Nick Weatherspoon
Nick Levoter Weatherspoon (July 20, 1950 – October 17, 2008[1]) was an American professional basketball player. He was a 6' 7" small forward.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 20, 1950 Greenwood, Mississippi |
| Died | October 17, 2008 (aged 58) Canton, Ohio |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Canton McKinley (Canton, Ohio) |
| College | Illinois (1970–1973) |
| NBA draft | 1973 / Round: 1 / Pick: 13th overall |
| Selected by the Capital Bullets | |
| Playing career | 1973–1980 |
| Position | Small forward |
| Number | 12, 13 |
| Career history | |
| 1973–1976 | Capital / Washington Bullets |
| 1976–1977 | Seattle SuperSonics |
| 1977–1978 | Chicago Bulls |
| 1978–1980 | San Diego Clippers |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 4,086 (9.0 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 2,232 (4.9 rpg) |
| Assists | 418 (0.9 apg) |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Weatherspoon, nicknamed "Spoon", scored 1,431 points at Canton McKinley High School, holding the Bulldog scoring record for 37 years until Raymar Morgan broke it during the 2005–06 season. He was an All-American at the University of Illinois before being selected by the Capital Bullets with the 13th pick of the 1973 NBA draft.[2] Named to the 1974 NBA All-Rookie Team, Weatherspoon spent a total of seven seasons in the NBA with the Bullets, the Seattle SuperSonics, the Chicago Bulls, and the San Diego Clippers.[1]
Weatherspoon was elected to the "Illini Men's Basketball All-Century Team" in 2004. Nick Weatherspoon was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. He was initiated in the Fraternity through Tau Chapter in 1971.
Honors
Basketball
- 1972 - Team MVP[3]
- 1972 - Honorable Mention All-Big Ten
- 1973 - Team Captain
- 1973 - Team MVP
- 1973 - 1st Team All-Big Ten
- 1973 - Honorable Mention All American
- 2004 - Elected to the "Illini Men's Basketball All-Century Team".
- 2008 - Honored as one of the thirty-three honored jerseys which hang in the State Farm Center to show regard for being the most decorated basketball players in the University of Illinois' history.
Statistics
College
| Season | Games | Points | Field Goals | Attempts | Avg | Free Throws | Attempts | Avg | PPG | Rebounds | Avg | Big Ten Record |
Overall Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NBA career statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | MPG | Minutes per game | ||
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage | ||
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | ||
| PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high | ||
| † | Denotes season in which Weatherspoon won an NBA championship |
| * | Led the league |
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973-74 | Capital | 65 | 18.7 | .412 | .691 | 6.1 | 0.6 | 7.6 |
| 1974-75 | Washington | 82 | 16.4 | .456 | .746 | 4.2 | 0.6 | 7.5 |
| 1975-76 | Washington | 64 | 16.9 | .476 | .701 | 4.3 | 0.9 | 8.8 |
| 1976-77 | Washington/Seattle | 62 | 26.7 | .449 | .632 | 6.9 | 0.9 | 11.5 |
| 1977-78 | Chicago | 41 | 14.9 | .443 | .881 | 3.0 | 0.8 | 5.1 |
| 1978-79 | San Diego | 82 | 32.2 | .480 | .739 | 5.5 | 1.6 | 13.8 |
| 1979-80 | San Diego | 57 | 19.7 | .434 | .692 | 3.6 | 0.9 | 6.9 |
| Career | 453 | 21.4 | .455 | .713 | 4.9 | 0.9 | 9.0 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Capital | 7 | 12.4 | .474 | .400 | 3.9 | 0.0 | 2.9 |
| 1975 | Washington | 17 | 23.8 | .515 | .814 | 4.8 | 0.9 | 10.3 |
| 1976 | Washington | 7 | 32.0 | .450 | .560 | 6.0 | 1.4 | 12.3 |
| Career | 60 | 32.8 | .444 | .767 | 3.6 | 3.3 | 17.3 | |
References
- Beaven, Chris (October 18, 2008). "Former McKinley, NBA basketball player Nick Weatherspoon dies". Archived from the original on October 22, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-18.
- CollegeHoopedia.com
- FightingIllini.com
- Sports-Reference.com