Lou Hudson facts for kids
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 11, 1944 Greensboro, North Carolina, US |
| Died | April 11, 2014 (aged 69) Atlanta, Georgia, US |
| High school | James B. Dudley (Greensboro, North Carolina) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Minnesota (1963–1966) |
| NBA Draft | 1966 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4th overall |
| Selected by the St. Louis Hawks | |
| Pro career | 1966–1979 |
| Career history | |
| 1966–1977 | St. Louis / Atlanta Hawks |
| 1977–1979 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 17,940 (20.2 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 3,926 (4.4 rpg) |
| Assists | 2,432 (2.7 apg) |
Louis Clyde Hudson (born July 11, 1944 – died April 11, 2014) was a famous American basketball player. People called him "Sweet Lou" because of his smooth playing style. He was an amazing player in college at the University of Minnesota. Later, he became a six-time NBA All-Star in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Over 13 seasons (1966–1979), he scored a total of 17,940 points.
Contents
Early Life and Sports
Lou Hudson grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina. He graduated from James B. Dudley High School in 1962. Lou was a fantastic athlete and played four different sports! He was a quarterback in football, a first baseman in baseball, a sprinter in track, and, of course, a basketball star.
His high school teammate, Charlie Sanders, who later became a Hall of Fame football player, said Lou was the definition of an athlete. Charlie looked up to Lou and wanted to be like him.
College Basketball Career
Lou Hudson made history when he joined the University of Minnesota in 1964. He was part of the first group of Black players to be recruited there. Before that, he had planned to go to a historically Black college, but the Minnesota coach offered him a scholarship. His old coach told him to take the chance to play "in the big time," and Lou agreed it was the right choice.
In his first year, 1963-1964, Lou immediately stood out. He led the team in scoring with 18.1 points per game and grabbed 8.0 rebounds. The team finished with a good record of 17 wins and 7 losses.
As a junior in 1964-1965, Lou's skills grew even more. He averaged 24.8 points and 10.7 rebounds. He was named an All-American, which means he was one of the best college players in the country.
During his senior year (1965-1966), Lou broke his right hand. Even with this injury, he played in 17 games. He shot the ball with his left hand while his right hand was in a cast! He still managed to average 19.8 points and 8.1 rebounds. This shows how determined and talented he was.
Overall, in his 65 college games at Minnesota, Lou averaged 20.4 points and 8.9 rebounds. He scored a total of 1,329 points.
NBA Career Highlights
Starting with the Hawks (1966–1977)
After his amazing college career, the St. Louis Hawks chose Lou Hudson as the 4th pick in the 1966 NBA draft. He was so athletic that the Dallas Cowboys even drafted him for football as a wide receiver!
Lou was 6 feet 5 inches tall, which allowed him to play both as a guard and a forward. He had a long and successful career in the NBA. In his first season, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team. He led the Hawks in scoring with 18.4 points per game.
In 1968, the Hawks team moved from St. Louis to Atlanta. Lou Hudson made history by scoring the very first basket for the new Atlanta Hawks team! He became an NBA All-Star for the first time in 1969.
From 1969 to 1974, Lou was one of the NBA's top scorers. He averaged at least 24 points per game for five seasons in a row. He made the All-Star team six times during this period. On November 10, 1969, Lou scored an amazing 57 points in one game against the Chicago Bulls. This was a career high for him and a record for the Hawks team!
In the 1972-1973 season, Lou Hudson and his teammate Pete Maravich both scored over 2,000 points. This was a rare achievement, as only one other pair of teammates had done it before them.
Playing for the Los Angeles Lakers (1977–1979)
In 1977, Lou Hudson was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. He played his final two NBA seasons there. He played alongside famous players like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Jamaal Wilkes. Even though he was older, he still contributed to the team, averaging 11.8 points per game.
Career Achievements and Legacy
Lou Hudson was known as "Sweet Lou" because of his smooth and effective jump shot. He was a six-time NBA All-Star, all while playing for the Hawks.
Both the Atlanta Hawks and the University of Minnesota have retired Lou Hudson's jersey number. This means no other player on those teams can wear his number, honoring his great achievements.
When he retired in 1979, Lou had scored 17,940 points in 890 games. He averaged 20.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game. At the time he retired, he was the 12th highest scorer in NBA history! He was also an excellent player in the playoffs, averaging 21.3 points in 61 playoff games.
Many people, including fellow NBA star Dominique Wilkins, believe Lou Hudson should be in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was finally inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2022.
Personal Life
After his basketball career, Lou Hudson tried different things. He sold restaurant equipment and even worked as a radio announcer for the Atlanta Hawks for a short time.
