Bob Lanier (basketball)

Bob Lanier

Lanier in 2004
Personal information
Born	(1948-09-10) September 10, 1948 (age 72) Buffalo, New York
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight	250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
High school	Bennett (Buffalo, New York)
College	St. Bonaventure (1967–1970)
NBA draft	1970 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall
Selected by the Detroit Pistons
Playing career	1970–1984
Position	Center
Number	16
Career history
As player:
1970–1980	Detroit Pistons
1980–1984	Milwaukee Bucks
As coach:
1994–1995	Golden State Warriors (assistant)
1995	Golden State Warriors (interim)
Career highlights and awards
8× NBA All-Star (1972–1975, 1977–1979, 1982) NBA All-Star Game MVP (1974) NBA All-Rookie First Team (1971) J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award (1978) No. 16 retired by Detroit Pistons No. 16 retired by Milwaukee Bucks Consensus first-team All-American (1970) Consensus second-team All-American (1968) Second-team All-American – AP, NABC, UPI (1969) No. 31 retired by St. Bonaventure Bonnies
Career statistics
Points	19,248 (20.1 ppg)
Rebounds	9,698 (10.1 rpg)
Blocks	1,100 (1.5 bpg)
Stats   at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Basketball Hall of Fame as player
College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2006

Robert Jerry Lanier Jr. (born September 10, 1948) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Lanier was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992.

In his 14 NBA seasons, Lanier averaged 20.1 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 1.1 steals while shooting 51.4 percent from the field. He played in eight NBA All-Star Games, and was named Most Valuable Player of the 1974 game. He has had his #16 jersey retired by both the Pistons and the Bucks and his #31 jersey retired by St. Bonaventure University. Lanier is an NBA ambassador.

Early life

Robert Jerry Lanier Jr. was born on September 10, 1948, in Buffalo, New York, the son of Robert Sr. and Nannette Lanier. ^[1]

Growing up in Buffalo, Lanier initially was rejected in his basketball efforts. Trying out for his grammar school team, Lanier was told by a coach that his feet ( size 11 at age 11) were too large for him to be a successful athlete. Although he was 6-foot-5 by age 16, Lanier didn't make the varsity basketball squad in his sophomore year at Bennett High School under coach Nick Mogavero because he was deemed too clumsy. ^{[1] [2]}

In his junior year, he was encouraged to try out again by new coach Fred Schwepker, who had Lanier in Biology class. Lanier tried out again. Lanier averaged 21.5 points for Bennett High School and was named to the All-City team as a junior. In his senior year, he averaged 25.0 points and he earned All-Western New York State honors. Both years he led Bennett to Buffalo city titles. ^{[1] [3] [2]} After his successes under coach Schwepker, Lanier graduated in 1966. ^[4]

Lanier was initially rejected by his first college choice, Buffalo's Canisius College, because of his grades. But, as he was recruited by more than 100 other schools, he then elected to attend St. Bonaventure University, in Allegany, New York, under Coach Larry Weise. ^[3]

“There was recruiting competition, but the advantage I had, and what I sold was that his parents could come watch him play,’’ Said Coach Weise. “He picked St. Bonaventure. His parents were at every game.’’ ^[5]

College career

Lanier was a three-time Converse All-America selection (1968–1970), playing for coach Weise at St. Bonaventure. In 1970, he led the St. Bonaventure to the NCAA Final Four. He injured his knee near the end of the regional championship game in a collision with Villanova's Chris Ford and did not participate in St. Bonaventure's National Semifinal loss to Jacksonville University with center Artis Gilmore. That year he was named Coach and Athlete Magazine player of the year, and the ECAC Player of the Year.

Sophomore (1967–1968)

As a 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) sophomore in the 1967–68 season, after having played on the freshman team the previous year per NCAA rules at the time, Lanier made an immediate national impact, as he led the St. Bonaventure (13–9 in the previous season) to an undefeated regular season (26–0) and a no. 3 final poll ranking. Lanier averaged 26.2 points and 15.6 rebounds. ^[6] Against Loyola Maryland, Lanier had 27 rebounds, leading St. Bonaventure to a 94–78 victory. ^[2]

In the 23-team 1968 NCAA Tournament, Lanier led St. Bonaventure to a 102–93 victory over Boston College and coach Bob Cousy. The Bonies were then defeated 91–72 by North Carolina and coach Dean Smith in the East Regional Semifinal, ending their undefeated season. ^[6] Lanier had 32 points and 15 rebounds in the victory over Boston College and 23 points with 9 rebounds in the North Carolina loss. Lanier then fouled out, scoring 18 points with 13 rebounds in the third-place East Region game, a 92–75 loss to Columbia. ^[7]

Lanier as a junior at St. Bonaventure.

