Manny Leaks
Emanuel Leaks, Jr. is an American former professional basketball player. Born in Cleveland, Leaks was a 6'8" forward/center who played at Niagara University from 1965 to 1968, he averaged 17.3 points and 15.1 rebounds per game over his collegiate career, pulled down 30 rebounds in a 1966 game against Syracuse University. Leaks was selected by the Detroit Pistons with the 20th pick of the 1968 NBA draft, but he began his professional career in the American Basketball Association, where he played four seasons as a member of the Kentucky Colonels, New York Nets, Dallas Chaparrals, Texas Chaparrals, Utah Stars, Floridians, he averaged 13.5 points and 9.9 rebounds per game during his stint in the ABA, which ended in 1972 in the wake of salary disputes with the Floridians. From 1972 to 1974, Leaks played in the NBA as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers and Capital Bullets, averaging 8.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game
Ron Williams (basketball)
Ronald Robert Williams was an American basketball player. A 6'3" guard from Weirton, West Virginia, Williams starred at West Virginia University in the mid-1960s, where he was one of the school's first African American basketball players, he was selected by the San Francisco Warriors with the ninth pick of the 1968 NBA draft, was drafted as a defensive back by the Dallas Cowboys in the 14th round of the 1968 NFL Draft. He played eight seasons in the NBA as a member of the Warriors, the Milwaukee Bucks, the Los Angeles Lakers. Williams averaged 9.3 points and 3.5 assists per game in his professional career and ranked third in the league in free throw percentage during the 1970–71 NBA season. After his playing career ended, Williams held several basketball coaching positions, including stints as an assistant coach at the University of California and Iona College, he died of a heart attack in 2004
NBA All-Rookie Team
The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches; the All-Rookie Team is composed of two five-man lineups, a first team and a second team. The players each receive two points for each first team vote and one point for each second team vote; the top five players with the highest point total make the first team, with the next five making the second team. In the case of a tie at the fifth position of either team, the roster is expanded. If the first team consists of six players due to a tie, the second team will still consist of five players with the potential for more expansion in the event of additional ties. Ties have occurred several times, most in 2012, when Kawhi Leonard, Iman Shumpert, Brandon Knight tied in votes received. No respect is given to positions. For example, the first team had four forwards, one guard in 2008, while the first team had four centers and one guard in 2016.
Nine All-Rookie Team members have won both the Rookie of the Year Award and the Most Valuable Player Award during their careers. Wilt Chamberlain and Wes Unseld are the only players to accomplish this feat in the same season; as of the end of the 2007–08 season, 29 members of the All-Rookie Team have been elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, 28 members were not born in the United States and 120 members are active in the NBA. National Basketball Association portal General Specific
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division; the team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, play at the Fiserv Forum. Former U. S. Senator Herb Kohl was the long-time owner of the team, but on April 16, 2014, a group led by billionaire hedge fund managers Wes Edens and Marc Lasry agreed to purchase a majority interest in the team from Kohl, a sale, approved by the owners of the NBA and its Board of Governors one month on May 16; the team is managed by Jon Horst, the team's former director of basketball operations, who took over for John Hammond in May 2017. The Bucks have won one league title, two conference titles, 14 division titles, they have featured such notable players as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Sidney Moncrief, Oscar Robertson, Bob Dandridge, Bob Lanier, Glenn Robinson, Ray Allen, Sam Cassell, Junior Bridgeman, Michael Redd, Terry Cummings, Vin Baker, Jon McGlocklin, Marques Johnson, Brian Winters.