In 1979, he appeared in a basketball movie called The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh.
Later, Lou moved to Park City, Utah, and became a real estate investor. He also served on the Park City city council in the early 1990s. He was believed to be the first African-American elected official in Utah. His campaign slogan was "Sweet Lou for You."
Lou loved basketball so much that he started a recreation league for kids. He coached there for 20 years. In 2005, he suffered a major stroke while skiing. After that, he became an "ambassador" for the "Power to End Stroke" organization, helping others learn about stroke prevention.
Lou Hudson passed away in 2014 at the age of 69, after another stroke. He was a loyal teammate and loved playing basketball.
Honors and Awards
Lou Hudson received many honors for his contributions to basketball:
- 1988: Inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.
- 1991: Inducted into the M Club Hall of Fame at the University of Minnesota.
- 1994: His #14 jersey was retired by the University of Minnesota.
- His #23 jersey is retired by the Atlanta Hawks.
- 2002: Inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.
- 2003: Named "Humanitarian of the Year" by the XNBA (retired NBA players' association).
- 2007: Inducted into the Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame.
- 2022: Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966–67 | St. Louis | 80 | – | 30.6 | .467 | – | .706 | 5.4 | 1.2 | – | – | 18.4 |
| 1967–68 | St. Louis | 46 | – | 21.0 | .454 | – | .732 | 4.2 | 1.4 | – | – | 12.5 |
| 1968–69 | Atlanta | 81 | – | 35.4 | .492 | – | .777 | 6.6 | 2.7 | – | – | 21.9 |
| 1969–70 | Atlanta | 80 | – | 38.6 | .531 | – | .824 | 4.7 | 3.5 | – | – | 25.4 |
| 1970–71 | Atlanta | 76 | – | 41.0 | .484 | – | .759 | 5.1 | 3.4 | – | – | 26.8 |
| 1971–72 | Atlanta | 77 | – | 39.5 | .503 | – | .812 | 5.0 | 4.0 | – | – | 24.7 |
| 1972–73 | Atlanta | 75 | – | 40.4 | .477 | – | .825 | 6.2 | 3.4 | – | – | 27.1 |
| 1973–74 | Atlanta | 65 | – | 39.8 | .500 | – | .836 | 5.4 | 3.3 | 2.5 | 0.4 | 25.4 |
| 1974–75 | Atlanta | 11 | – | 34.5 | .431 | – | .842 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 22.0 |
| 1975–76 | Atlanta | 81 | – | 31.6 | .472 | – | .814 | 3.7 | 2.6 | 1.5 | 0.2 | 17.0 |
| 1976–77 | Atlanta | 58 | – | 30.1 | .456 | – | .840 | 2.2 | 2.7 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 16.7 |
| 1977–78 | L.A. Lakers | 82 | – | 27.8 | .497 | – | .774 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 13.7 |
| 1978–79 | L.A. Lakers | 78 | – | 21.6 | .517 | – | .887 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 9.8 |
| Career | 890 | – | 33.5 | .489 | – | .797 | 4.4 | 2.7 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 20.2 | |
| All-Star | 6 | 3 | 16.5 | .426 | – | .933 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 11.0 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | St. Louis | 9 | – | 35.2 | .430 | – | .721 | 5.3 | 1.7 | – | – | 22.6 |
| 1968 | St. Louis | 6 | – | 30.2 | .444 | – | .894 | 7.2 | 2.3 | – | – | 21.7 |
| 1969 | Atlanta | 11 | – | 38.5 | .468 | – | .769 | 5.4 | 2.9 | – | – | 22.0 |
| 1970 | Atlanta | 9 | – | 40.0 | .417 | – | .820 | 4.4 | 3.7 | – | – | 21.9 |
| 1971 | Atlanta | 5 | – | 42.6 | .454 | – | .744 | 7.0 | 3.0 | – | – | 25.4 |
| 1972 | Atlanta | 6 | – | 44.3 | .453 | – | .828 | 5.5 | 3.5 | – | – | 25.0 |
| 1973 | Atlanta | 6 | – | 42.5 | .458 | – | .897 | 7.8 | 2.8 | – | – | 29.7 |
| 1978 | L.A. Lakers | 3 | – | 31.0 | .368 | – | .875 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 1.7 | 0.0 | 11.7 |
| 1979 | L.A. Lakers | 6 | – | 15.0 | .531 | – | 1.000 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 6.3 |
| Career | 61 | – | 36.0 | .446 | – | .804 | 5.2 | 2.7 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 21.3 | |
See also
In Spanish: Lou Hudson para niños
