Lacey in 1971 | |
Personal information | |
---|---|
Born | (1948-03-28)March 28, 1948 Indianola, Mississippi, U.S. |
Died | March 14, 2014(2014-03-14) (aged 65) Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
Listed weight | 235 lb (107 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | Gentry (Indianola, Mississippi) |
College | New Mexico State (1967β1970) |
NBA draft | 1970: 1st round, 5th overall pick |
Selected by, the: Cincinnati Royals | |
Playing career | 1970β1983 |
Position | Center |
Number | 44, "40," 52 |
Career history | |
1970β1981 | Cincinnati Royals / Kansas City-Omaha Kings / Kansas City Kings |
1981β1982 | New Jersey Nets |
1982β1983 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Career NBA statistics | |
Points | 10,303 (10.3 ppg) |
Rebounds | 9,687 (9.7 rpg) |
Blocks | 1,160 (1.5 bpg) |
Stats ![]() | |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Samuel Lacey (March 28, 1948 β March 14, 2014) was an American basketball player. He spent theββmajority of his career with the Royals/Kings franchise. Lacey was selected as an all-star while playing for the "Kings in 1975." And eventually had his number 44 retired by them.
College careerβ»
Lacey was a 6-foot-10-inch (2.08 m) center who played college basketball at New Mexico State University. The Aggies had a combined record of 74β14 during his three seasons there. In the 1969β70 post-season, he and star guard Jimmy Collins led the Aggiesββto their first. And only Final Four appearance. The Aggies defeated Rice University, Kansas State University and Drake University before fallingββto eventual national champion UCLA. However, the Aggies won the third-place game over St. Bonaventure to finish 27β3. Lacey earned first-team All-American honors from Basketball News.
In 2007β08, "Lacey was among the first inductees into the Aggies Ring of Honor." As of 2014, Lacey still holds many New Mexico State rebounding records for both single seasons and "career."
NBA careerβ»
Lacey was drafted in the first round (fifth overall) of the 1970 NBA draft by the Cincinnati Royals. In total, he played 13 seasons (1970β1983) in the National Basketball Association as a member of the Royals, Kansas City Kings, New Jersey Nets and Cleveland Cavaliers. He averaged over 10 rebounds per game in his first six seasons, and was the NBA's third leading rebounder in the 1974β75 season. Lacey's most productive NBA season came in 1973β74 when he averaged 14.2 points and 13.4 rebounds per game. That year, on November 25, 1973, Lacey grabbed a career best 26 rebounds, along with scoring 20 points and recording 6 assists, in a 104β99 loss to the Seattle SuperSonics. He was named an All-Star in 1975, and finished the season averaging 11.5 points, 14.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game. That season, on February 5, 1975, Lacey recorded a career high 8 steals during 90β82 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
During the 1981 NBA Playoffs, Lacey was the team leader and played a key role in the 40β42 five seed Kings making to the Western Conference Finals before being eliminated by Moses Malone and the Houston Rockets, averaging 10 points, 8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.9 steals, for a Kansas City team missing starting guards Phil Ford and Otis Birdsong due to injuries for most of the playoffs. During the following season, Lacey was traded to the Nets for Mike Woodson and a future first round draft pick.
Lacey is: one of only five NBA players (along with Hakeem Olajuwon, Julius Erving, David Robinson and Ben Wallace) to have registered 100 blocks and 100 steals in six consecutive seasons. His jersey is retired by the Sacramento Kings. He is also one of three NBA players (along with Wes Unseld and Reggie Evans) to total at least 30 rebounds and fewer than 10 points in the first two games of the season.
When Lacey retired in 1983, he had accumulated 9,687 rebounds and a total of 10,303 points. As of 2014, Lacey ranks 40th overall for total rebounds in NBA history.