On January 22, 1968, the NBA awarded a franchise to Milwaukee Professional Sports and Services, Inc. a group headed by Wesley Pavalon and Marvin Fishman. A fan contest was held to name the new team, with over 40,000 fans participating. While the most-voted fan entry was the Robins, named for Wisconsin's state bird, the contest judges went with the second-most popular choice, the Bucks, a reference to Wisconsin's official wild animal, the white-tailed deer. One fan, R. D. Trebilcox, was awarded a new car for his part in reasoning why the Bucks was a good nickname, saying that bucks were "spirited, good jumpers and agile." The Bucks marked a return of the NBA to Milwaukee after 13 years. In October, the Bucks played their first NBA regular-season game against the Chicago Bulls before a Milwaukee Arena crowd of 8,467; as is typical with expansion teams, the Bucks' first season was a struggle. Their first victory came in their sixth game as the Bucks beat the Detroit Pistons 134–118; the Bucks' record that year earned them a coin flip against their expansion cousins, the Phoenix Suns, to see who would get the first pick in the upcoming draft.
It was considered a foregone conclusion that the first pick in the draft would be Lew Alcindor of UCLA. The Bucks won the coin flip, but had to win a bidding war with the upstart American Basketball Association to secure him. Despite the Bucks' stroke of fortune in landing Alcindor, no one expected what happened in 1969–70, they finished with a 56–26 record – a nearly exact reversal of the previous year and good enough for the second-best record in the league, behind the New York Knicks. The 29-game improvement was the best in league history – a record which would stand for 10 years until the Boston Celtics jumped from 29 wins in 1978–79 to 61 in 1979–80; the Bucks defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in five games in the Eastern semifinals, only to be dispatched in five by the Knicks in the Eastern finals. Alcindor was a runaway selection for NBA Rookie of the Year; the following season, the Bucks got an unexpected gift when they acquired Oscar Robertson, known as the "Big O", in a trade with the Cincinnati Royals.
Subsequently, in only their third season, the Bucks finished 66–16 – the second-most wins in NBA history at the time, still the most in franchise history. During the regular season, the Bucks recorded, they steamrolled through the playoffs with a dominating 12–2 record, winning the NBA Championship on April 30, 1971, by sweeping the Baltimore Bullets in four games. By winning it all in only their third season, the Bucks became the fastest expansion team in the history of North American sports to win a championship; as of 2018, it remains the only title in team history. The Bucks remained a powerhouse for the first half of the 1970s. In 1972, they recorded their third consecutive 60-win season. During the year, Lew Alcindor changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Milwaukee beat the Warriors in the playoffs 4–1, but lost the conference finals to Los Angeles 4–2. Injuries resulted in an early 1973 playoff exit, but the Bucks were back in the 1974 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics. In game six of the series, Abdul-Jabbar made his famous "sky hook" shot to end a classic double-overtime victory for the Bucks.
The Bucks lost the series to the Celtics. As the 1974–1975 season began, Abdul-Jabbar suffered a hand injury and the team got off to a 3–13 start. After his return, other injuries befell Milwaukee, sending them to the bottom of their division with 38 wins and 44 losses; when the season ended, Abdul-Jabbar made the stunning announcement that he no longer wished to play for the Bucks, stating that he needed the big city, requesting a trade to either Los Angeles or New York City. The front office was unable to convince him otherwise and on June 16, 1975, the Bucks pulled a mega-trade by sending Abdul-Jabbar to the Lakers for Elmore Smith, Junior Bridgeman, Brian Winters and David Meyers; the trade triggered a series of events. The Bucks' largest stockholder, cable television executive Jim Fitzgerald, opposed the trade and wanted to sell his stock. Although Fitzgerald was the largest stockholder, he did not own enough stock to control the team. After the deal, the Bucks
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division; the team played its home games in the Memorial Coliseum before moving to Moda Center in 1995. The franchise entered the league as an expansion team in 1970, has enjoyed a strong following: from 1977 through 1995, the team sold out 814 consecutive home games, the longest such streak in American major professional sports at the time, only since surpassed by the Boston Red Sox; the Trail Blazers have been the only NBA team based in the bi-national Pacific Northwest, after the Vancouver Grizzlies relocated to Memphis and became the Memphis Grizzlies in 2001, the Seattle SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City and became the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2008. The team has advanced to the NBA Finals three times, winning the NBA championship once in 1977.
