Charlie Scott (basketball) facts for kids
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
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| Born | December 15, 1948 New York City, New York, U.S. |
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| High school |
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| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | |||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 175 lb (79 kg) | |||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||
| College | North Carolina (1967–1970) | |||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 1970 / Round: 7 / Pick: 106th overall | |||||||||||||
| Selected by the Boston Celtics | ||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 1970–1980 | |||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||
| 1970–1972 | Virginia Squires | |||||||||||||
| 1972–1975 | Phoenix Suns | |||||||||||||
| 1975–1977 | Boston Celtics | |||||||||||||
| 1977–1978 | Los Angeles Lakers | |||||||||||||
| 1978–1980 | Denver Nuggets | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
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| Career ABA / NBA statistics | ||||||||||||||
| Points | 14,837 (20.7 ppg) | |||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 2,846 (4.0 rpg) | |||||||||||||
| Assists | 3,515 (4.9 apg) | |||||||||||||
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Medals
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Charlie Scott, born on December 15, 1948, is a famous American basketball player. He played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA) leagues. Charlie won an Olympic Gold Medal and is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He is known for scoring many points, especially for the Phoenix Suns.
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Early Life and High School
Charlie Scott was born in New York City. He grew up in Harlem, New York, where his dad worked as a taxi driver.
Charlie was a tall player, about 6 feet 5 inches. He went to Stuyvesant High School for a year. Then, he moved to Laurinburg Institute in Laurinburg, North Carolina. This school was famous for helping basketball players get into college. Charlie knew his family couldn't pay for college. So, a sports scholarship was his goal. He was a top student and a great player at Rucker Park.
While in high school, Charlie spent a summer at a basketball program. He learned from coach Lefty Driesell at Davidson College. Charlie looked at several colleges, including Duke and North Carolina State. He chose the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). He felt that a big public university like UNC would be more welcoming to a Black player.
College Career at UNC
Charlie Scott played college basketball at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was the first Black student to get a sports scholarship there. This was a very important step for the university.
Charlie was an amazing player at UNC. He scored an average of 22.1 points and grabbed 7.1 rebounds per game. In his last year, he scored a career-best 27.1 points per game. He was named an All-American twice. He also led UNC to the NCAA Final Four in 1968 and 1969.
A radio announcer for UNC basketball, Woody Durham, said Charlie was like today's players. He had the build, speed, and skills to play in any era. Besides breaking barriers in basketball, Charlie was also the first African-American to join a fraternity at UNC. He joined St. Anthony Hall in 1967.
In 1968, Charlie was part of the 1968 United States men's Olympic basketball team. They won a gold medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. Charlie was the fourth-highest scorer on that Olympic team.
Professional Basketball Career
After college, the Boston Celtics drafted Charlie Scott in 1970. But Charlie had already signed with the Virginia Squires in the ABA. In his first year, he was named ABA Rookie of the Year. He averaged 27.1 points per game. In his second season, he set an ABA record by averaging 34.6 points per game.
Charlie then decided to join the NBA. In 1972, he moved to the Phoenix Suns. He continued to play very well in the NBA. He was chosen for three straight NBA All-Star Games from 1973 to 1975.
Later, he was traded to the Boston Celtics. With the Celtics, Charlie won an NBA championship in the 1975-76 NBA season. He then played for the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets. Charlie retired from basketball in 1980. He had scored a total of 14,837 points in his ABA and NBA career.
In 2018, Charlie Scott was honored for his great career. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Personal Life
Charlie Scott was friends with actor Demond Wilson when they were kids. Wilson was famous for the TV show Sanford & Son.
While at UNC, Charlie married Margaret Holmes. They had a daughter named Holly. Charlie and his current wife, Trudy, have three children: Shaun, Shannon Dean, and Simone. They live in Columbus, Ohio.
After retiring from basketball, Charlie worked as a marketing director for the sports company Champion. He also worked as an executive for a telemarketing company. Later, he started his own business.
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