Billy Knight facts for kids
Knight (front) in the 1974 Elite Eight with Pittsburgh
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 9, 1952 Braddock, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| High school | Braddock (Braddock, Pennsylvania) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Pittsburgh (1971–1974) |
| NBA Draft | 1974 / Round: 2 / Pick: 21st overall |
| Selected by the Los Angeles Lakers | |
| Pro career | 1974–1985 |
| Career history | |
| 1974–1977 | Indiana Pacers |
| 1977–1978 | Buffalo Braves |
| 1978–1979 | Boston Celtics |
| 1979–1983 | Indiana Pacers |
| 1983–1984 | Kansas City Kings |
| 1984–1985 | San Antonio Spurs |
| 1985–1986 | CSP Limoges |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career ABA and NBA statistics | |
| Points | 13,901 (16.9 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 4,377 (5.3 rpg) |
| Assists | 1,862 (2.3 apg) |
William R. Knight (born June 9, 1952) is an American former professional basketball player. He also worked as a basketball executive. Billy Knight played for the Indiana Pacers in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was chosen as an ABA All-Star and an NBA All-Star.
Before turning pro, he played college basketball for the Pittsburgh Panthers. His jersey number 34 was later retired by the university. In 1974, he was named a second-team All-American. He started his professional career with the Indiana Pacers. He was named to the ABA All-Rookie First Team in 1975. After the ABA, he played in the NBA for the Buffalo Braves, Boston Celtics, Kansas City Kings, and San Antonio Spurs. Billy Knight finished his playing career with one season in France. Later, he became an executive for the Pacers and the Vancouver/Memphis Grizzlies. From 2003 to 2008, he was the general manager for the Atlanta Hawks.
Contents
Early Life and High School Basketball
Billy Knight was born and grew up in Braddock, Pennsylvania. This town is a suburb of Pittsburgh. He went to Braddock High School. In 1970, he was part of the Braddock Tigers team that won the Section High School Basketball Championship.
College Years at Pittsburgh
Billy Knight was a 6-foot-6-inch guard and forward. He went to the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt). He was a star player there. In 1974, he helped lead the Panthers to the East Regional Finals in the 1974 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. They lost to North Carolina State, who later won the NCAA Championship.
During the 1973–1974 season, Pitt won 25 games and lost only 4. They also won a school record 22 games in a row. Because of his great performance, Billy Knight was named to the second-team All-American team. Many people consider him one of the best players in Pitt's history. His number 34 jersey was retired by the University of Pittsburgh on February 20, 1989.
Professional Basketball Career
Billy Knight played professional basketball for 11 seasons, from 1974 to 1985. He played in both the ABA and the NBA. He was a member of the Indiana Pacers, Buffalo Braves, Boston Celtics, Kansas City Kings, and San Antonio Spurs. During his career, he scored 13,901 points. He was chosen for two NBA All-Star games and one ABA All-Star game.
Playing for the Indiana Pacers (First Time)
Billy Knight had some of his best years with the Indiana Pacers. Both the Pacers and the LA Lakers chose him in the player draft. In his second year, the 1975–1976 season, Knight was named a 1st team ABA All-Star. He averaged 28.1 points per game that year. This was the last year of the ABA before the Indiana Pacers joined the NBA. The next year, he was an NBA All-Star. He averaged 26.6 points per game, which was the second-best in the league.
Time with the Buffalo Braves
In 1978, Billy Knight played for the Buffalo Braves. The Braves team was not doing well at the time. They had lost their best player, Bob McAdoo. The team only won 27 games in Knight's one season there. Even so, Knight averaged 23 points and 7 rebounds. This was enough for him to be chosen for his third and final All-Star team.
Short Stay with the Boston Celtics
After playing for the Buffalo Braves, Knight was traded to the Boston Celtics. This trade involved several players. In Boston, Knight's scoring dropped from 22.9 points per game to 13.9 points per game.
Back with the Indiana Pacers (Second Time) and Later Career
After less than a year in Boston, Knight was traded back to the Pacers. On November 11, 1980, he had an amazing game against the San Antonio Spurs. He scored 52 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, and had 5 steals. This was his highest scoring game ever. He was named NBA Player of the Week for this performance.
Billy Knight continued to be a strong player for the rest of his career. He averaged between 12 and 18 points for the next five seasons. He finished his career with the San Antonio Spurs. He played 52 games there alongside famous players like George Gervin and Artis Gilmore.
