Lester Conner facts for kids
Conner in 2005
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 17, 1959 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
| High school | Fremont (Oakland, California) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 180 lb (82 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College |
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| NBA Draft | 1982 / Round: 1 / Pick: 14th overall |
| Selected by the Golden State Warriors | |
| Pro career | 1982–1997 |
| Coaching career | 1998–2015, 2024 |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1982–1986 | Golden State Warriors |
| 1986–1987 | Rapid City Thrillers |
| 1987–1988 | Houston Rockets |
| 1988–1991 | New Jersey Nets |
| 1991–1992 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 1993 | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 1993–1994 | Rapid City Thrillers |
| 1994 | Indiana Pacers |
| 1995 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1996–1997 | Florida Beach Dogs |
| As coach: | |
| 1998–2004 | Boston Celtics (assistant) |
| 2004–2005 | Philadelphia 76ers (assistant) |
| 2005–2007 | Milwaukee Bucks (assistant) |
| 2007–2010 | Indiana Pacers (assistant) |
| 2010–2013 | Atlanta Hawks (assistant) |
| 2013–2015 | Denver Nuggets (assistant) |
| 2024 | Virginia Valley Vipers |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 4,337 (6.3 ppg) |
| Assists | 2,669 (3.9 apg) |
| Steals | 1,085 (1.6 spg) |
Lester Allen Conner (born September 17, 1959) is an American basketball coach and former professional basketball player. He played for many NBA teams during his career. Standing 6 feet 4 inches tall, Conner was a versatile player. In college, he played as a "swingman," meaning he could play both shooting guard and small forward. He earned high honors, including being named the 1982 Pac-10 Player of the Year.
Conner was chosen as the 14th player in the first round of the 1982 NBA draft. His hometown team, the Golden State Warriors, picked him. He played his first four years with them. In the NBA, Conner was a "combo guard," playing both shooting guard and point guard. His NBA career included a year playing for the Rapid City Thrillers in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), where he won a championship.
After retiring as a player in 1995, Conner became a coach. He started as an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics in 1998. He continued coaching for more than 15 years.
Contents
Early Life and High School
Lester Conner was born on September 17, 1959, in Memphis, Tennessee. He grew up in Oakland, California. There, he went to Fremont High School. He played basketball for the Fremont Tigers. However, he was not a star player in high school. He often did not start games. Because of this, top college basketball programs did not recruit him. Conner had to find a different way to continue playing his favorite sport.
College Basketball Journey
Starting in Junior College
In 1978, Conner enrolled at Los Medanos Junior College in Pittsburg, California. This is where his basketball skills really grew. Conner became a star player. He averaged 25.2 points per game and helped his team achieve a 24–7 record. The next year, 1979–80, he moved to Chabot Junior College in Hayward, California. He had similar success there. He was even named co-recipient of the California Junior College Player of the Year award. After being an unknown high school player, Conner became a highly sought-after player. Many top college programs wanted him to transfer to their teams.
Playing for Oregon State (1980–81)
One of the coaches who wanted Conner was Jerry Tarkanian from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. Another was Ralph Miller, the coach at Oregon State University. Miller was a very experienced coach and would later join the Basketball Hall of Fame. Conner asked Miller to come watch him play in person. Miller agreed and Conner decided to accept a scholarship to Oregon State.
Conner quickly earned a starting spot on the team. He began the 1980–81 season playing small forward. He played alongside future NBA players like Steve Johnson and Ray Blume. The team was considered one of the best in college basketball from the start. They had many players returning from a team that finished 26–4 the year before. Conner often played as an important sixth man (a player who comes off the bench but plays a lot). He was known for his great passing, strong rebounding, and excellent defense.
The Beavers won their first seven games. This led them to a #2 national ranking. They became #1 when the top-ranked DePaul Blue Demons lost a game. The Oregon State team almost had a perfect season. They went 26–0 before losing to Arizona State Sun Devils. Their season ended with a tough loss to Kansas State in the 1981 NCAA Tournament. Conner finished the year fourth on his team in scoring, averaging 7.0 points per game. He was also second in rebounds with 119.
Senior Year Success (1981–82)
Conner's senior season, 1981–82, seemed challenging for Oregon State. Many key players had left for the NBA. This meant 71% of the team's offense from the previous year was gone. Expectations for Oregon State to win the conference again were very low.
However, the Beavers gained a talented new player, 6'8" freshman A.C. Green. With Green, and the improved play of other teammates, the Beavers had a strong roster. They achieved a 16–2 record in the Pac-10 conference. This earned them their third straight conference title.
Conner mostly played as a 2-guard during his senior year. He also helped bring the ball up the court against pressure. He showed how good he was at passing, leading the Pac-10 in assists. He averaged 5.1 assists per game. The Beavers again lost early in the NCAA Tournament. They won their first two games but then lost to Patrick Ewing and the Georgetown Hoyas.
Conner finished his senior year as the team's top scorer, averaging 14.6 points per game. He was also the team's leading rebounder with 145 rebounds. During his two years at Oregon State, Conner helped the team win 52 games and lose only 6. This is a winning percentage of .897.
