Maurice Lucas
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| Player information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Nickname | The Enforcer | |
| birthday | February 18, 1952 | |
| place of birth | Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania , United States | |
| date of death | October 31, 2010 | |
| Place of death | Portland , Oregon , United States | |
| size | 206 cm | |
| position | Power forward | |
| college | Marquette | |
| NBA draft | 1974 , 14th pick, Chicago Bulls | |
| Clubs as active | ||
1974–1975 Spirits of St. Louis (ABA) 1974–1975 Kentucky Colonels (ABA) 1976–1980 Portland Trail Blazers 1980–1981 New Jersey Nets 1981–1982 New York Knicks 1982–1985 Phoenix Suns 1985–1986 Los Angeles Lakers 1986– 1987 Seattle SuperSonics 1987–1988 Portland Trail Blazers
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Maurice "The Enforcer" Lucas (* 18th February 1952 in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania , † 31 October 2010 in Portland , Oregon ) was an American basketball player at the position of power forward , in 1977 with the Portland Trail Blazers , the NBA championship won.
biography
Lucas first played on the basketball team at Pittsburgh High School and then at Marquette University in Milwaukee . In 1974 he led the team of the Marquettes to win the championship in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) against North Carolina State University and was selected along with his future teammate at the Portland Trail Blazers Bill Walton for the All-Final Four team. In the 1973/74 season he scored an average of 15.8 points and rebounds in every game.
He then became a player of the Spirits of St. Louis and the Kentucky Colonels in the American Basketball Association (ABA), where he had an average of 15.2 points and 10.8 rebounds per game.
In the year of the merger of the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the ABA in 1976, the 2.06 meter tall Lucas player was with the Portland Trail Blazers and had an average of 20.2 points and 11.2 rebounds in his first season in 1976/77 per game. With a 4-2 win against the Philadelphia 76ers , Jack Ramsay's team won the first NBA championship in 1977.
In 1980 he moved to the New Jersey Nets and was later a player with the New York Knicks (1981/82), Phoenix Suns (1982-1985), the Los Angeles Lakers (1985/86) and the Seattle SuperSonics (1986/87). Most recently he played again with the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1987/88 season. During his twelve years in the NBA, Lucas not only averaged 14.4 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, but was also called up to the NBA All-Star Games five times .
His shirt number 20 was withdrawn in 1988 after his departure as an active player and no longer given again. From 2004 until his death, he was assistant coach to Head Coach Nate McMillan , although he was last absent from training sessions and games since November 2009, as he had to undergo operations for his bladder cancer .
The Marquette University later no longer awarded Lucas shirt number 20 and took Maurice Lucas into their Hall of Fame . Bill Walton named his son Luke Walton , a player with the LA Lakers, after him.
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Lucas, Maurice |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | The Enforcer |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American basketball player and coach |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 18, 1952 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania, USA |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 31, 2010 |
| Place of death | Portland , Oregon |