Billy Knight is the Indiana Pacers' 3rd all-time leading scorer. He is also in the top 5 for several other categories for the Pacers. His average of 28.1 points per game in 1976 is still the highest by a Pacer in a single season.
Working in the Front Office
Before joining the Atlanta Hawks in 2002, Billy Knight worked in the front office for the Pacers. He also worked for the Vancouver/Memphis Grizzlies.
As General Manager for the Atlanta Hawks
Billy Knight was the general manager (GM) for the Atlanta Hawks from 2003 to 2008. During his time as GM, he made some good and some not-so-good choices in the player draft. For example, in 2004, he drafted Josh Childress. Later, Childress left the Hawks to play in Greece. In 2005, he drafted Marvin Williams. Some people thought the team needed a point guard more, and a future All-Star point guard named Chris Paul was available.
On May 7, 2008, Billy Knight decided to step down as the Hawks' GM. He said that he left the team "in much better shape than it was in when I took over."
Personal Life
Billy Knight now lives in Atlanta. He enjoys playing tennis, a sport he started playing when he was about 30 years old.
ABA and NBA Career Statistics
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974–75 | Indiana (ABA) | 80 | – | 32.0 | .534 | .250 | .799 | 7.9 | 2.1 | 1.4 | .4 | 17.1 |
| 1975–76 | Indiana (ABA) | 70 | – | 39.6 | .494 | .400 | .828 | 10.1 | 3.7 | 1.3 | .3 | 28.1 |
| 1976–77 | Indiana | 78 | – | 40.0 | .493 | – | .816 | 7.5 | 3.3 | 1.5 | .2 | 26.6 |
| 1977–78 | Buffalo | 53 | – | 40.7 | .494 | – | .809 | 7.2 | 3.0 | 1.5 | .2 | 22.9 |
| 1978–79 | Boston | 40 | – | 28.0 | .502 | – | .808 | 4.3 | 1.7 | .8 | .1 | 13.9 |
| 1978–79 | Indiana | 39 | – | 25.0 | .556 | – | .873 | 4.5 | 2.2 | .8 | .1 | 14.7 |
| 1979–80 | Indiana | 75 | – | 25.5 | .533 | .267 | .809 | 4.8 | 2.1 | 1.1 | .1 | 13.1 |
| 1980–81 | Indiana | 82 | – | 29.1 | .533 | .158 | .832 | 5.0 | 1.9 | 1.0 | .1 | 17.5 |
| 1981–82 | Indiana | 81 | 19 | 22.3 | .495 | .281 | .826 | 3.2 | 1.5 | .8 | .2 | 12.3 |
| 1982–83 | Indiana | 80 | 54 | 28.3 | .520 | .158 | .841 | 4.1 | 2.4 | .8 | .1 | 17.1 |
| 1983–84 | Kansas City | 75 | 39 | 25.1 | .491 | .286 | .859 | 3.4 | 2.1 | .7 | .1 | 12.8 |
| 1984–85 | Kansas City | 16 | 0 | 11.8 | .449 | 1.000 | .813 | 1.4 | 1.3 | .1 | .1 | 4.8 |
| 1984–85 | San Antonio | 52 | 1 | 11.8 | .439 | .417 | .895 | 1.8 | 1.1 | .3 | .0 | 6.0 |
| Career | 821 | 113 | 28.9 | .507 | .284 | .827 | 5.3 | 2.3 | 1.0 | .2 | 16.9 | |
| All-Star | 2 | 0 | 17.5 | .526 | .000 | 1.000 | 7.5 | 1.0 | 1.0 | .0 | 12.0 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Indiana(ABA) | 18 | – | 42.4 | .568 | .000 | .845 | 8.9 | 2.4 | .9 | .1 | 24.1 |
| 1976 | Indiana(ABA) | 3 | – | 47.7 | .554 | .000 | .864 | 10.7 | 4.0 | .7 | .0 | 33.7 |
| 1981 | Indiana | 2 | – | 35.5 | .533 | – | .625 | 6.0 | 2.5 | .5 | .0 | 18.5 |
| 1984 | Kansas City | 3 | – | 12.3 | .333 | – | 1.000 | 1.0 | .7 | .0 | .0 | 6.0 |
| 1985 | San Antonio | 5 | 0 | 9.0 | .533 | .000 | – | 1.2 | .6 | .4 | .0 | 3.2 |
| Career | 31 | 0 | 34.2 | .550 | .000 | .837 | 6.9 | 2.1 | .7 | .0 | 19.5 | |
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