Norm Nixon facts for kids
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Nixon in 2014
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 11, 1955 Macon, Georgia, U.S. |
| High school | Southwest (Macon, Georgia) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 170 lb (77 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Duquesne (1973–1977) |
| NBA Draft | 1977 / Round: 1 / Pick: 22nd overall |
| Selected by the Los Angeles Lakers | |
| Pro career | 1977–1989 |
| Career history | |
| 1977–1983 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1983–1989 | San Diego / Los Angeles Clippers |
| 1989 | Scavolini Pesaro |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 12,065 (15.7 ppg) |
| Assists | 6,386 (8.3 apg) |
| Steals | 1,187 (1.5 spg) |
Norman Ellard Nixon (born October 11, 1955) is a former professional basketball player from America. He played for famous teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Diego/Los Angeles Clippers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also played basketball in Italy for Scavolini Pesaro. People called him "Stormin' Norman" because of his exciting play. He was chosen as an NBA All-Star twice. Norm Nixon helped the Lakers win two NBA championships in 1980 and 1982. These wins happened at the start of their famous "Showtime" era.
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Early Life and High School
Norm Nixon was born in Macon, Georgia. He was the third of three sons. His parents divorced when he was two years old. Norm and his two brothers were raised with help from their grandmother and great-aunt. They grew up in the Methodist church.
A Talented Athlete
Nixon was a very gifted athlete. In high school, he played both basketball and football at Southwest High School in Macon. He was named to the all-state team in both sports. In football, he played defensive back and tailback. He was even offered a chance to try out for two NFL teams.
In 1973, he was the senior class president. He was also chosen as the starting guard on the Georgia All-State basketball team. He led Southwest High School to win the state basketball championship that year. Norm also ran track, winning a regional title in the high jump. He was also in the band, playing the trumpet, and worked on the yearbook.
College Basketball Career
Nixon played basketball for four years at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. During his time there, he was a key player for the Duquesne Dukes. He scored 1,805 points and made 577 assists in 104 games. He averaged 17.2 points and 5.5 assists per game.
College Achievements
Nixon was named first-team All-Eastern Eight Conference. He set a new record for career assists at Duquesne. On January 27, 2001, Duquesne University honored him. They retired his jersey number 10 during a special ceremony. This means no other player will wear that number for the Dukes.
In 2019, Nixon allowed a young player named Sincere Carry to wear his retired number 10. Carry wanted to honor a friend who had died and wore number 10 in high school.
NBA Career Highlights
Playing for the Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers chose Norm Nixon in the first round of the 1977 NBA draft. He was the 22nd player picked overall. Nixon played for the Lakers for six successful seasons. In the 1978–79 season, he led the NBA in steals with 201. The next season, he played the most minutes in the league.
Showtime Lakers Success
Nixon helped the famous "Showtime Lakers" win two NBA championships. They won in 1980 and 1982. Both times, they beat the Philadelphia 76ers in the finals. In the 1982 playoffs, Nixon was the team's top scorer. He averaged 20.4 points per game.
In the 1983 NBA Finals, the Lakers lost to the Philadelphia 76ers. Nixon played through a separated shoulder in the first two games of that series.
Playing for the San Diego/Los Angeles Clippers
Before the 1983–84 season, Nixon was traded to the San Diego Clippers. In his first year with the Clippers, he led the entire league in total assists. He also played in all 82 regular season games. He was chosen for the All-Star team for the second time in the 1984–85 season.
Injuries and Retirement
After the 1985–86 season, Nixon faced many injuries. He missed more than two full seasons because of them. He retired from playing basketball at the end of the 1988–89 season. During his time with the Clippers, the team did not make the playoffs.
Before his injuries, Nixon was very durable. He played in 715 out of 725 possible games in his first nine seasons.
Career Achievements and Statistics
During his NBA career, Norm Nixon scored 12,065 points. This is an average of 15.7 points per game. He also made 6,386 assists, averaging 8.3 assists per game. He played in a total of 768 games.
Life After Basketball
After retiring from the NBA in March 1989, Nixon played briefly in Italy. He played for Scavolini Pesaro in April and May of that year.
