Purvis Short facts for kids

Purvis Short (born July 2, 1957) is a retired American basketball player. He played for teams like the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, and New Jersey Nets in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Purvis played from 1978 to 1990. Standing 6 feet 7 inches tall, he was a small forward. Over his twelve years in the NBA, he scored an average of 17.3 points per game. He is currently the ninth highest scorer in the history of the Golden State Warriors.

After a great college career at Jackson State, Purvis was chosen fifth overall in the 1978 NBA draft. Fans called him "Rainbowman" because his jump shots went high in the air like a rainbow. He said he learned this special shot in high school. For his first few years, he was a key player who often came off the bench. By the 1984–85 season, he became a starter. In 1984, he scored a career-high 59 points in one game against the New Jersey Nets. After leaving the NBA, he played basketball in Israel for one year. Today, he helps manage programs for the NBA Players Association.

College Basketball Journey

Purvis Short was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He is the younger brother of Gene Short, who also played one season in the NBA. Purvis went to Blair Center Hattiesburg High School. In 1974, he led his high school team to win the state championship. After high school, about 150 colleges wanted him to play for them. He decided to follow his brother to Jackson State University. There, he became the school's all-time leading scorer. In 1978, he was the second-highest scorer in the NCAA. He also grabbed about 8.9 rebounds per game. He was named the SWAC Player of the Year in both 1977 and 1978.

Professional Basketball Career

The Golden State Warriors picked Purvis Short as the fifth overall player in the 1978 NBA draft. In his first year, he scored 795 points, averaging 10.6 points per game. The next year, he averaged 17.0 points per game. He also had his best field goal percentage that year, making half of his shots. Before the 1980–81 season, the Warriors traded for Bernard King. This meant Purvis played more as a reserve player. That year, he played in 79 games. He had 391 rebounds and a career-high 249 assists. He still averaged 16.1 points per game. For the next few seasons, he was the Warriors' sixth man. He played behind Joe Barry Carroll until he became a starter before the 1984–85 season.

Purvis started training with Pete Newell during the off-seasons. Purvis later said this training greatly improved his shooting skills. On November 17, 1984, he scored a career-high 59 points against the New Jersey Nets. This happened during a game the Warriors lost 131–114. He made 20 out of 28 field goal attempts and 15 free throws. At that time, only nine other players had scored more points in a single game. It was the most points scored in the NBA since 1978. It was also the third-highest score in Warriors history. Only Joe Fulks (63 points in 1949) and Rick Barry (64 points in 1974) had scored more. That season, he also scored 57 points against the San Antonio Spurs. He scored 46 points against the Washington Bullets. Purvis finished the 1984–85 season averaging 28.0 points per game. He was the NBA's fourth-highest scorer.

In the 1985–86 season, Purvis averaged 25.5 points per game. He finished fifth in the league for scoring. He missed two months of the 1986–87 season because of knee surgery. He also missed time in March due to a pulled thigh muscle. The Golden State Warriors made it to the playoffs that year. Purvis later said this was "the best time" in his Warriors career. He played in 34 games that year, averaging 18.3 points per game.

Before the 1987–88 season, he was traded to the Houston Rockets. At the time of the trade, Purvis had averaged 19.4 points per game in nine seasons with the Warriors. He was sixth on their all-time scoring list. He averaged 14.3 points per game in 81 games that year. He also had 222 rebounds and 162 assists. The next season, Purvis averaged a career-low 7.4 points per game in 65 games. Before the 1989–90 season, Purvis signed with the New Jersey Nets. He played in all 82 games that season. He scored 29 points in a win against the Charlotte Hornets on January 11. He retired from the NBA at the end of that season.

After leaving the NBA in 1990, Purvis took a year off from basketball. In early 1991, he started playing again, this time in Israel. He played for Hapoel Tel Aviv. Purvis helped the team have a successful season. They lost 3–2 to their rivals Maccabi Tel Aviv in the playoffs. He retired from basketball at the end of that season in 1992.

Life After Basketball

Purvis Short started working for the NBA Players Association. This group helps NBA players. He later became the director of their Player Programs department in 1999. Before that, he was the NBA Players' Union vice president from 1987 to 1990. In 1999, he was added to the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. He lives in Houston today.

NBA Career Statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

European leagues

See also

In Spanish: Purvis Short para niños