Nate Archibald facts for kids

This page is about the NBA player. For the college player, see Nathaniel Archibald (basketball, born 1952).

Quick facts for kids
Nate Archibald
Personal information
Archibald with the Kansas City-Omaha Kings in 1974
Born	(1948-09-02) September 2, 1948 (age 76) New York City, New York, U.S.
High school	DeWitt Clinton (New York City, New York)
Listed height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight	150 lb (68 kg)
Career information
College	Arizona Western (1966–1967) UTEP (1967–1970)
NBA Draft	1970 / Round: 2 / Pick: 19th overall
Selected by the Cincinnati Royals
Pro career	1970–1984
Career history
1970–1976	Cincinnati Royals / Kansas City-Omaha / Kansas City Kings
1976–1977	New York Nets
1978–1983	Boston Celtics
1983–1984	Milwaukee Bucks

Career highlights and awards
NBA champion (1981) 6× NBA All-Star (1973, 1975, 1976, 1980–1982) NBA All-Star Game MVP (1981) 3× All-NBA First Team (1973, 1975, 1976) 2× All-NBA Second Team (1972, 1981) NBA scoring champion (1973) NBA assists leader (1973) NBA anniversary team (50th, 75th) No. 1 retired by Sacramento Kings First-team All-WAC (1970) No. 14 retired by UTEP Miners

Career statistics
Points	16,481 (18.8 ppg)
Assists	6,476 (7.4 apg)
Rebounds	2,046 (2.3 rpg)

Nathaniel "Tiny" Archibald (born September 2, 1948) is a famous American former professional basketball player. He played for 14 years in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is best known for his time with the Cincinnati Royals/Kansas City–Omaha Kings and the Boston Celtics. In 1991, he was honored by being added to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He also joined the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame.

Archibald was known for being a great passer and a good shooter. What made him special was his amazing quickness and speed. He could easily dribble past defenders to score. This made him the first player ever to lead the NBA in both scoring and assists in the same season (1972–73).

Early Life and High School Basketball
College Basketball Career
Professional Basketball Journey
Nate Archibald's Legacy
Coaching Career
NBA Career Statistics
- Regular Season
- Playoffs
Personal Life and Health
See also

Early Life and High School Basketball

Archibald scoring for the UTEP in 1968

Nate Archibald grew up in the South Bronx in New York City. He was a playground basketball legend. He only played high school basketball for about a year and a half. As a sophomore, he was even cut from the team at DeWitt Clinton High School.

He returned to the team as a junior. During his time away from basketball, Nate almost dropped out of school. But two mentors, Floyd Layne and Pablo Robertson, helped him. Robertson saw Nate play and convinced his high school coach to let him rejoin the team.

Even though he only played in games that were already decided as a junior, Nate became a star. He was named team captain and an All-City player in 1966. Off the court, Nate started going to school regularly. He worked hard to improve his grades. This helped him get a chance to play college basketball.

College Basketball Career

To play at a major college, Nate first went to Arizona Western College. The next year, he transferred to the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). He had three excellent seasons there from 1967 to 1970. He played under Hall of Fame coach Don Haskins.

Professional Basketball Journey

Playing for the Kings (1970–1976)

The Cincinnati Royals picked Nate Archibald in the second round of the 1970 NBA draft. He was the 19th player chosen overall. In his first NBA game, he scored 17 points and had seven assists. On March 13, 1971, he scored a career-high 47 points against the Atlanta Hawks.

On November 18, 1972, Nate had 51 points and 14 assists in a game. This was a big win against the Houston Rockets.

During the 1972–73 season, Archibald made history. He led the NBA in both scoring (34 points per game) and assists (11.4 assists per game). He was the first player ever to do this in the same season. His scoring average that year is still a record for point guards. His 910 assists were also an NBA record at the time. He was named the NBA MVP by the Sporting News that season.

Nate made the playoffs for the first time in 1975 with the Kansas City Kings. He played well, averaging over 20 points per game. The Kings lost in the first round to the Chicago Bulls. Nate played for the Royals/Kings team from 1970 to 1976.

Time with the New York Nets (1976–1977)

Even though he was very popular, Nate was traded to the New York Nets in 1976. He played 34 games with the Nets, averaging 20.5 points per game.