Their other NBA Finals appearances were in 1990 and 1992. The team has qualified for the playoffs in 34 seasons of their 48-season existence, including a streak of 21 straight appearances from 1983 through 2003, tied for the second longest streak in NBA history; the Trail Blazers' 34 playoff appearances rank third in the NBA only behind the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs since the team's inception in 1970. Six Hall of Fame players have played for the Trail Blazers. Bill Walton is the franchise's most decorated player. Four Blazer rookies have won the NBA Rookie of the Year award. Three players have earned the Most Improved Player award: Kevin Duckworth, Zach Randolph, CJ McCollum. Two Hall of Fame coaches, Lenny Wilkens and Jack Ramsay, have patrolled the sidelines for the Blazers, two others, Mike Schuler and Mike Dunleavy, have won the NBA Coach of the Year Award with the team. Sports promoter Harry Glickman sought a National Basketball Association franchise for Portland as far back as 1955 when he proposed two new expansion teams, the other to be located in Los Angeles.
When the Memorial Coliseum was opened in 1960 Glickman saw the potential it could serve as a professional basketball venue but it was not until February 6, 1970, that the NBA board of governors granted him the rights to a franchise in Portland. To raise the money for the $3.7 million admission tax, Glickman associated himself to real estate magnates Robert Schmertz of New Jersey, Larry Weinberg of Los Angeles and Herman Sarkowsky of Seattle. Two weeks on February 24, team management held a contest to select the team's name and received more than 10,000 entries; the most popular choice was "Pioneers", but that name was excluded from consideration as it was used by sports teams at Portland's Lewis & Clark College. The name "Trail Blazers" received 172 entries, was selected by the judging panel, being revealed on March 13 in the halftime of a SuperSonics game at the Memorial Coliseum. Derived from the trail blazing activity by explorers making paths through forests, Glickman considered it a name that could "reflect both the ruggedness of the Pacific Northwest and the start of a major league era in our state."
Despite initial mixed response, the Trail Blazers name shortened to just "Blazers", became popular in Oregon. Along with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Buffalo Braves, the Trail Blazers entered the NBA in 1970 as an expansion team, under coach Rolland Todd. Geoff Petrie and Sidney Wicks led the team in its early years, the team failed to qualify for the playoffs in its first six seasons of existence. During that span, the team had three head coaches; the team won the first pick in the NBA draft twice during that span. In 1972, the team drafted LaRue Martin with the number one pick. In 1974 the team selected Bill Walton from UCLA; the ABA–NBA merger of 1976 saw those two rival leagues join forces. Four ABA teams joined the NBA; the Trail Blazers selected Maurice Lucas in the dispersal draft. That summer, they hired Jack Ramsay as head coach; the two moves, coupled with the team's stellar play, led Portland to several firsts: winning record, playoff appearance, championship in 1977. Starting on April 5 of that year, the team began a sellout streak of 814 straight games—the longest in American major professional sports history—which did not end until 1995, after the team moved into a larger facility.
The team started the 1977–78 season with a 50–10 mark, some predicted a dynasty in Portland. However, Bill Walton suffered a foot injury that ended his season and would plague him over the remainder of his career, the team struggled to an 8–14 finish, going 58–24 overall. In the playoffs, Portland lost to the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1978 conference semifinals; that summer, Walton demanded to be traded to a team of his choice because he was unhappy with his medical treatment in Portland. Walton was never traded, he held out the entire 1978–79 season and left the team as a free agent thereafter; the team was further dismantled as Lucas left in 1980. During the 1980s, the team was a consistent presence in the NBA post-season, failing to qualify for the playoffs only in 1982. However, they never advanced past the conference semifinals duri
South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball
The South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball team represents the University of South Carolina and competes in the Southeastern Conference. The Gamecocks won Southern Conference titles in 1927, 1933, 1934, 1945, they gained national attention under hall of fame coach Frank McGuire, posting a 205–65 record from 1967–1976, which included the 1970 Atlantic Coast Conference championship, the 1971 ACC Tournament title, four consecutive NCAA tournament appearances from 1971–1974; the program won the 1997 SEC championship, National Invitation Tournament titles in 2005 and 2006, a share of the 2009 SEC Eastern division title. Most the Gamecocks won the 2017 NCAA East Regional Championship, reaching the Final Four for the first time in school history. Frank Martin is the current head coach, the team plays at the 18,000-seat Colonial Life Arena. South Carolina achieved a measure of regional prominence during its tenure in the Southern Conference, winning regular season championships in 1927, 1933, 1934, 1945.
