Darrell Griffith facts for kids
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Griffith in 2007
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 16, 1958 Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| High school | Louisville Male (Louisville, Kentucky) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Louisville (1976–1980) |
| NBA Draft | 1980 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2nd overall |
| Selected by the Utah Jazz | |
| Pro career | 1980–1991 |
| Career history | |
| 1980–1991 | Utah Jazz |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 12,391 (16.2 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 2,519 (3.3 rpg) |
| Assists | 1,627 (2.1 apg) |
Darrell Steven Griffith (born June 16, 1958) is a famous American former basketball player. People often called him Dr. Dunkenstein because of his amazing dunks! He played his entire professional career with the Utah Jazz in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1980 to 1991. Before joining the NBA, he was a star player at the University of Louisville.
Contents
Early Life and College Success
Darrell Griffith was a basketball star at Louisville Male High School in Kentucky. Many colleges wanted him to play for their teams. In 1975, his high school team won the Kentucky State Championship. Darrell decided to stay in his hometown and play for the University of Louisville, which made local fans very happy.
He did not disappoint! In 1980, he led the Cardinals to their first-ever NCAA men's basketball championship. He scored 23 points in the championship game, helping his team win against UCLA. Because of his great playing, he was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four tournament.
In his final year of college, Darrell scored a school record of 825 points. He was named a First Team All-American and won the Wooden Award, which goes to the best college basketball player in the nation. He finished his college career as Louisville's all-time leading scorer with 2,333 points. After the 1980 season, his jersey number, 35, was retired by the University of Louisville to honor his achievements.
In November 2014, Darrell Griffith was honored again when he was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame.
Professional Basketball Career
Joining the Utah Jazz
In the 1980 NBA Draft, the Utah Jazz picked Darrell Griffith as the second overall player. The Jazz team had just moved to Salt Lake City from New Orleans. They needed a new star player to replace the famous Pete Maravich. Darrell was ready for the challenge! In his first season, he averaged 20.6 points per game and won the NBA's NBA Rookie of the Year award. This award goes to the best new player in the league.
Becoming "The Golden Griff"
For the next four seasons, Darrell Griffith teamed up with Adrian Dantley. Together, they formed one of the highest-scoring duos in the NBA. With strong defense from Mark Eaton and Rickey Green, the Jazz team got much better. In the 1983–84 season, they won their division title and made it to the NBA playoffs for the very first time.
Darrell also improved his game by adding long-distance three-point shots to his amazing dunks. He led the league in three-point shooting that year. He even set a new NBA record for making the most three-pointers in a single season (91). Because of his new shooting skills, Utah's play-by-play announcer, Hot Rod Hundley, gave him a new nickname: "The Golden Griff".
The 1984–85 season was Darrell's best. He scored a career-high average of 22.6 points per game. He also broke his own record by making 92 three-point shots that season. During this time, he became the NBA's all-time leader for most career three-pointers. He also continued to show off his high-flying dunks in the NBA Slam Dunk Contests in 1984 and 1985.
Later Career and Retirement
In the mid-1980s, the Jazz team changed as new stars like Karl Malone and John Stockton became the main offensive players. Darrell also started to have problems with injuries. He missed the entire 1985–86 season because of a foot injury. When he returned, he lost his starting position. He also had knee surgery in March 1988, which made him miss more games.
He did get his starting spot back for most of the 1988–89 season, but he lost it for good the next year. His playing time slowly decreased until he retired in 1991. Darrell scored a total of 12,391 points during his 10-year professional career, all with the Utah Jazz. To honor his contributions, the Jazz team retired his jersey number 35 on December 4, 1993.
After Basketball
In the 2010s and 2020s, Darrell Griffith returned to his old college, the University of Louisville. He worked as a special assistant to the university president and later as a university ambassador.
See also
In Spanish: Darrell Griffith para niños
- List of University of Louisville people
- List of people from the Louisville metropolitan area
- List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise
