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40th FIBA anniversary

June 23, 1972 Le Touquet, Paris

FIBA European ‘All-Star’ Team against United States National Team 99–85

#FIBA #HoopCulture #HoopHistory

Bonus Hollander POTD Mike Evans. Kansas St PG was drafted 21st in 78 by DEN but cut in camp. Bounced around NBA and CBA til sticking w/DEN in 83. Moe used him as the feisty backup who actually shot 3s a bit. Let NBA in 88 & played abroad before being long time NBA assistant. #NBA #Hoophistory

Hollander POTD Geoff Petrie. Princeton G was drafted 8th by expansion POR in 70. Won ROY & Scored 24+ ppg 3x & all-star 2x. Averaged 21.8 ppg over 6 seasons before knee injury abruptly ended career by 77. POR GM from 92-94 & SAC from 94-13 (won Exec of Year 2x). #NBA #Hoophistory

Hollander POTD Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. UCLA legend drafted 1st by MIL in 69 & had 29 ppg, 14.5 rpg as rook. Stat peak was 35 pg in 71-72. Won title in MIL but forced trade to LAL in 75 where he won MVPs and titles. Has a good GOAT case. Per bio "world's most automatic two points." #NBA #Hoophistory

Hollander POTD John Block. USC big drafted 27th in 66 by LA. Sat bench for a year before expansion got him to SD, putting up peak 20.2 ppg, 11 rpg in 67-68. Never that good again, bouncing to MIL, PHI, KC, NO & CHI thru 76. Did randomly make the 73 all-star game. #NBA #Hoophistory

Bonus Hollander POTD Michael Cooper. New Mexico G was drafted 60th in 78 by LAL. Played only 3 gms as rookie due to knee but became key member of Showtime by 79-80. Mostly came off bench as an early 3&D guy. Fierce defender who won 86-87 DPOY. Annoyed Bird more than most. #NBA #Hoophistory

Hollander POTD Walt Williams. The Wizard was a versatile big guard at Maryland drafted 7th by SAC in 1992. Had career high 17 ppg as rook but was consistent scorer for 10 yrs. As a pro, was more shooter than playmaker. Also played w/MIA, POR, TOR + DAL before retiring in 2003. #NBA #Hoophistory

Bonus Hollander POTD Mark Macon. Star SG at Temple drafted 8th by DEN in 91. Good D but struggled w/offense as pro. Started as rook + had 10 ppg but shot .375% from field. Traded to DET in 94 where he played sparingly. Played abroad/CBA thru 2001. NCAA tourney run in 91 was fun. #NBA #Hoophistory

Hollander POTD Pervis Ellison. Famously led Louisville to 86 title as a frosh. Stayed 4 yrs + then drafted 1st by SAC in 89. Was hurt most of rookie year. SAC cleaned house + traded him to WAS in 90. Won MIP + was good when healthy. Alas he was rarely healthy. Retired in 2001. #NBA #Hoophistory

Bonus Hollander POTD Chris Robinson. Western Kentucky SG was drafted 51st by VAN in 1996. Shot was spotty but last 2 yrs in the NBA & had 4.6 ppg each season. After 1998, played in minors thru 2005. Not the lead singer for The Black Crowes. #NBA #Hoophistory

Bonus Hollander POTD Norm Van Lier. St Francis PG was 34th pick in 69 by CHI. Traded before rookie year to CIN. After 2.5 good yrs (10 apg in 70-71), traded back to CHI + started thru 78. 3x all-star. Per bio "let's other cite stats, he just plays." Retired in 79 at age 31. RIP. #NBA #Hoophistory

Hollander POTD Mark Jackson. Action Jackson was star St Johns PG. Drafted 18th in 87 by hometown by NY, won ROY + was all-star in 89. Had ups and downs in NY but rebounded to be key piece of 90s IND. Had a lot of flair on court that some liked & some didn't. Sane w/his TV work. #NBA #Hoophistory

Bonus Hollander POTD Kevin Duckworth. Big Man from Eastern Illinois was drafted by SA in 86 but traded a few months later. Lost a lot weight + was effective scorer for POR (2x all-star). Slowed down by 91 + lasted til 97 as a backup. Died in 08 due to heart issues. RIP. #NBA #Hoophistory

Hollander POTD Rick Barry. NJ kid played at Miami, was drafted 4th by GS in 65. Won ROY and scored 35 ppg in 2nd yr then jumped to ABA for 5 yrs. Returned to GS in 72 + was great for rest of the decade. As noted in this bio, was controversial at times. HOFer + Top 75 guy. #NBA #Hoophistory

Bonus Hollander POTD Dale Davis. Paired at Clemson w/Campbell + was drafted 13th in 91 by IND. Was prototype for a 90s PF. Really not a shooter. Paired well w/Smits for 9 yrs. Played w/POR & DET. Was All-Star in 99-00. Per bio "he's to offense what Barkley is to timidity." #NBA #Hoophistory

