Leon Douglas facts for kids
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | August 26, 1954 Leighton, Alabama, U.S. |
|||||||||||||
| High school | Colbert County (Leighton, Alabama) |
|||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | |||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 230 lb (104 kg) | |||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||
| College | Alabama (1972–1976) | |||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 1976 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4th overall | |||||||||||||
| Selected by the Detroit Pistons | ||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 1976–1992 | |||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||
| As player: | ||||||||||||||
| 1976–1980 | Detroit Pistons | |||||||||||||
| 1980–1982 | Kansas City Kings | |||||||||||||
| 1982–1983 | Carrera Venezia | |||||||||||||
| 1983–1984 | CSP Limoges | |||||||||||||
| 1984–1987 | Yoga Bologna | |||||||||||||
| 1987–1991 | Maltinti / Kleenex Pistoia | |||||||||||||
| 1992 | Pallacanestro Trieste | |||||||||||||
| As coach: | ||||||||||||||
| 2004–2006 | Stillman College | |||||||||||||
| 2005 | Magic City Court Kings | |||||||||||||
| 2006–2014 | Tuskegee | |||||||||||||
| 2014–2017 | Miles | |||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | Cordova HS | |||||||||||||
| 2023–present | Barbour County HS | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
| Career NBA statistics | ||||||||||||||
| Points | 3,587 (7.9 ppg) | |||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 2,954 (6.5 rpg) | |||||||||||||
| Assists | 479 (1.1 apg) | |||||||||||||
|
Medals
|
||||||||||||||
Leon Douglas (born August 26, 1954) is an American basketball coach and former professional player. He played for seven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). After his time in the NBA, he had a long career playing basketball in Europe. Later, Douglas became a coach for several college teams in his home state of Alabama.
Contents
Leon Douglas's Early Basketball Days
Leon Douglas was born in Leighton, Alabama. He played high school basketball at Colbert County High School. In his senior year (1971-72), he was named a Parade All-American. This means he was one of the best high school players in the country.
Douglas then played college basketball at the University of Alabama. He was chosen twice for the All-Southeastern Conference first-team. He was also named SEC Player of the Year twice.
Making History at Alabama
Douglas played for coach CM Newton at Alabama. At that time, it was rare for college teams to start many Black players. But Coach Newton decided to start five Black players, including Douglas. This was a big step forward for racial equality in sports.
Douglas said that Coach Newton wanted to win, not just make a statement. But by starting five Black players, he showed great courage. On December 28, 1973, Alabama made history. They started the first all-Black lineup in SEC history. This team went on to win the SEC season title.
College Success and National Recognition
Douglas helped Alabama reach new heights in basketball. In 1975, the team played in the NCAA tournament for the first time ever. The next year, in the 1976 NCAA tournament, they won their first post-season game. Douglas scored 35 points in a 79–64 win against North Carolina.
The team then lost to the eventual national champions, Indiana. Alabama finished the season ranked 6th in the country. In his final year, Douglas averaged 20.6 points and 12.4 rebounds per game. He was named a third-team All-American.
Douglas also played for the United States national basketball team. He helped the team win a gold medal at the 1975 Pan American Games.
Leon Douglas's Professional Playing Career
In 1976, Leon Douglas became the first player from Alabama to be picked in the first round of the NBA draft. The Detroit Pistons chose him as the fourth overall pick.
Playing in the NBA
Douglas played four years (1976–1980) for the Detroit Pistons. His best season was 1978–79, where he averaged 11.4 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. He often played as a backup to Hall of Famer Bob Lanier. Lanier said Douglas was "one of the strongest men I ever played against."
Douglas was known for his physical style of play. Sometimes, this led to him getting a lot of fouls. He played seven seasons in the NBA, averaging 7.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.
Playing Overseas in Europe
After his NBA career, Douglas moved to Europe to play basketball. He first played for Limoges CSP in France. He helped them win the 1983-84 LNB Pro A league title.
Then, he played in Italy. He played for Fortitudo Bologna (1984–87) and then Olimpia Basket Pistoia (1987–91). For two seasons (1987–1989), he played with Joe "Jellybean" Bryant. Joe Bryant's son, Kobe Bryant, was a young boy at the time.
Douglas shared a fun story about Kobe. He said that at every game, Kobe would practice shooting at halftime. Douglas remembered, "We'd come out of the locker room at halftime and have to chase him off the court." Douglas finished his playing career with Pallacanestro Trieste in 1992.
Leon Douglas's Coaching Career
After retiring as a player, Leon Douglas became a basketball coach.
College Coaching Roles
In 2004, Douglas became the head coach at Stillman College. In his first two seasons, he led the Stillman Tigers to win the 2006 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Tournament. They also made it to the NCAA Division II Tournament.
In 2006, Douglas became the head basketball coach at Tuskegee University. The Tuskegee Golden Tigers won three SIAC titles under his leadership. In his last season, they reached the Elite Eight in the 2014 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament. This was the furthest an SIAC school had ever gone in the tournament. Douglas won the 2014 NCAA Division II Coach of the Year award.
After leaving Tuskegee, Douglas coached at Miles College starting in 2014. In his second season, Miles won 17 games, which was a big improvement for the team.
High School Coaching and Clinics
After facing some health challenges, Douglas coached the basketball team at Cordova High School in Cordova, Alabama, starting in 2019. He also hosted a youth basketball clinic in 2021. In 2023, Douglas was named the head coach for the boys' basketball team at Barbour County High School.
Leon Douglas's Personal Life and Honors
Leon Douglas appeared in the 1979 basketball film The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh. He was part of the Detroit team in the movie.
Douglas has been honored for his contributions to basketball. He was inducted into the Colbert County Sports Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2006, he was also inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. His younger brother, John Douglas, also played college basketball and in the NBA. He later joined Leon to play in Europe.
More to Explore
- Want to learn more? Check out the article about Leon Douglas in Spanish: Leon Douglas para niños
