Ronnie Lester facts for kids
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | January 1, 1959 Canton, Mississippi, U.S. |
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| High school | Dunbar (Chicago, Illinois) | |||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | |||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 175 lb (79 kg) | |||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||
| College | Iowa (1976–1980) | |||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 1980 / Round: 1 / Pick: 10th overall | |||||||||||||
| Selected by the Portland Trail Blazers | ||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 1980–1986 | |||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||
| 1980–1984 | Chicago Bulls | |||||||||||||
| 1984–1986 | Los Angeles Lakers | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
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| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||
| Points | 1,816 (7.3 ppg) | |||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 473 (1.9 rpg) | |||||||||||||
| Assists | 1,003 (4.0 apg) | |||||||||||||
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Ronnie Lester (born January 1, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player. He also worked as a basketball executive. Lester was an All-American player at the University of Iowa. He led Iowa to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament in 1980.
In 1979, Lester was part of the USA Basketball team. They won a gold medal at the Pan American Games. He was picked 10th overall in the first round of the 1980 NBA draft. Even with injuries, Lester won an NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1985. After playing, he became a scout for the Lakers. He later became the team's assistant general manager. Lester spent 24 years with the Lakers, winning seven NBA titles in total. He then worked as a scout for the Phoenix Suns until 2015.
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Ronnie Lester's Early Life
Ronnie Lester was born in Canton, Mississippi. He grew up in a public housing project in Chicago, Illinois. His mother, Nadine, raised him and his three sisters. He went to Dunbar Vocational High School and graduated in 1976.
High School Basketball Career
Lester started playing varsity basketball at Dunbar High School as a sophomore. He was 5'6" tall then. Between his sophomore and junior years, he grew to 6'2". As a junior, he averaged 10 points and 10 assists per game.
In his senior year, Lester averaged 27 points per game. He led Dunbar to the Chicago Public League Championship playoffs. At first, colleges did not show much interest. But University of Iowa coach Lute Olson saw his talent. Olson was the first to recruit him.
Lester chose Iowa over other big schools. He felt Iowa truly wanted him. Coach Olson often drove to Chicago to visit Lester and his mother. Lester liked that he could play right away as a freshman at Iowa. He did not want to sit on the bench.
College and USA Basketball Career (1976–1980)
Ronnie Lester quickly made a big impact at Iowa. He started as a freshman. He helped Iowa succeed for all four years. He earned All-American honors in 1979. He was also named First Team All-Big Ten in 1978 and 1979. He led the Iowa Hawkeyes to a share of the 1979 Big Ten title. He also led them to the Final Four in the 1980 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.
As a freshman, Lester averaged 13.4 points and 3.6 assists. Iowa finished with 18 wins and 9 losses. In his sophomore year, he averaged 19.9 points and 6.0 assists. He was named to the All–Big Ten First Team.
In his junior year (1978–1979), Lester averaged 18.7 points and 5.3 assists. Iowa won the Big 10 Championship. They went to the 1979 NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament. Lester was named First Team All–Big 10 again. He also earned All–American Second Team honors.
Playing for Team USA (1979)
Lester played for Team USA in 1979. They won all nine games and took home the gold medal. This was at the Pan-American Games. Lester averaged 10.7 points in the tournament. The team was coached by Bobby Knight. Future Hall of Famers like Isiah Thomas and Kevin McHale were also on the team.
The 1980 Final Four Team
In the 1979–1980 season, Iowa made the NCAA tournament with an 18–8 record. This was despite Lester missing much of the season. He hurt his knee in the seventh game. Lester averaged 14.8 points and 4.2 assists that season.
Lester's knee injury happened in December. He was trying to score when his knee buckled. He missed most of the regular season. While he was out, other Iowa players also got hurt. The team faced many challenges. They were called the "Fabulous Few" because so few players were healthy.
Lester's knee got better, and he returned late in the season. He helped Iowa win key games. His #12 jersey was retired by Iowa in the season finale.
Iowa received a #5 seed in the NCAA tournament. Lester played well in the early rounds. He helped Iowa beat Virginia Commonwealth and North Carolina State. In the Elite Eight, Iowa faced #1 seed Syracuse. Iowa won 88–77.
In the East Regional Final, Iowa played Georgetown. Iowa came back from 14 points down to win 81–80. Lester's great passing helped Iowa shoot very well. This win sent Iowa to the Final Four.
In the NCAA National Semi–Final, Lester injured his knee again. This happened just 12 minutes into the game. He had scored 10 of Iowa's first 12 points. He could not return to the game. Iowa lost to Louisville 80–72. Louisville went on to win the championship. Coach Olson believed Iowa could have won the tournament if Lester had not been hurt.
