Calvin Murphy facts for kids
Murphy in 2008
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 9, 1948 Norwalk, Connecticut, U.S. |
| High school | Norwalk (Norwalk, Connecticut) |
| Listed height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Listed weight | 165 lb (75 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Niagara (1967–1970) |
| NBA Draft | 1970 / Round: 2 / Pick: 18th overall |
| Selected by the San Diego Rockets | |
| Pro career | 1970–1983 |
| Coaching career | 1990–1993 |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1970–1983 | San Diego / Houston Rockets |
| As coach: | |
| 1990–1993 | Houston Rockets (assistant) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career statistics | |
| Points | 17,949 (17.9 ppg) |
| Assists | 4,402 (4.4 apg) |
| Steals | 1,165 (1.5 spg) |
Calvin Jerome Murphy (born May 9, 1948) is a famous American basketball player. He played as a guard for the San Diego/Houston Rockets from 1970 to 1983. Before joining the NBA, he was a star player at Niagara. He averaged an amazing 33.1 points per game there. Even though he was only 5 feet 9 inches tall, he became the shortest player in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He also played in an NBA All-Star Game. Today, he works as a broadcaster for the Houston Rockets.
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Calvin Murphy's Early Life
Before basketball, Calvin Murphy was a world-class baton twirler. His mother and all six of her sisters were twirlers. They encouraged him to try it too. In 1963, as an 8th grader, he won a national championship. His amazing twirling skills led to invitations to perform at big sporting events. He even performed at the 1964 New York World's Fair. Later, in 1977, while playing basketball in Houston, Murphy won the Texas State Men's Twirling Championship.
He played basketball for Norwalk High School. There, he was named All-State three times. He was also named All-America twice. Norwalk High School's address is now 23 Calvin Murphy Road in his honor.
College Basketball Career (1967–1970)
Murphy went to Niagara University for college. He was named an All-American three times during his college career. He scored 2,548 points in just 77 games. This means he averaged 33.1 points per game.
One of his best games was when he scored 68 points against Syracuse University. In 1970, he led Niagara to the NCAA tournament. They made it to the second round before losing to Villanova. During his college years, he was known as one of "The Three M's." The other two were Pete Maravich and Rick Mount.
NBA Career (1970–1983)
The San Diego Rockets picked Murphy in the 1970 NBA draft. He was the 18th player chosen overall. In his first season, he averaged 15.8 points and 4 assists per game. This earned him a spot on the NBA All-Rookie team.
Murphy was a small guard at 5 feet 9 inches tall. But he was known for his incredible speed and strong defense. In the 1975 NBA Playoffs, he averaged 24.4 points and 5.6 assists per game. The Rockets beat the New York Knicks in the first round.
On March 18, 1978, Murphy scored a career-high 57 points. This was during a game against the New Jersey Nets. The next year, he was chosen for his only NBA All-Star team.
During the 1980-81 NBA season, Murphy helped the Rockets reach the NBA Finals. On April 17, 1981, he scored 42 points in a playoff game. This helped the Rockets beat the San Antonio Spurs. After winning the Western Conference, Murphy and the Rockets played the Boston Celtics in the 1981 NBA Finals. They lost the series in six games. Murphy retired from basketball in 1983.
Murphy was one of the best free-throw shooters in NBA history. He once held records for the most consecutive free throws made. He also had the highest free throw percentage in a single season (1980–1981). These records have since been broken. He set many other records for the Rockets team. He was their all-time leading scorer until Hakeem Olajuwon broke that record in 1994. Even though he was one of the shortest players, Murphy was known for his tough playing style. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993.
Life After the NBA
After retiring from playing, Murphy continued to work for the Rockets team. He has had many different jobs with them. He mainly works as a television analyst for Rockets games. He is currently the halftime and post-game analyst for local Rockets broadcasts.
He also hosted The Calvin Murphy Show on ESPN Radio's Houston station. This show ran from 2007 until 2010.