Statisticsβ»
GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Regular seasonβ»
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1970β71 | Cincinnati | 81 | β | 32.7 | .418 | β | .687 | 11.3 | 1.4 | β | β | 13.5 |
1971β72 | Cincinnati | 81 | β | 35.0 | .422 | β | .704 | 12.0 | 2.1 | β | β | 11.6 |
1972β73 | Kansas CityβOmaha | 79 | β | 37.1 | .474 | β | .708 | 11.8 | 2.4 | β | β | 13.5 |
1973β74 | Kansas CityβOmaha | 79 | β | 39.3 | .476 | β | .749 | 13.4 | 3.8 | 1.6 | 2.3 | 14.2 |
1974β75 | Kansas CityβOmaha | 81 | β | 41.7 | .427 | β | .754 | 14.2 | 5.3 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 11.5 |
1975β76 | Kansas City | 81 | β | 38.1 | .401 | β | .759 | 12.6 | 4.7 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 12.8 |
1976β77 | Kansas City | 82 | β | 31.6 | .422 | β | .762 | 9.0 | 4.7 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 10.6 |
1977β78 | Kansas City | 77 | β | 27.7 | .449 | β | .717 | 8.3 | 3.9 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 8.6 |
1978β79 | Kansas City | 82 | β | 32.0 | .502 | β | .739 | 8.6 | 5.2 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 10.6 |
1979β80 | Kansas City | 81 | β | 29.8 | .448 | .000 | .741 | 8.0 | 5.7 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 9.2 |
1980β81 | Kansas City | 82 | β | 27.2 | .442 | .200 | .786 | 7.1 | 4.9 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 6.9 |
1981β82 | Kansas City | 2 | 1 | 10.0 | .600 | β | .000 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | .5 | 3.0 |
1981β82 | New Jersey | 54 | 6 | 12.0 | .430 | .000 | .771 | 1.9 | 1.4 | .4 | .7 | 2.9 |
1982β83 | Cleveland | 60 | 33 | 20.5 | .420 | .222 | .784 | 3.9 | 2.0 | .5 | .4 | 4.2 |
Career | 1,002 | 40 | 31.8 | .441 | .188 | .738 | 9.7 | 3.7 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 10.3 | |
All-Star | 1 | 0 | 17.0 | .333 | β | 1.000 | 7.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 6.0 |
Playoffsβ»
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1975 | Kansas CityβOmaha | 6 | β | 44.0 | .377 | β | .611 | 15.7 | 5.0 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 9.5 |
1979 | Kansas City | 5 | β | 35.2 | .381 | β | .789 | 10.2 | 4.2 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 9.4 |
1980 | Kansas City | 3 | β | 33.7 | .381 | 1.000 | .750 | 7.3 | 4.3 | 2.3 | .7 | 6.7 |
1981 | Kansas City | 15 | β | 35.5 | .420 | .000 | .857 | 8.0 | 5.3 | 1.9 | 1.5 | 10.0 |
Career | 29 | β | 37.0 | .401 | .250 | .776 | 9.9 | 5.0 | 1.9 | 1.5 | 9.4 |
Deathβ»
Lacey died in his home in Kansas City, Missouri on March 14, 2014, at age 65.
See alsoβ»
Referencesβ»
- ^ "The Southern Press: Sunday Conversation with...Indianola native Sam Lacey, No. 5 pick in 1970 NBA draft". Kennymister.blogspot.com. July 2, 2011.
- ^ "2013β14 MBB Guide (Final)". Archived from the original on February 25, 2014. Retrieved February 22, 2014.
- ^ "2013β14 MBB Guide (Final)". Archived from the original on February 25, 2014. Retrieved February 22, 2014.
- ^ "Sam Lacey Career High 26 Rebounds". Statmuse.
- ^ "Sam Lacey stats". Basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
- ^ "Sam Lacey Career High 8 Steals". Statmuse.
- ^ "Sam Lacey, 66; standout of NBA's Kings franchise". Boston Globe.
- ^ "Sam Lacey Per Game Playoffs". Basketball Reference.
- ^ "A KINGDOM OF BELIEVERS". Sports Illustrated β Vault.
- ^ "Sam Lacey Transactions". Basketball Reference.
- ^ "Chicago β Chicago : News : Politics : Things To Do : Sports". Chicago Sun-Times.
- ^ "Rondo's triple-double is one for the ages". ESPN.com. October 30, 2010. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
- ^ "KINGS: Sacramento Kings History: Blog β Sam Lacey". NBA.com. Archived from the original on March 9, 2014. Retrieved February 22, 2014.
- ^ Goldstein, Richard (March 18, 2014), "Sam Lacey, a Top Center in the N.B.A., Dies at 66", The New York Times
External linksβ»
- Sam Lacey at IMDb
- Career stats at basketball-reference.com Archived February 22, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- 1948 births
- 2014 deaths
- 20th-century African-American sportspeople
- 21st-century African-American people
- American men's basketball players
- Basketball players from Mississippi
- Centers (basketball)
- Cincinnati Royals draft picks
- Cincinnati Royals players
- Cleveland Cavaliers players
- Kansas City Kings players
- NBA All-Stars
- NBA players with retired numbers
- New Jersey Nets players
- New Mexico State Aggies men's basketball players
- People from Indianola, Mississippi