John Lucas II facts for kids
Lucas with the Maryland Terrapins, c. 1974
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
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| Born | October 31, 1953 Durham, North Carolina, U.S. |
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| High school | Hillside (Durham, North Carolina) | |||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | |||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 175 lb (79 kg) | |||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||
| College | Maryland (1972–1976) | |||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 1976 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall | |||||||||||||
| Selected by the Houston Rockets | ||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 1976–1992 | |||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 1991–present | |||||||||||||
| League | NBA | |||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||
| As player: | ||||||||||||||
| 1976–1978 | Houston Rockets | |||||||||||||
| 1978–1981 | Golden State Warriors | |||||||||||||
| 1981–1983 | Washington Bullets | |||||||||||||
| 1983 | Lancaster Lightning | |||||||||||||
| 1983–1984 | San Antonio Spurs | |||||||||||||
| 1984–1986 | Houston Rockets | |||||||||||||
| 1986–1988 | Milwaukee Bucks | |||||||||||||
| 1988–1989 | Seattle SuperSonics | |||||||||||||
| 1989–1990 | Houston Rockets | |||||||||||||
| 1991–1992 | Wichita Falls Texans | |||||||||||||
| As coach: | ||||||||||||||
| 1991–1993 | Miami Tropics | |||||||||||||
| 1992–1994 | San Antonio Spurs | |||||||||||||
| 1994–1996 | Philadelphia 76ers | |||||||||||||
| 1998–2001 | Denver Nuggets (assistant) | |||||||||||||
| 2001–2003 | Cleveland Cavaliers | |||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | Los Angeles Clippers (assistant) | |||||||||||||
| 2020–2023 | Houston Rockets (assistant) | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
As player:
As coach:
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| Career NBA statistics | ||||||||||||||
| Points | 9,951 (10.7 ppg) | |||||||||||||
| Assists | 6,454 (7.0 apg) | |||||||||||||
| Steals | 1,273 (1.4 spg) | |||||||||||||
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Medals
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John Harding Lucas II (born October 31, 1953) is an American professional basketball coach and former player. He was most recently an assistant coach for the Houston Rockets in the National Basketball Association (NBA). John Lucas II played both basketball and tennis at the University of Maryland, College Park. He was recognized as an All-American in both sports, which is a rare and impressive achievement!
Contents
College Basketball Career
John Lucas II attended the University of Maryland where he was an amazing basketball player. He was named a Second-team All-American for the Terrapins team in the 1973–74 season. His team had a great record of 23 wins and 5 losses.
In the next season, 1974–75, Lucas became a First-team All-American. The Terrapins continued to play well, winning 24 games and losing only 5. They even won their conference's regular season title! The NCAA Tournament was bigger that year, allowing more teams to join. Maryland made it to the "Elite Eight" round before being defeated.
Lucas also played for the U.S. national team in the 1974 FIBA World Championship. His team won the bronze medal, which is a third-place finish. In his final college season, 1975–76, Lucas was again a First-team All-American.
Professional Basketball Journey
John Lucas II was the very first player chosen in the 1976 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets. This means he was considered the best young player available that year! He also had the option to play for the New York Nets in another league called the American Basketball Association.
Lucas played in the NBA for fourteen years. He started with the Rockets for two years. Then, he moved to the Golden State Warriors. On October 20, 1978, he scored his career-high of 35 points in a game against the Trail Blazers.
After his time with the Warriors, Lucas joined the Washington Bullets. Later, he played for the San Antonio Spurs and returned to the Houston Rockets. In the 1985–86 season, he became a regular starter for the Rockets.
In January 1987, the Milwaukee Bucks signed Lucas. He had an amazing season, averaging 17.5 points per game, which was his highest average ever at age 33! On May 8, 1987, he scored 30 points to help the Bucks win a playoff game against the Boston Celtics. He played for three more years in the NBA, often coming off the bench as a reserve player.
Lucas also played a few games in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) in 1991–92. He was coaching a team called the Miami Tropics in the United States Basketball League (USBL) at the time.
Coaching and Helping Others
After his playing career, John Lucas II became a basketball coach. He also started programs to help other athletes.
In 1991, Lucas bought the Miami Tropics team in the United States Basketball League. He wanted to use the team to help players. He coached the team and won two championships in 1992 and 1993.
He went on to coach several NBA teams, including the San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers, and Cleveland Cavaliers. His best coaching time was with the Spurs. In the 1992–93 season, he helped the team win 39 games and reach the Western Conference semi-finals in the playoffs. The next year, the Spurs won 55 games!
Before becoming a head coach for the Cavaliers, he was an assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets. He also worked with players like T. J. Ford to help them recover from injuries.
In 2009, Lucas became an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers. In 2016, he joined the Houston Rockets as a player development coach. He continued to work with the Rockets as an assistant coach until 2022.
Lucas also runs a special program that helps athletes with their well-being and recovery. He has helped many professional athletes.
Tennis Achievements
John Lucas II was not just a basketball star; he was also a fantastic tennis player! While at Maryland, he was an All-American in tennis too. He won the top singles championship in his college conference (the ACC) twice, in 1974 and 1976. He was even named the McKelvin Award winner as the conference's best all-around athlete.
Lucas played in some professional tennis tournaments. He even reached the semi-finals in a doubles event in Raleigh, North Carolina, with his partner Fred McNair. He also played World Team Tennis for the San Francisco Golden Gaters and the New Orleans Sun Belt Nets. In 1978, he had success playing mixed-doubles with Renée Richards.
In 2005, Lucas was the head coach of the Houston Wranglers, a World Team Tennis team that included famous players like Steffi Graf and Mardy Fish.
Family Life
John Lucas II has two sons who also played basketball. His elder son, John Lucas III, played college basketball at Oklahoma State and played for several NBA teams. His younger son, Jai, played college basketball at the University of Texas. As of 2025, Jai is a head coach at the University of Miami and was previously an assistant coach at Duke University.
Images for kids
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John Lucas II playing for the Maryland Terrapins, around 1974.
See also
In Spanish: John Lucas para niños
