Maurice Lucas facts for kids
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 18, 1952 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US |
| Died | October 31, 2010 (aged 58) Tigard, Oregon, US |
| High school | Schenley (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Listed weight | 215 lb (98 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Marquette (1972–1974) |
| NBA Draft | 1974 / Round: 1 / Pick: 14th overall |
| Selected by the Chicago Bulls | |
| Pro career | 1974–1988 |
| Career history | |
| 1974–1975 | Spirits of St. Louis |
| 1975–1976 | Kentucky Colonels |
| 1976–1980 | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 1980–1981 | New Jersey Nets |
| 1981–1982 | New York Knicks |
| 1982–1985 | Phoenix Suns |
| 1985–1986 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1986–1987 | Seattle SuperSonics |
| 1987–1988 | Portland Trail Blazers |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career ABA and NBA statistics | |
| Points | 14,857 (14.6 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 9,306 (9.1 rpg) |
| Assists | 2,498 (2.4 apg) |
Maurice Lucas (born February 18, 1952 – died October 31, 2010) was an American professional basketball player. He played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA). Lucas was a four-time NBA All-Star and helped the Portland Trail Blazers win an NBA championship in 1977. He was also named to the ABA All-Time Team.
Lucas played college basketball for the Marquette Golden Eagles. He started his pro career with two years in the ABA. He played for the Spirits of St. Louis and the Kentucky Colonels. After the ABA, he played twelve seasons in the NBA. He was a starting power forward for the Trail Blazers' 1976–77 championship team. People called him "the Enforcer" because he was a tough and strong player on the court.
Contents
College Basketball Journey
Maurice Lucas played college basketball for the Marquette Warriors. He played for two years under coach Al McGuire. In 1974, he helped his team reach the NCAA championship game.
In the national semifinal game, Lucas led Marquette to a 64-51 win over Kansas. He scored 18 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, and had 4 blocks. Marquette lost the final game to North Carolina State 76-64. Even so, Lucas played the whole game, scoring 21 points and getting 13 rebounds.
Starting in the ABA
In 1973, the Carolina Cougars of the American Basketball Association (ABA) picked Lucas in their draft. In 1974, the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) also chose him. Lucas decided to play in the ABA first.
He joined the Spirits of St. Louis team. In his first season, Lucas averaged 13.2 points and 10 rebounds per game. He was also chosen for the 1974–75 ABA All-Rookie second team. In the 1975 ABA Playoffs, he played very well. The Spirits beat the New York Nets but then lost to the Kentucky Colonels.
In December 1975, Lucas was traded to the Kentucky Colonels. He became an ABA All-Star for the 1975–76 season. He averaged 17.0 points and 11.3 rebounds per game. Lucas stayed with the Colonels until the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.
NBA Career Highlights
After the ABA and NBA joined, the Portland Trail Blazers picked Maurice Lucas. They used a special draft for ABA players. In the 1976–77 NBA season, Lucas was a key player for the Trail Blazers. He led the team in scoring and rebounds.
That season, the team made it to the playoffs for the first time. Lucas and his teammate Bill Walton led the Trail Blazers to an amazing championship win. They beat the Los Angeles Lakers and then surprised everyone by defeating the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1977 NBA Finals.
In Game 2 of the NBA Finals, Lucas showed his tough "enforcer" style. A fight broke out between players. Lucas stepped in to protect his teammates. This moment seemed to give the Blazers more energy and determination. Even though they lost that game, Portland went on to win the next four games. They won the series 4-2 and became NBA champions!
Lucas stayed with Portland until 1980. He was then traded to the New Jersey Nets. On February 13, 1981, he had a great game for the Nets. He scored 31 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and blocked 6 shots.
After a year with the Nets, Lucas was traded to the New York Knicks. In 1982, he moved to the Phoenix Suns. He helped the Suns reach the Western Conference Finals in 1984. Later, he played for the Los Angeles Lakers and the Seattle SuperSonics. He returned to the Trail Blazers for his final NBA season in 1988.
In his fourteen years as a professional basketball player, Lucas scored 14,857 points. He also gathered 9,306 rebounds in 1021 games. He was an All-Star five times.
After Playing Basketball
After his playing career, Maurice Lucas became a basketball coach. He worked for the Portland Trail Blazers as an assistant coach. He coached from 1988 to 1989. In 2005, he rejoined the Trail Blazers as an assistant coach again.
His Life and Legacy
Maurice Lucas had surgery for a health issue in April 2009. Because of his health, he stopped coaching after the 2009–2010 season.
Lucas passed away at his home in Oregon on October 31, 2010. The Portland Trail Blazers honored him by wearing special patches on their jerseys. The patches had his jersey number, 20, on them for the 2010–2011 season.
His son, David Lucas, also played college basketball for Oregon State University.
The Portland Trail Blazers honored Maurice Lucas by retiring his jersey number, 20. This means no other player on the team will ever wear that number again. They did this in a ceremony on November 4, 1988.
In 1997, at an ABA reunion, Lucas was named to the All-Time All-ABA Team. This team included many famous players like Julius Erving and Rick Barry.
Luke Walton, who is the son of Lucas's teammate Bill Walton, was named after Maurice Lucas.
See also
In Spanish: Maurice Lucas para niños