The program won the conference's tournament championship in 1933. During World War II, the basketball team's success was attributed to being assigned outstanding athletes by the U. S. Navy as part of the V-12 program. However, the Navy leaders kept the teams focus towards the war effort, USC declined an invitation to the Southern Conference Tournament in 1944; the hiring of Frank McGuire before the 1964–65 season propelled South Carolina to its most successful period to date. McGuire's 16-year tenure was highlighted by an undefeated ACC regular season in 1970, an ACC Tournament championship in 1971, three consecutive Sweet 16 appearances from 1971 to 1973. USC posted a 69–16 overall record from 1968 to 1971, John Roche won consecutive ACC Player of the Year Awards. In November 1968, the Gamecocks began playing at the 12,401 seat Carolina Coliseum, which became known as the "House that Frank Built." The success South Carolina achieved on the court brought resentment and anger from fellow ACC schools those on "Tobacco Road," as the conference members of the state of North Carolina were known.
The hostility of the road crowds, the unfriendly behavior of coaches and athletic directors in the conference, the discrepancies in eligibility standards led McGuire to support South Carolina becoming an Independent before the 1971–72 season. As an Independent, the program declined, the University sought entrance into an athletic conference; this proved problematic because most conferences required schools to have a single athletic director, South Carolina had multiple directors at the time. McGuire served as Athletic Director for the basketball program, he would not relinquish his position; the University made several attempts to obtain McGuire's resignation, but honored his contract through 1980. McGuire finished with a 283–142 overall record at South Carolina and continues to be held in high regard by Gamecock fans, his six consecutive 20-win seasons from 1969 to 1974, which produced a 137–33 record, remain the benchmark for USC Basketball. In 1983, the University became affiliated with the Metro Conference.
The basketball program was placed on probation by the NCAA in the spring of 1987 for two years because of recruiting violations and the sale of complimentary player tickets. From 1987 to 1991, George Felton led the Gamecocks to an 87–62 overall record, which included a 1989 NCAA Tournament appearance and a 1991 NIT berth. For three of Felton's five seasons, Tubby Smith served as an assistant coach before leaving to join Rick Pitino's staff at Kentucky. South Carolina joined the SEC before the 1992 season and struggled, posting a combined 20–35 record in 1992 and 1993. Eddie Fogler was hired away from Vanderbilt before the 1994 season and within a few years returned the Gamecocks to respectability. Under Fogler, South Carolina posted an impressive 66–28 record during the 1996–1998 stretch, which included the school's first SEC championship in 1997; the 1997 Gamecocks posted a 15–1 record in SEC play and defeated league rival Kentucky twice, but lost in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament. Fogler stepped down after the 2001 campaign, going 123–117 in eight seasons as the Gamecocks' head coach.
