Phil Ford (basketball) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Phil Ford

Ford at UNC in 1977
Personal information
Born	(1956-02-09) February 9, 1956 (age 69) Rocky Mount, North Carolina, U.S.
High school	Rocky Mount (Rocky Mount, North Carolina)
Listed height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight	175 lb (79 kg)
Career information
College	North Carolina (1974–1978)
NBA Draft	1978 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2nd overall
Selected by the Kansas City Kings
Pro career	1978–1985
Coaching career	1988–2011
Career history
As player:
1978–1982	Kansas City Kings
1982	New Jersey Nets
1982–1983	Milwaukee Bucks
1983–1985	Houston Rockets
As coach:
1988–2000	North Carolina (assistant)
2004–2005	Detroit Pistons (assistant)
2005–2007	New York Knicks (assistant)
2007–2011	Charlotte Bobcats (assistant)
Career highlights and awards
All-NBA Second Team (1979) NBA Rookie of the Year (1979) NBA All-Rookie First Team (1979) John R. Wooden Award (1978) USBWA Player of the Year (1978) NABC Player of the Year (1978) Sporting News Player of the Year (1978) 2× Consensus first-team All-American (1977, 1978) Consensus second-team All-American (1976) ACC Player of the Year (1978) 3x First-team All-ACC (1976–1978) ACC tournament MVP (1975) No. 12 retired by the North Carolina Tar Heels First-team Parade All-American (1974)
Career NBA statistics
Points	5,594 (11.6 ppg)
Rebounds	854 (1.8 rpg)
Assists	3,083 (6.4 apg)
Medals Men's basketball Representing the  United States Olympic Games Gold 1976 Montreal Team competition

Phil Jackson Ford Jr. (born February 9, 1956) is a former American professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Phil graduated from Rocky Mount Senior High School in 1974. He had an amazing college career with the North Carolina Tar Heels. He was even named an All-American.

College Basketball Career

Starting Strong at UNC

Phil Ford was the first freshman player to start his very first college game under coach Dean Smith. During his first year, he scored 16.4 points and made 5.2 assists per game. These were new records for a freshman at UNC and lasted over 20 years.

Phil led UNC to finish second in their conference. Then, they won the 1975 ACC tournament championship. They beat NC State, ending their two-year winning streak. Phil scored 26 points per game in the tournament. He was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player (MVP). He was the first freshman in ACC history to earn this honor.

Sophomore and Junior Success

In his second year, Phil averaged 18.6 points and 7.0 assists per game. His assist average set a new UNC record. He helped UNC finish first in the ACC regular season. He was also chosen for the first-team All-ACC. He earned this honor again in his junior and senior years. He was also named a second-team All-American.

During his junior year, Phil averaged 18.7 points and 6.6 assists. He again led the Tar Heels to a first-place finish in the ACC. In the 1977 ACC tournament, he scored 26 points in the final game. This helped UNC win another conference title. He also helped the Tar Heels reach the NCAA Championship Game. This was impressive, even after he hurt his shooting elbow. Phil was named a first-team All-American that year.

Senior Year and National Recognition

In his final college season, Phil averaged 20.8 points and 5.7 assists. He scored a career-high 34 points in his last home game. This win against Duke secured another first-place finish for UNC.

At the end of his senior year, Phil was again a first-team All-American. He was also named the National Player of the Year. He won several awards, including the John R. Wooden Award.

NBA Professional Career

Starting in the NBA

Phil Ford was the second player picked in the 1978 NBA draft. He joined the Kansas City Kings. He quickly became a star, working with teammate Otis Birdsong. In 1979, Phil was named NBA Rookie of the Year.

On February 21, 1979, Phil had an amazing game. He made 22 assists, which was his career best. He also scored 26 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, and made 5 steals. This helped the Kings win 133–117 against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Later Career and Retirement

On January 23, 1981, Phil scored a career-high 38 points. This helped the Kings beat the Houston Rockets 113–107. Just weeks later, Phil had to have surgery for an eye injury. This ended his season early. Even without him, the Kings surprisingly made it to the Western Conference Finals.

After his injury, Phil found it hard to play at his old level. He was traded to the New Jersey Nets, then to the Milwaukee Bucks. He later finished his career with the Houston Rockets. Phil retired from the NBA in 1985. He played in 482 NBA games. He scored 5,594 points, averaging 11.6 points per game. He also had 3,083 assists, averaging 6.4 assists per game.

National Team Experience

After his second year in college, Phil Ford played for the 1976 U.S. Olympic team. His college coach, Dean Smith, also coached this team. They won the gold medal at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. In six Olympic games, Phil made 54 assists, averaging 9.0 assists per game.

Playing Style

Phil Ford was known for being an excellent ballhandler. He could dribble the ball very well and drive towards the basket. He also had a very accurate pull-up jump shot. He was great at making free throws, especially when games were close.

His skills were perfect for UNC's "Four Corners offense." This strategy helped college teams control the game or score carefully. When Phil dribbled in the middle of this offense, he often found teammates for easy baskets. He also drew fouls from the other team. Coach Smith used this offense to protect a lead late in games. Phil's abilities almost guaranteed they would keep the lead. He also mastered a cool move called the 360-degree spinning layup.

Legacy and Honors

Phil Ford is considered one of the best college point guards ever. Some even say he is the greatest point guard in ACC history. He finished his college career as UNC's all-time leading scorer with 2,290 points. He also set school and ACC records for total assists with 753. This assist record has since been broken by other players. On December 18, 2008, Tyler Hansbrough passed Phil's scoring record.

Phil is also one of only a few players in Atlantic Coast Conference history to score over 2,000 points and have at least 600 assists. Travis Best and Greivis Vásquez later joined him in this achievement. Phil was especially good in the ACC Tournament. He averaged 23.6 points per game in 8 tournament games.

Phil won the ACC Athlete of the Year award twice. Very few ACC athletes have won this award more than once. He was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in May 1991. In 2002, Phil was named to the ACC 50th Anniversary men's basketball team. This team honored the fifty best players in ACC history.

Career Statistics

NBA Regular Season

NBA Playoffs

College Statistics

Coaching Career

In 1988, Phil returned to North Carolina as an assistant coach. He helped the Tar Heels win the national title in 1993. When Coach Smith retired in 1997, Phil became the main assistant coach for Bill Guthridge.

Phil left UNC after the 1999–2000 season. That year, they reached the Final Four. He left when Matt Doherty became the new head coach and brought his own staff.

Phil later worked as an assistant coach for other NBA teams. He coached for the Detroit Pistons (2004–2005) under Larry Brown. He also worked for the New York Knicks (2005–2007) and the Charlotte Bobcats (2008–2010).

Today, Phil works for the Educational Foundation. This group helps raise money for the University of North Carolina's sports teams. He also briefly worked as a commentator for UNC basketball games.

See also

In Spanish: Phil Ford para niños