBA Championship both by coming off the bench in games and by guarding friend and Laker guard Jerry West in practice. Despite this, overall, his playing career was undistinguished, as he was a perennial bench player. He retired after the 1975–76 NBA season as a member of the Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns.
Riley finished his NBA playing career with a 7.4 points per game scoring average and a field-goal percentage of 41.4%
Smallthoughts: Old School Tuesday spotlights…Pat Riley
| As player: | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967–1970 | San Diego Rockets | ||||||||
| 1970–1975 | Los Angeles Lakers | ||||||||
| 1975–1976 | Phoenix Suns
As player:
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