Hollander COTD Pat Riley. Kentucky star was scrappy hustler as pro. Became Laker coach after McKinney's bike accident & LA took off. Super intense & rode Lakers to a repeat & trademarked "Threepeat" but team wore down and tired of him. Was pretty good in NY & MIA too. #NBA #Hoophistory

Hollander POTD Pat Riley. Before his coaching & GM years, he was top pick in 1967 out of Kentucky. In the pros, he was a hustler + never a star. Best yr was 11.5 ppg w/LA in 1974-75. Retired in 1976 + worked in TV til Showtime made him a star as a coach. #NBA #Hoophistory

Bonus Hollander POTD Mookie Blaylock. Oklahoma PG was drafted 12th by NJ in 89. Struggled as a rook but improved. Traded to ATL in 92 where he had a great run for the rest of the 90s. 1x all-star, 6x all-defense, peaked at 17.2 ppg. Traded to GS in 99 & retired in 02. #NBA #Hoophistory

Hollander POTD Jeff Mullins. Duke SG was drafted 6th by STL in 64. Barely played for 2 yrs before CHI took him in expansion in 66 but immediately traded him to SF. Became 3x all-star & topped 20 ppg 4x. Retired in 76 but had nice run as coach at UNC-Charlotte from 85-96. #NBA #Hoophistory

Sad Bonus Hollander POTD Slick Watts. Undrafted PG from Xavier LA made SEA in 73 as hustler. Led NBA w/8.1 apg & 3.2 spg in 75-76. Unique dude who wore crooked headbands & shaved his dome before it was a thing. After brief peak, was out of NBA by 79 (age 27). RIP Slick. #NBA #Hoophistory

From Mike Wise's "Just Ballin'" about the 98-99 Knicks, the LJ-Zo fight from the 98 playoffs:
-LJ & Zo's rivalry spilled over from their time on Charlotte
-Van Gundy and Riley had a lot of tension as a result of these fights
-Riley told LeBatard that he wished Zo had KOed LJ
#Hoophistory #NBA

Bonus Hollander POTD Grant Long. 2nd round pick by expansion MIA in 88 started at PF for 6 yrs before trade to ATL in 94. Hustler/banger who was undersized for a 90s PF. Peaked at 15 ppg in 91-92. After MIA, bench guy for DET, MEM/VAN + BOS thru 2003. #NBA #Hoophistory

Bonus Hollander POTD Rod Derline. Local SG at Seattle was drafted in the 10th round by SEA in 75. Coach Bill Russell liked his hustle & he made the squad. Scored 4.8 ppg in 2 yrs before his career ended from a knee injury. Nicknamed "The Rifle." Per bio, looked like Sonny Bono. #NBA #Hoophistory

Hollander POTD Jim McMillian. Brooklyn kid starred at Columbia + then drafted 13th by LAL in 1970. Famously replaced an injured Elgin in 71-72, helping spur big streak. Traded to BUF in 73 + was solid still. Wore down by 76. Left NBA for Italy in 79 at age 30. Died in 2016. RIP. #NBA #Hoophistory

Bonus Hollander POTD Tom LaGarde. UNC C was drafted 9th in 77 by DEN. Was bench guy as rook & was then traded to SEA where he started but lost job due to injury. Peaked w/expansion DAL at 14 ppg, 8 rpg in 80-81. Played abroad rest of his career save a 1 game cameo in NJ in 84.
#NBA #Hoophistory

Hollander COTD Bill Russell. The legendary center for BOS who won 11 rings. Bio here from time as coach of SEA, where the team was solid. Per bio: "A modern Renaissance man who subscribes to old bball virtues...rewards hard workers & banishes loafers; it's as simple as that."
#NBA #Hoophistory

From "Tall Tales," Cousy, Koppett, and Pettit ponder the tough question of Wilt v Russ, who was better? Cooz is obviously a strong Russ advocate & disses Wilt's ability to fit into Boston's offense. Koppett seems to lean Wilt. Pettit is agnostic.
#Hoophistory

Hollander POTD Hakeem Olajuwon. Nigerian kid learned hoops on the run and became star in college + was top pick of HOU in 84. Immediate star transformed HOU to title contender quickly. Team had a lull from 89-92 before roster got better + he won 2 titles. Among top Cs ever.
#NBA #Hoophistory

Bonus Hollander POTD Ernie DiGregorio. Providence PG was 3rd pick by BUF in 73. Not a super athlete but feisty + won ROY, leading NBA in APG w/flashy passes. Injured knee in 74-75 & was not really the same after. Spent 77-78 w/LAL + BOS before his NBA career ended at 27.
#NBA #Hoophistory