Jim McDaniels facts for kids
Jim McDaniels (#15) with Snaidero Udine in Italy, 1975
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 2, 1948 Scottsville, Kentucky |
| Nationality | American |
| Died | September 6, 2017 (aged 69) Bowling Green, Kentucky |
| High school | Allen County (Scottsville, Kentucky) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
| Listed weight | 228 lb (103 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Western Kentucky (1968–1971) |
| NBA Draft | 1971 / Round: 2 / Pick: 23rd overall |
| Selected by the Seattle SuperSonics | |
| Pro career | 1971–1978 |
| Career history | |
| 1971–1972 | Carolina Cougars |
| 1972–1974 | Seattle SuperSonics |
| 1974–1975 | Udinese |
| 1975–1976 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1976 | Kentucky Colonels |
| 1977–1978 | Buffalo Braves |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career ABA and NBA statistics | |
| Points | 2,698 (10.0 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 1,748 (6.5 rpg) |
| Assists | 288 (1.1 apg) |
James Ronald McDaniels (born April 2, 1948 – died September 6, 2017) was a talented American professional basketball player. He was known for his skills as a power forward and center. Jim played college basketball at Western Kentucky University. He was even the very first player picked in the 1971 American Basketball Association Draft. McDaniels was also chosen as an ABA All-Star, showing how good he was.
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High School & College Career
Jim McDaniels was a tall player, standing 6 feet 11 inches. In his senior year at Allen County High School in Scottsville, Kentucky, he scored almost 40 points per game!
From 1967 to 1971, he played for Western Kentucky University (WKU). He helped his team reach third place in the 1971 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. However, the NCAA later removed WKU from the tournament records. This was because there were questions about McDaniels signing with an agent while still in college.
McDaniels set amazing records at WKU. He scored 2,238 career points, which is now tied with Courtney Lee. He also grabbed 1,118 career rebounds.
Professional Basketball Career
After college, Jim McDaniels was drafted by two different leagues. The Seattle SuperSonics picked him in the second round of the 1971 NBA draft. The Dallas Chaparrals also chose him as the first overall pick in the 1971 American Basketball Association Draft.
He started his professional career with the Carolina Cougars in the American Basketball Association (ABA). They offered him a big contract of $1.35 million over 25 years. During the 1971–72 season, his first year, McDaniels played very well. He averaged 26.8 points and 14 rebounds in 58 games. He even scored 24 points and had 11 rebounds in the 1972 ABA All-Star Game.
However, McDaniels had some disagreements with the Cougars about his contract. He wanted his salary paid over 15 years instead of 25. Near the end of his first season, he decided to leave the Cougars and join the SuperSonics.
McDaniels played for Seattle for the next two full seasons. But he found it hard to play as well as he did in the ABA. By the 1973–74 NBA season, he was only averaging 5.5 points per game. During this time, he also faced challenges outside of basketball. The Cougars questioned if his move to the NBA was legal. Jim later said, "I should have stayed in the ABA for a couple of years. I was just young and things started going bad for me there and I didn't know how to handle them." The SuperSonics coach, Bill Russell, eventually released McDaniels in 1974.
For the next four years, McDaniels played for several different teams. He played for the Los Angeles Lakers and Buffalo Braves in the NBA. He also played for the Kentucky Colonels in the ABA and Snaidero Udine in Italy. He decided to stop playing basketball in 1978.
Personal Life
Jim McDaniels had two sons named Eskias McDaniels and Shannon Martin.
He passed away in Bowling Green, Kentucky, at the age of 69. His death was due to health problems from diabetes.
Important Moments
The 1971 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball team made history. They were the first college basketball team in Kentucky, not from a historically black college or university, to start five African-American players. Coach John Oldham chose McDaniels, Jim Rose, Clarence Glover, Jerry Dunn, and Rex Bailey to start. McDaniels had helped convince Rose and the others to join WKU. Coach Oldham faced pressure not to start all five together, but he said, "they are my best five players."
Honors
In January 2000, Western Kentucky University honored Jim McDaniels. They retired his #44 jersey, meaning no other player at WKU will wear that number again.