Career Highlights and Awards
- Inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993
- His jersey number 23 was retired by the Houston Rockets
- Second highest Free Throw Percentage in a Season: 95.8% (206 of 215) in 1980–81
- Third most NBA Consecutive Free Throws Made: 78 (December 27, 1980 – February 28, 1981)
- Named to the NBA All-Rookie Team in 1971
- Named to the NBA All-Star Team in 1979
- Played 1,002 career games
- Scored 17,949 career points (17.9 points per game)
- Had 1,165 career steals
- Had 4,402 career assists (4.4 assists per game)
- Career high points in a game: 57 (against New Jersey Nets - March 18, 1978)
- Career high points in a playoff game: 42 (against San Antonio Spurs - April 17, 1981)
- Had 11 seasons where he scored over 1000 points
NBA Career Statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 Season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970–71 | San Diego | 82 | – | 24.6 | .458 | – | .820 | 3.0 | 4.0 | – | – | 15.8 |
| 1971–72 | Houston | 82 | – | 31.0 | .455 | – | .890 | 3.1 | 4.8 | – | – | 18.2 |
| 1972–73 | Houston | 77 | – | 22.0 | .465 | – | .888 | 1.9 | 3.4 | – | – | 13.0 |
| 1973–74 | Houston | 81 | – | 36.1 | .522 | – | .868 | 2.3 | 7.4 | 1.9 | .0 | 20.4 |
| 1974–75 | Houston | 78 | – | 32.2 | .484 | – | .883 | 2.2 | 4.9 | 1.6 | .1 | 18.7 |
| 1975–76 | Houston | 82 | – | 36.5 | .493 | – | .907 | 2.5 | 7.3 | 1.8 | .1 | 21.0 |
| 1976–77 | Houston | 82 | – | 33.7 | .490 | – | .886 | 2.1 | 4.7 | 1.8 | .1 | 17.9 |
| 1977–78 | Houston | 76 | – | 38.2 | .491 | – | .918 | 2.2 | 3.4 | 1.5 | .0 | 25.6 |
| 1978–79 | Houston | 82 | – | 35.9 | .496 | – | .928 | 2.1 | 4.3 | 1.4 | .1 | 20.2 |
| 1979–80 | Houston | 76 | – | 35.2 | .493 | .040 | .897 | 2.0 | 3.9 | 1.9 | .1 | 20.0 |
| 1980–81 | Houston | 76 | – | 26.5 | .492 | .235 | .958* | 1.1 | 2.9 | 1.5 | .1 | 16.7 |
| 1981–82 | Houston | 64 | 0 | 18.8 | .427 | .063 | .909 | 1.0 | 2.5 | .7 | .0 | 10.2 |
| 1982–83 | Houston | 64 | 0 | 22.2 | .447 | .286 | .920 | 1.2 | 2.5 | .9 | .1 | 12.8 |
| Career | 1,002 | – | 30.5 | .482 | .139 | .892 | 2.1 | 4.4 | 1.5 | .1 | 17.9 | |
| All-Star | 1 | 0 | 15.0 | .600 | – | – | 1.0 | 5.0 | 2.0 | .0 | 6.0 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Houston | 8 | – | 38.1 | .462 | – | .895 | 2.4 | 5.6 | 1.8 | .1 | 24.4 |
| 1977 | Houston | 12 | – | 35.0 | .479 | – | .933 | 1.6 | 6.3 | 1.6 | .2 | 19.3 |
| 1979 | Houston | 2 | – | 36.5 | .290 | – | .889 | 1.5 | 3.0 | 4.0 | .5 | 13.0 |
| 1980 | Houston | 7 | – | 37.9 | .537 | .500 | 1.000 | 1.4 | 3.7 | 1.6 | .0 | 18.7 |
| 1981 | Houston | 19 | – | 28.4 | .495 | .286 | .967 | 1.3 | 3.0 | 1.4 | .0 | 18.1 |
| 1982 | Houston | 3 | – | 19.0 | .227 | .000 | .875 | 1.0 | 1.3 | .3 | .0 | 5.7 |
| Career | 51 | – | 32.5 | .475 | .286 | .932 | 1.5 | 4.2 | 1.5 | .1 | 18.5 | |
See Also
- List of National Basketball Association career free throw percentage leaders
- List of shortest players in National Basketball Association history
- List of National Basketball Association players with 9 or more steals in a game
- List of NCAA Division I men's basketball players with 60 or more points in a game