Lester said it was frustrating to get hurt. But he was proud of his team's success. He said, "It’s a team game... that’s what it’s about, winning and losing as a team.”
College Career Summary
Even after coaching many great players, Coach Lute Olson called Lester the best player he ever coached. Hall of Famer Magic Johnson said Lester was the toughest opponent he faced in the Big Ten.
Lester finished his college career with 1675 points and 480 assists. He averaged 16.9 points and 4.8 assists per game. He was proud of winning a Big Ten championship and reaching the Final Four.
NBA Career
The Portland Trail Blazers drafted Lester in the first round of the 1980 NBA draft. He was the 10th pick overall. He was immediately traded to the Chicago Bulls. He played four seasons there. From 1984 to 1986, Lester played for the Los Angeles Lakers. He won an NBA championship with them in 1985. His NBA career was often affected by his knee injuries.
Playing for the Chicago Bulls (1980–1984)
On June 10, 1980, Lester was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers. But on the same day, he was traded to the Chicago Bulls. Other teams were worried about his knee injury. The Bulls wanted him despite this.
As a rookie in 1980–1981, Lester had knee surgery. He only played in eight games. The Bulls made the playoffs but lost to the Boston Celtics.
In 1981–1982, Lester had his best professional season. He played in 75 games. He averaged 11.6 points, 4.8 assists, and 2.8 rebounds.
He continued to play for the Bulls until 1984. His minutes and scoring decreased due to his knee issues.
Playing for the Los Angeles Lakers (1984–1986)
On November 16, 1984, the Chicago Bulls released Lester. On November 28, 1984, he signed with the Los Angeles Lakers. Lester would stay with the Lakers organization for 24 years. He won seven NBA championships with them: one as a player and six in other roles.
In 1984–1985, Lester was the backup to Magic Johnson. He averaged 2.8 points and 2.5 assists in 32 games. The Lakers won the NBA Championship that year. They beat the Boston Celtics 4–2 in the 1985 NBA Finals.
The 1985–1986 season was Lester's last as a player. He played in 27 games. The Lakers lost in the Western Conference Finals.
On October 2, 1986, the Lakers traded Lester to the Seattle SuperSonics. He was released by the SuperSonics later that month.
In total, Lester played 250 NBA games over five seasons. He averaged 7.3 points, 4.0 assists, and 1.9 rebounds per game. Lester said playing in the NBA was not fun for him because of his knee. He could not play as he wanted.
NBA Executive Career
In 1987, Lester started working for the Lakers as a scout. He later became the team's assistant general manager. He held this role until 2011. During his time in the Lakers' front office, he won six NBA championships. He also won 10 Western Conference championships.
Lester was the Lakers’ assistant general manager from 2001 to 2011. During this time, the team won four NBA championships. Before that, he was a scout for the Lakers from 1987 to 2001.
From 2011 to 2015, Lester worked as a scout for the Phoenix Suns.
Personal Life
When Ronnie Lester first signed with the Chicago Bulls, he bought a condominium for his mother. Later, he bought an apartment building where they both lived.
In 2009, Lester gave $100,000 to the University of Iowa Foundation. He asked for the training room at Carver-Hawkeye Arena to be named after John Streif. Streif was a longtime athletic trainer at Iowa. Lester said Streif was a great friend and dedicated to the Hawkeyes.
John Streif said Lester was one of the greatest basketball players at Iowa. He also said Lester was very humble. Streif remembered Lester asking him to help his mother move into her new home. This was a very emotional and rewarding experience for Streif.
In 2015 and 2016, Lester and Coach Lute Olson visited the University of Iowa together. They met with the team, former teammates, and fans.
In 2017, Lester was named one of the "100 Best Illinois High School Basketball Players Ever" by the Chicago Tribune.
Lester is divorced and has a daughter. He lives in Florida and is "semi-retired."
Helping Kenny Arnold
Ronnie Lester, Coach Lute Olson, and other Iowa teammates helped Kenny Arnold. Arnold was a key player on the 1980 Final Four team. He was diagnosed with brain cancer in 1985. Lester and his teammates supported Arnold for decades. In 2005, Lester flew Arnold to a reunion event. Olson also arranged for Arnold to get treatment in Arizona. Teammates called themselves "Teammates for Life." Lester hosted events to raise money for Arnold's foundation. Kenny Arnold passed away in April 2019.
Honors and Awards
- In 1980, the University of Iowa retired Lester's #12 jersey.
- Lester was inducted into the University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame in 1995.
- He was also inducted into the Des Moines Sunday Register's Iowa Sports Hall of Fame.
See also
In Spanish: Ronnie Lester para niños
