Leon Douglas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Leon Douglas

Personal information
Born	(1954-08-26) August 26, 1954 (age 70) 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
Consensus second-team All-American (1975) Second-team All-American – NABC (1976) Third-team All-American – AP, UPI (1976) First-team Parade All-American (1972)
Career NBA statistics
Points	3,587 (7.9 ppg)
Rebounds	2,954 (6.5 rpg)
Assists	479 (1.1 apg)
Medals Representing  United States Men's basketball Pan American Games Gold 1975 Mexico City Team competition

Leon Douglas (born August 26, 1954) is a well-known American basketball coach. He used to be a professional basketball player. He played for seven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). After that, he had a long career playing basketball in Europe. When he stopped playing, Douglas became a coach. He coached many teams at HBCUs in his home state of Alabama.

Leon Douglas's Early Basketball Days

High School and College Career

Leon Douglas grew up 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.

He then played college basketball at the University of Alabama. There, he was chosen as a top player in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) twice. He was also named SEC Player of the Year two times.

Douglas played for coach CM Newton at Alabama. Coach Newton made history by starting five Black players. This was during a time when racial progress was happening. Douglas said that Coach Newton wanted to win. He wasn't trying to be a "trailblazer," but he earned respect for his choices. On December 28, 1973, Alabama started the first all-Black lineup in SEC history. This team won the SEC season title.

College Achievements

Douglas helped Alabama reach new heights in basketball. In 1975, they made it to the NCAA tournament for the first time ever. 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 national champions, Indiana. Alabama finished that 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 Basketball Journey

Playing in the NBA

Leon Douglas was the first player from the University of Alabama to be picked in the first round of the NBA draft. The Detroit Pistons chose him as the fourth overall pick in the 1976 draft. He played four years (1976–1980) with the Pistons.

His best season with the Pistons was 1978–79. He averaged 11.4 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. He often played as a backup to Hall of Famer Bob Lanier. Lanier called Douglas "one of the strongest men I ever played against." Douglas sometimes got into foul trouble because of his physical playing style.

After his time with the Pistons, Douglas joined the Kansas City Kings in 1980. He played as a reserve for the Kings until 1982. His NBA career ended after seven seasons. In total, he averaged 7.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in the NBA.

Playing Overseas in Europe

After the NBA, Douglas played basketball in Europe. He first played for CSP Limoges in France. He helped them win the 1983-84 LNB Pro A league title. Then he played in Italy for Fortitudo Bologna (1984–87).

He later played for Olimpia Basket Pistoia (1987–91). For two seasons there, he played with Joe Bryant, who was the father of Kobe Bryant. Young Kobe would often be at the games. Douglas shared that Kobe would practice shooting at halftime. He said, "At every one of our games at halftime, it was the Kobe show." Douglas finished his playing career with Pallacanestro Trieste in 1992.

Leon Douglas's Coaching Career

Coaching College Teams

Leon Douglas returned to basketball as a coach in 2004. He 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 coach at Tuskegee University. The Tuskegee Golden Tigers won three SIAC titles with him as coach. In his last season (2014), 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 that 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. This was more than they had won in the previous three years combined.

Coaching High School Basketball

After recovering from a cancer diagnosis, Douglas coached at Cordova High School in Cordova, Alabama. He started there in 2019. He was replaced by his assistant coach in 2020. Douglas also held a youth basketball clinic in Alabama 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

Douglas appeared in the basketball film The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh in 1979. He was part of the Detroit team in the movie, along with his Pistons teammates.

Leon Douglas has been honored for his achievements. He was inducted into the Colbert County Sports Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2006, he was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. His younger brother, John Douglas, also played college basketball and in the NBA. John later joined Leon to play basketball in Europe.

Career Statistics

NBA Regular Season

NBA Playoffs

See also

In Spanish: Leon Douglas para niños