Otis Birdsong facts for kids
Birdsong in 1978
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
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| Born | December 9, 1955 Winter Haven, Florida, U.S. |
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| High school | Winter Haven (Winter Haven, Florida) | |||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | |||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) | |||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||
| College | Houston (1973–1977) | |||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 1977 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2nd overall | |||||||||||||
| Selected by the Kansas City Kings | ||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 1977–1989 | |||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||
| 1977–1981 | Kansas City Kings | |||||||||||||
| 1981–1988 | New Jersey Nets | |||||||||||||
| 1989 | Boston Celtics | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
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| Career NBA statistics | ||||||||||||||
| Points | 12,544 (18.0 ppg) | |||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 2,072 (3.0 rpg) | |||||||||||||
| Assists | 2,260 (3.2 apg) | |||||||||||||
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Medals
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Otis Lee Birdsong (born December 9, 1955) is a former American professional basketball player. He played for twelve seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1977 to 1989. During his career, he was chosen to play in four NBA All-Star Games, showing he was one of the best players.
Otis was a 6-foot-3-inch guard who went to Winter Haven High School and the University of Houston. The Kansas City Kings picked him as the second overall player in the 1977 NBA draft. He played four seasons with the Kings, scoring a career-high 24.6 points per game in the 1980–81 season. He also played seven seasons with the New Jersey Nets and one with the Boston Celtics. He finished his career at the end of the 1988–89 season.
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Otis Birdsong's College Basketball Career
Otis Birdsong was a fantastic player in college at the University of Houston. As a freshman, he was the team's third-highest scorer, averaging 14.3 points per game. The next year, he made history by becoming the first sophomore at the school to score 1,000 career points.
When the Cougars joined the Southwest Conference, Birdsong quickly became the top scorer in the league. In his first year in the SWC, he led the league in scoring. He was ranked eighth nationally with an average of 26.1 points.
In 1977, Birdsong was named an All-American and the Southwest Conference Player of the Year. He led the Houston Cougars to a great 29–8 record and to the championship game of the National Invitational Tournament. Even though Houston lost to St. Bonaventure, Birdsong scored 38 points in that game. He ranked fourth nationally in scoring that year, setting an SWC record with 30.3 points per game. Because of his amazing achievements, Birdsong was named the SWC Player of the Decade.
Besides being an All-American, Birdsong was also named to the All-Southwest Conference team in both 1976 and 1977. The United States Basketball Writers Association also named him District VI Player of the Year. He was a team captain during his junior and senior years. During his four years with the Cougars, the team had a strong record of 79 wins and 38 losses. He finished his college career as the second-highest scorer in University of Houston history, with 2,832 total points.
Birdsong also ranks high in other Houston records. He is second in field goals, third in steals, sixth in assists, and ninth in field goal percentages. He still holds the school record for free throws, with a total of 480.
Otis Birdsong's Professional Basketball Career
After his successful college career, Otis Birdsong was the second player chosen in the 1977 NBA draft by the Kansas City Kings.
On January 28, 1979, Birdsong had a great game, getting 11 assists and scoring 30 points in a big win against the Cleveland Cavaliers. A year later, on January 29, 1980, he scored a career-high 49 points against the Denver Nuggets. He made 20 out of 25 shots in that game!
During the 1980-81 NBA season, Birdsong had his best scoring year, averaging 24.6 points per game. He helped the Kings, who were not expected to do well, make a surprising run to the Western Conference Finals. In the first round of the playoffs, he averaged 27 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2.3 steals. However, in the second game of the next round, he got a bad ankle injury. Even without him, the Kings kept fighting and won their series against the Phoenix Suns. But their amazing playoff run ended in the Western Conference Finals, where they lost to the Moses Malone-led Houston Rockets.
On June 8, 1981, Birdsong was traded from the Kansas City Kings to the New Jersey Nets.
Birdsong's best playoff run with the Nets happened in 1984. The Nets surprised everyone by beating the defending champions, the Philadelphia 76ers, in the first round. Birdsong took on a more team-focused role with the Nets. Even though he wasn't the main scorer, he helped his team win. However, in the next series, the Nets lost to the Milwaukee Bucks.
In total, Otis Birdsong scored over 12,000 points in his 12 seasons in the NBA. He averaged 18 points per game playing for the Kings, New Jersey Nets, and Boston Celtics. He was chosen to play in four NBA All-Star Games and was named to the All-NBA Second Team in 1981.
After his basketball career, Birdsong returned to Houston. He worked as part of the radio broadcast team for the Houston Cougars for several seasons before moving to Dallas.
Awards and Recognition
Otis Birdsong has been honored many times for his basketball achievements:
- In 2000, he was inducted into the University of Houston's Hall of Honor.
- Also in 2000, he was inducted into the Polk County, Florida Hall of Fame.
- In 2006, he was inducted into the Florida High School Hall of Fame.
- On October 20, 2014, he was inducted into the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame. This honor was presented by the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.
See also
In Spanish: Otis Birdsong para niños