His tenure included two NIT appearances. Fogler retired as one of the most successful head coaches in SEC Basketball history, having won regular season conference championships at both Vanderbilt and South Carolina. Subsequent coach Dave Odom posted four 20-win seasons during his tenure at South Carolina, he led the Gamecocks to an appearance in the 2004 NCAA Tournament and consecutive NIT championships in 2005 and 2006. Odom's tenure saw USC begin play at the 18,000 seat Colonial Life Arena during the 2002–2003 season. Following the 2007–2008 campaign, Odom resigned with a 128–104 overall record at USC. On April 1, 2008, Darrin Horn was named the new head basketball coach at USC. In his first season, Horn led the Gamecocks to a 21–10 record, two victories over Kentucky, a share of the 2009 SEC Eastern Division title. After a 10–21 campaign in 2011–12, his third straight losing season, Horn was fired on March 13, 2012, finishing his tenure at Carolina with a 60–63 overall record and a 23–45 mark in the SEC.
Frank Martin came to USC from Kansas State, where he had enjoyed five winning seasons and four NCAA Tournament appearances, including an Elite Eight appearance with the Wildcats in 2010. After losing records in his first two seasons with the Gamecocks, he achieved a winning season in 2015 reached the NIT in 2016, broke through into the 2017 NCAA Tournament, the program's first appearance in the eve
Wes Unseld
Westley Sissel Unseld is an American former basketball player. He spent his entire NBA career with the Baltimore/Capital/Washington Bullets, was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1988. Unseld starred for the Seneca High School team that won Kentucky state championships in 1963 and 1964. At the University of Louisville in 1965, he played center for the school's freshman team, averaging 35.8 points and 23.6 rebounds over 14 games. Unseld lettered for Louisville as a sophomore and senior, scored 1,686 points and grabbed 1,551 rebounds over 82 games, he led the Missouri Valley Conference in rebounding all three years. Unseld earned NCAA All-American honors in 1967 and 1968 and led Louisville to a 60–22 record during his collegiate career, making trips to the NIT tournament in 1966 and NCAA tournament in 1967 and 1968, he is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. Unseld was drafted by the Kentucky Colonels in the 1968 American Basketball Association draft, was drafted second overall in the first round by the Baltimore Bullets in the 1968 NBA draft.
As a rookie, Unseld helped lead the Bullets to a 57 -- a division title. Unseld averaged 18.2 rebounds per game that year, became the second player to win the Rookie of the Year Award and the Most Valuable Player Award in the same year. Unseld was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, claimed the Sporting News MVP that year. Unseld was one of the best defensive players of his era, in 1975, he led the NBA in rebounding; the following season, he led the NBA in field goal percentage with a.561 percentage. Famed for his rebounding, bone-jarring picks and ability to ignite a fast break with his crisp, accurate outlet passes, Unseld made up for his lack of size with brute strength and sheer determination. Unseld took the Bullets franchise to four NBA Finals, won the championship in 1978 over the Seattle SuperSonics, in which he was named the Finals MVP, he ended his playing career following the 1980–1981 season, his #41 jersey was retired by the Bullets shortly thereafter. In 984 NBA games – all with the Bullets – Unseld averaged a double-double, with averages of 10.8 points and 14.0 rebounds per game, as well as 3.9 assists per game, averaging over 36 minutes played per game.
Unseld was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1988, in 1996, he was named as one of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players of all time. After his retirement in 1981, he moved into a front office position with the Bullets, where he served as vice president for six years before being named head coach in 1988, he resigned following the 1994 season with a 202–345 record. Unseld became the team's general manager in 1996 and guided the team to the playoffs once during his tenure. Unseld's wife, opened Unselds School in 1979. A coed private school located in southwest Baltimore, it has a daycare program, nursery school and a kindergarten-to-eighth grade curriculum. Connie and daughter Kimberley serve as teachers at the school. Unseld works as an office head basketball coach, his son, Wes Unseld Jr. is the assistant coach of the Denver Nuggets. List of National Basketball Association career rebounding leaders List of National Basketball Association career playoff rebounding leaders List of National Basketball Association annual rebounding leaders List of National Basketball Association players with most rebounds in a game List of NCAA Division I men's basketball career rebounding leaders List of University of Louisville people List of people from the Louisville metropolitan area NBA.com profile Wes Unseld at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
