Sam Lacey facts for kids
Lacey in 1971
|
|
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 28, 1948 Indianola, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Died | March 14, 2014 (aged 66) Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
| High school | Gentry (Indianola, Mississippi) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Listed weight | 235 lb (107 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | New Mexico State (1967–1970) |
| NBA Draft | 1970 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5th overall |
| Selected by the Cincinnati Royals | |
| Pro career | 1970–1983 |
| Career history | |
| 1970–1981 | Cincinnati Royals / Kansas City-Omaha Kings / Kansas City Kings |
| 1981–1982 | New Jersey Nets |
| 1982–1983 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 10,303 (10.3 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 9,687 (9.7 rpg) |
| Blocks | 1,160 (1.5 bpg) |
Samuel Lacey (born March 28, 1948 – died March 14, 2014) was a talented American basketball player. He played most of his career with the Royals and Kings teams. Sam was chosen as an All-Star player in 1975. His jersey number 44 was later retired by the Kings team, which is a big honor!
Contents
Sam Lacey's College Basketball Journey
Sam Lacey was a tall center at 6 feet 10 inches. He played college basketball at New Mexico State University. During his three years there, his team, the Aggies, had an amazing record of 74 wins and only 14 losses.
In the 1969–70 season, Sam and his teammate Jimmy Collins led the Aggies to their first and only Final Four appearance. They beat teams like Rice University, Kansas State University, and Drake University. They finally lost to UCLA, who won the championship that year.
However, the Aggies won their third-place game against St. Bonaventure. They finished the season with an impressive 27 wins and 3 losses. Sam Lacey was even named a first-team All-American by Basketball News. In 2007–08, Sam was one of the first players to be added to the Aggies Ring of Honor. He still holds many rebounding records for New Mexico State.
Sam Lacey's NBA Career Highlights
Sam Lacey was picked fifth overall in the 1970 NBA draft by the Cincinnati Royals. He played for 13 seasons (from 1970 to 1983) in the National Basketball Association. He played for the Royals, Kansas City Kings, New Jersey Nets, and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Sam was known for his rebounding skills. He grabbed more than 10 rebounds per game in his first six seasons! In the 1974–75 season, he was the third-best rebounder in the NBA. His best season was in 1973–74. That year, he averaged 14.2 points and 13.4 rebounds per game.
On November 25, 1973, Sam had a career-high 26 rebounds in one game. He also scored 20 points and had 6 assists. He was named an All-Star in 1975. That season, he averaged 11.5 points, 14.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists. On February 5, 1975, Sam also set a career record with 8 steals in a single game.
During the 1981 NBA Playoffs, Sam Lacey was a key leader for the Kansas City Kings. Even though the team had a regular season record of 40 wins and 42 losses, they made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals. Sam averaged 10 points, 8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.9 steals during those playoffs. The Kings were eventually eliminated by Moses Malone and the Houston Rockets.
Sam Lacey is one of only five NBA players to have recorded 100 blocks and 100 steals in six seasons in a row. The other players are Hakeem Olajuwon, Julius Erving, David Robinson, and Ben Wallace. His jersey number 44 is retired by the Sacramento Kings.
When Sam Lacey retired in 1983, he had collected 9,687 rebounds and scored 10,303 points. As of 2014, Sam Lacey ranked 40th for total rebounds in NBA history.
Sam Lacey's 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 Games
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970–71 | Cincinnati | 81 | – | 32.7 | .418 | – | .687 | 11.3 | 1.4 | – | – | 13.5 |
| 1971–72 | Cincinnati | 81 | – | 35.0 | .422 | – | .704 | 12.0 | 2.1 | – | – | 11.6 |
| 1972–73 | Kansas City–Omaha | 79 | – | 37.1 | .474 | – | .708 | 11.8 | 2.4 | – | – | 13.5 |
| 1973–74 | Kansas City–Omaha | 79 | – | 39.3 | .476 | – | .749 | 13.4 | 3.8 | 1.6 | 2.3 | 14.2 |
| 1974–75 | Kansas City–Omaha | 81 | – | 41.7 | .427 | – | .754 | 14.2 | 5.3 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 11.5 |
| 1975–76 | Kansas City | 81 | – | 38.1 | .401 | – | .759 | 12.6 | 4.7 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 12.8 |
| 1976–77 | Kansas City | 82 | – | 31.6 | .422 | – | .762 | 9.0 | 4.7 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 10.6 |
| 1977–78 | Kansas City | 77 | – | 27.7 | .449 | – | .717 | 8.3 | 3.9 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 8.6 |
| 1978–79 | Kansas City | 82 | – | 32.0 | .502 | – | .739 | 8.6 | 5.2 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 10.6 |
| 1979–80 | Kansas City | 81 | – | 29.8 | .448 | .000 | .741 | 8.0 | 5.7 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 9.2 |
| 1980–81 | Kansas City | 82 | – | 27.2 | .442 | .200 | .786 | 7.1 | 4.9 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 6.9 |
| 1981–82 | Kansas City | 2 | 1 | 10.0 | .600 | – | .000 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | .5 | 3.0 |
| 1981–82 | New Jersey | 54 | 6 | 12.0 | .430 | .000 | .771 | 1.9 | 1.4 | .4 | .7 | 2.9 |
| 1982–83 | Cleveland | 60 | 33 | 20.5 | .420 | .222 | .784 | 3.9 | 2.0 | .5 | .4 | 4.2 |
| Career | 1,002 | 40 | 31.8 | .441 | .188 | .738 | 9.7 | 3.7 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 10.3 | |
| All-Star | 1 | 0 | 17.0 | .333 | – | 1.000 | 7.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 6.0 | |
Playoff Games
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Kansas City–Omaha | 6 | – | 44.0 | .377 | – | .611 | 15.7 | 5.0 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 9.5 |
| 1979 | Kansas City | 5 | – | 35.2 | .381 | – | .789 | 10.2 | 4.2 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 9.4 |
| 1980 | Kansas City | 3 | – | 33.7 | .381 | 1.000 | .750 | 7.3 | 4.3 | 2.3 | .7 | 6.7 |
| 1981 | Kansas City | 15 | – | 35.5 | .420 | .000 | .857 | 8.0 | 5.3 | 1.9 | 1.5 | 10.0 |
| Career | 29 | – | 37.0 | .401 | .250 | .776 | 9.9 | 5.0 | 1.9 | 1.5 | 9.4 | |
Sam Lacey's Passing
Sam Lacey passed away at his home in Kansas City, Missouri on March 14, 2014. He was 65 years old, just six days shy of his 66th birthday.
See also
In Spanish: Sam Lacey para niños
- List of National Basketball Association career rebounding leaders
