New York City product Charlie Scott was drafted by the Boston Celtics in 1970 but he had already signed a contract with the Virginia Squires of the ABA. Scott was named ABA Rookie of the Year after averaging 27.1 points per game. During his second season with the Squires, he set the ABA record for highest scoring average in one season (34.6 points per game). However, he became dissatisfied with life in the ABA and joined the NBA’s Phoenix Suns in 1972. At that point, he briefly went by the name Shaheed Abdul-Aleem.
Scott continued his stellar play in the NBA, representing the Suns in three straight NBA All-Star Games (1973, 1974, and 1975), then went to the Celtics for the 1975-76 NBA season where he won a championship ring against the Suns. Scott later played for the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets. He retired in 1980 with 14,837 combined ABA/NBA career points.
Smallthoughts: Old School Tuesday spotlights…Charlie Scott.
| Career history | |
|---|---|
| 1970–1972 | Virginia Squires (ABA) |
| 1972–1975 | Phoenix Suns |
| 1975–1977 | Boston Celtics |
| 1977–1978 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1978–1980 | Denver Nuggets |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 10,037 (17.9 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 2,034 (3.6 rpg) |
| Assists | 2,696 (4.8 apg |