Injuries and the Buffalo Braves (1977–1978)

Nate was injured for much of the 1976–77 season. Before the next season, the Nets traded him to the Buffalo Braves. Sadly, Nate tore his Achilles tendon and never played a regular-season game for the Braves.

Winning a Championship with the Celtics (1978–1983)

Buffalo traded Nate to the Boston Celtics before the 1978–79 season. His start with the Celtics was tough. But he worked hard and helped the Celtics become one of the best teams.

Nate won his only NBA championship with the Boston Celtics in the 1980–81 season. He played alongside young star Larry Bird. In the final game of the 1981 NBA Finals, Nate had 13 points and 12 assists. This helped the Celtics win the series against the Houston Rockets.

On February 15, 1982, Nate set a personal best with the Celtics. He had 23 assists in a close win over the Denver Nuggets.

Final Season with the Bucks (1983–1984)

After leaving the Celtics, Nate played his final season with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1983–84. He started at point guard in all 46 games he played that year.

Nate Archibald's Legacy

Nate Archibald was chosen for the All-NBA First Team three times. He was also on the All-NBA Second Team twice. He was picked for the NBA All-Star Game seven times. In 1981, he was named the 1981 NBA All-Star Game MVP.

He played in 876 professional games. He scored 16,841 points and had 6,476 assists. In 1996, he was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. In 2021, he was also part of the NBA's 75th anniversary team.

Coaching Career

After his playing career, Nate Archibald became an assistant coach. He coached at the University of Georgia for one season. He also coached for two seasons at Texas-El Paso. He coached in other leagues, including the USBL and a Boston recreational league.

In 2001, Nate coached in the National Basketball Development League. He left a year later to work for the NBA's community relations department. He also coached the Long Beach Jam in the revived ABA in 2004.

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
1970–71	Cincinnati	82	—	35.0	.444	—	.757	3.0	5.5	—	—	16.0
1971–72	Cincinnati	76	—	43.1	.486	—	.822	2.9	9.2	—	—	28.2
1972–73	Kansas City–Omaha	80	—	46.0*	.488	—	.847	2.8	11.4*	—	—	34.0*
1973–74	Kansas City–Omaha	35	—	36.3	.451	—	.820	2.4	7.6	1.6	0.2	17.6
1974–75	Kansas City–Omaha	82	—	39.6	.456	—	.872	2.7	6.8	1.5	0.1	26.5
1975–76	Kansas City	78	—	40.8	.453	—	.802	2.7	7.9	1.6	0.2	24.8
1976–77	New York	34	—	37.6	.446	—	.785	2.4	7.5	1.7	0.3	20.5
1978–79	Boston	69	—	24.1	.452	—	.788	1.5	4.7	0.8	0.1	11.0
1979–80	Boston	80	80	35.8	.482	.222	.830	2.5	8.4	1.3	0.1	14.1
1980–81†	Boston	80	72	35.3	.499	.000	.816	2.2	7.7	0.9	0.2	13.8
1981–82	Boston	68	51	31.9	.472	.375	.747	1.7	8.0	0.8	0.0	12.6
1982–83	Boston	66	19	27.4	.425	.208	.743	1.4	6.2	0.6	0.1	10.5
1983–84	Milwaukee	46	46	22.6	.487	.222	.634	1.7	3.5	0.7	0.0	7.4
Career		876	268	35.6	.467	.224	.810	2.3	7.4	1.1	0.1	18.8
All-Star		6	4	27.0	.450	—	.833	3.0	6.7	1.8	0.2	12.3

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1975	Kansas City–Omaha	6	—	40.3	.364	—	.814	1.8	5.3	0.7	0.0	20.2
1980	Boston	9	—	36.9	.506	.500	.881	1.2	7.9	1.1	0.0	14.2
1981†	Boston	17	—	37.1	.450	.000	.809	1.6	6.3	0.8	0.0	15.6
1982	Boston	8	—	34.6	.429	.000	.893	2.1	6.5	0.6	0.3	10.6
1983	Boston	7	—	23.0	.324	.167	.759	1.4	6.3	0.3	0.0	9.6
Career		47	—	34.9	.423	.118	.826	1.6	6.5	0.7	0.0	14.2

Personal Life and Health

Nate Archibald went back to college during his NBA career. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Texas-El Paso. He then taught in New York City schools. He also earned a master's degree from Fordham University in 1990.

In 2016, Nate was diagnosed with a health condition called amyloidosis. In 2018, he received a heart transplant.