Nixon later became a sports agent. He started his own company, Norm Nixon & Associates. He represented many athletes and entertainers.
Other Ventures
With his wife, Nixon helped start the Debbie Allen Dance Academy (DADA). This is a dance school in Culver City, California.
In his retirement, Nixon has also worked in sports broadcasting. He was a radio commentator for the Clippers for one season. He also worked as an analyst for NBA post-game shows on KABC-TV. Later, he became a studio color analyst for Lakers home games on Fox Sports West.
Personal Life
Nixon has been married to actress, producer, director, and dancer Debbie Allen since 1984. They have two children together: Vivian Nichole Nixon and Norman Ellard Nixon Jr. Vivian became a dancer, and Norman Jr. played basketball in college. Norm also has two sons from previous relationships, Tristan Fuller-Nixon and DeVaughn Nixon.
Before they were married, both Nixon and Allen appeared in the 1979 film The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh. This movie also featured other NBA stars like Julius Erving and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Nixon's son, DeVaughn, played his father in the HBO drama series Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977–78 | L.A. Lakers | 81 | – | 34.3 | .497 | – | .714 | 3.0 | 6.8 | 1.7 | 0.1 | 13.7 |
| 1978–79 | L.A. Lakers | 82 | – | 38.4 | .542 | – | .775 | 2.8 | 9.0 | 2.5 | 0.2 | 17.1 |
| 1979–80† | L.A. Lakers | 82 | – | 39.3* | .516 | .125 | .779 | 2.8 | 7.8 | 1.8 | 0.2 | 17.6 |
| 1980–81 | L.A. Lakers | 79 | – | 37.5 | .476 | .167 | .778 | 2.9 | 8.8 | 1.8 | 0.1 | 17.1 |
| 1981–82† | L.A. Lakers | 82 | 82 | 36.9 | .493 | .250 | .808 | 2.1 | 8.0 | 1.6 | 0.1 | 17.6 |
| 1982–83 | L.A. Lakers | 79 | 79 | 34.3 | .475 | .000 | .744 | 2.6 | 7.2 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 15.1 |
| 1983–84 | San Diego | 82 | 82 | 37.2 | .462 | .239 | .760 | 2.5 | 11.1 | 1.1 | 0.0 | 17.0 |
| 1984–85 | L.A. Clippers | 81 | 81 | 35.7 | .465 | .333 | .780 | 2.7 | 8.8 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 17.2 |
| 1985–86 | L.A. Clippers | 67 | 62 | 31.9 | .438 | .347 | .809 | 2.7 | 8.6 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 14.6 |
| 1988–89 | L.A. Clippers | 53 | 30 | 24.9 | .414 | .276 | .738 | 1.5 | 6.4 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 6.8 |
| Career | 768 | 416 | 35.5 | .483 | .294 | .772 | 2.6 | 8.3 | 1.5 | 0.1 | 15.7 | |
| All-Star | 2 | 0 | 19.0 | .571 | – | .500 | 1.0 | 5.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 12.5 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | L.A. Lakers | 3 | – | 30.7 | .458 | – | .667 | 3.0 | 5.3 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 8.0 |
| 1979 | L.A. Lakers | 8 | – | 40.9 | .471 | – | .733 | 3.5 | 11.8 | 1.4 | 0.0 | 15.4 |
| 1980† | L.A. Lakers | 16 | – | 40.5 | .477 | .200 | .804 | 3.5 | 7.8 | 2.0 | 0.2 | 16.9 |
| 1981 | L.A. Lakers | 3 | – | 44.3 | .510 | – | .800 | 3.7 | 8.7 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 19.3 |
| 1982† | L.A. Lakers | 14 | – | 39.2 | .478 | .333 | .754 | 3.1 | 8.1 | 1.6 | 0.1 | 20.4 |
| 1983 | L.A. Lakers | 14 | – | 38.4 | .477 | .429 | .740 | 3.4 | 6.4 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 19.0 |
| Career | 58 | – | 39.4 | .478 | .333 | .763 | 3.4 | 8.0 | 1.5 | 0.1 | 17.7 | |
See also
In Spanish: Norm Nixon para niños
- List of National Basketball Association career assists leaders
- List of National Basketball Association players with most assists in a game