Conner was named the 1982 Pac-10 Player of the Year. He was also chosen as a 1982 AP All-American. His coach, Ralph Miller, said Conner was one of the top five defensive players he coached in his 38-year career.
Professional Playing Career
Lester Conner was chosen by the Golden State Warriors in the 1982 NBA Draft. He played with the Warriors for four seasons.
He also played for several other NBA teams:
- Houston Rockets (1988)
- New Jersey Nets (1989–1991)
- Milwaukee Bucks (1991–1992)
- Los Angeles Clippers (1993)
- Indiana Pacers (1994)
- Los Angeles Lakers (1995)
He finished his NBA playing career in 1995. Conner was known for his excellent defense and ability to steal the ball from opponents. He won a CBA championship with the Rapid City Thrillers in 1987.
NBA Career Statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982–83 | Golden State | 75 | 10 | 18.9 | .479 | .000 | .699 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 1.5 | 0.1 | 4.9 |
| 1983–84 | Golden State | 82 | 82 | 31.4 | .493 | .167 | .718 | 3.7 | 4.9 | 2.0 | 0.1 | 11.1 |
| 1984–85 | Golden State | 79 | 49 | 28.6 | .451 | .200 | .750 | 3.1 | 4.7 | 2.0 | 0.2 | 8.1 |
| 1985–86 | Golden State | 36 | 0 | 11.5 | .375 | .286 | .741 | 1.7 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 4.0 |
| 1987–88 | Houston | 52 | 3 | 7.7 | .463 | .000 | .780 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 2.5 |
| 1988–89 | New Jersey | 82 | 63 | 30.9 | .457 | .351 | .788 | 4.3 | 7.4 | 2.2 | 0.1 | 10.3 |
| 1989–90 | New Jersey | 82 | 61 | 28.7 | .414 | .154 | .804 | 3.2 | 4.7 | 2.1 | 0.1 | 7.9 |
| 1990–91 | New Jersey | 35 | 2 | 14.0 | .523 | .000 | .690 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 0.0 | 4.1 |
| 1990–91 | Milwaukee | 39 | 2 | 13.3 | .396 | .000 | .750 | 1.4 | 2.7 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 2.9 |
| 1991–92 | Milwaukee | 81 | 9 | 17.5 | .431 | .000 | .704 | 2.3 | 3.6 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 3.5 |
| 1992–93 | Los Angeles | 31 | 0 | 13.6 | .452 | .000 | .947 | 1.6 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 2.4 |
| 1993–94 | Indiana | 11 | 0 | 15.4 | .368 | .000 | .500 | 2.2 | 2.8 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 2.8 |
| 1994–95 | Los Angeles | 2 | 0 | 2.5 | .000 | .000 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
| Career | 687 | 281 | 21.8 | .453 | .202 | .753 | 2.7 | 3.9 | 1.6 | 0.1 | 6.3 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987–88 | Houston | 1 | 0 | 1.0 | .000 | .000 | 1.000 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 |
| 1990–91 | Milwaukee | 1 | 0 | 7.0 | 1.000 | .000 | .000 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 |
| 1992–93 | Los Angeles | 5 | 0 | 12.8 | .750 | 1.000 | 1.000 | 1.4 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 4.2 |
| 1993–94 | Indiana | 6 | 0 | 3.7 | .400 | .000 | 1.000 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
| Career | 13 | 0 | 7.2 | .667 | 1.000 | .857 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 2.4 | |
Coaching Career
Conner started his NBA coaching career in 1998. He was an assistant coach for Rick Pitino with the Boston Celtics. Conner says Pitino taught him how to project his voice. This helped him shout instructions that could be heard over the loud noise in an NBA arena.
He also worked as an assistant coach for Terry Stotts with the Milwaukee Bucks. He left the team after Stotts was no longer the head coach in 2007.
Conner is considered a mentee of former Indiana Pacers head coach Jim O'Brien. He worked with O'Brien three different times. First, with the Boston Celtics from 2001 to 2004. Second, as the associate head coach for the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2004–05 season. In June 2007, Conner joined O'Brien again with the Indiana Pacers.
On February 2, 2010, Conner filled in for an absent O'Brien for one game. He made some changes, like having Roy Hibbert play closer to the basket. He also encouraged a faster, more attacking style of play. The Pacers scored 130 points in that game, winning by 15 points.
In 2010, Conner became the top assistant coach for Larry Drew with the Atlanta Hawks. He left the team when Drew's time as coach ended in 2013. Conner then joined the Denver Nuggets as an assistant coach for the 2013–14 season.
Conner has said he would like to coach at his old college, Oregon State University. However, in 2014, the university told him they could not offer him the job. This was because he did not have a college degree. Conner was sad about this, calling it "the only university job I want." He understood the importance of a degree. But he also felt it "doesn't define who I am or what I am as a coach and as a person."
Conner returned to coaching in 2024. He became the head coach for the Virginia Valley Vipers in The Basketball League.
See also
In Spanish: Lester Conner para niños