Lanier was named second-team All-American, behind Lew Alcindor at center. ^[8]

Junior (1968–1969)

In the 1968–69 season, St. Bonaventure finished 17–7 without any postseason invitations, after starting the season 3–5. ^[9] Against Seton Hall, Lanier scored 51 points, the single-game scoring record for St. Bonaventure. ^[2] Lanier, averaged 27.3 points and 15.6 rebounds in 24 games.

Lanier was again named second-team All-American, behind Lew Alcindor at center. ^[8]

During his junior year, Lanier was approached by representatives of the American Basketball Association's New York Nets, who reportedly offered him $1.2 million to leave school early and join the ABA. However, following his father's advice, Lanier chose to remain in school. ^[1]

Senior: NCAA Tournament and knee injury (1969–1970)

Lanier averaged 29.2 points and 16.0 rebounds as St. Bonaventure finished the 1969–70 regular season 25–1 (with the only loss at Villanova 64–62) and a no. 3 national ranking.

In the 25-team 1970 NCAA Tournament, Lanier led St. Bonaventure to an 80–72 victory over Davidson College with 28 points and 15 rebounds; he had 24 points and 19 rebounds in an 80–68 victory over NC State, and 26 points and 14 rebounds in the 97–74 victory over Villanova, as St. Bonaventure to advanced to the Final Four. ^{[10] [11]}

However, Lanier injured his knee near the end of the regional championship game in a collision with Villanova's Chris Ford. It was severe enough that he could not play in the Final Four and eventually required surgery, the first of eight surgeries on Lanier's knees. ^{[5] [12]}

In the Final Four, the Bonnies lost to Jacksonville University with future Hall of Fame center Artis Gilmore. St. Bonaventure was whistled for 32 personal fouls and outscored 37–15 at the free-throw line, in the 91–83 loss. In the third-place game, the Bonnies lost to NM State to finish the season 25–3. ^[5]

"Every year at this time you start thinking about it and my players start thinking about it," reflected Coach Larry Weise at age 81. "We have a reunion every three, four years and it’s the same with them. It was a magical moment in our lives, no question. In our hearts, we knew we were good enough to win the championship." ^[5]

"I think I appreciate it even more than my (college) teammates," Lanier reflected on the Final Four in 1985, "because I had a basis for comparison. It wasn't the money, or who got the 'numbers' like in the NBA. We weren't any big stars, it was a couple of guys from Buffalo and a guy from Troy all blending together." ^[12]

Lanier was named first-team All-American at center, alongside future Hall of Famers Dan Issel (Kentucky), Pete Maravich (LSU) and Calvin Murphy (Niagara), along with College Basketball Hall of Famer Rick Mount (Purdue). ^[8] Lanier graduated from St. Bonaventure with a degree in business administration. ^[2]

Lanier holds St. Bonaventure records for scoring and rebounding, averaging 27.6 points and 15.7 rebounds, with 57% shooting in 75 career games. ^{[13] [14]}

Professional career

Detroit Pistons (1970–1980)

Lanier was the number one overall pick by the National Basketball Association's Detroit Pistons in the 1970 NBA draft. He was also a territorial pick by the New York Nets of the American Basketball Association in the 1970 ABA Draft. The Nets had approached Lanier about turning professional after his junior year of college, but he declined because he felt St. Bonaventure could compete for a national championship. ^{[15] [16]}

Still recovering from knee surgery, Lanier signed with the Pistons, who eagerly presented him his NBA contract while he was still in the hospital recuperating from his knee surgery. Lanier reported to Pistons training camp limping, in significant pain, and overweight from his long period of inactivity following the surgery. ^[1]

Lanier played while still recovering from surgery. He was named to the 1971 NBA All-Rookie Team, averaging 15.6 points and 8.1 rebounds, for the 45–37 Pistons, in 24 minutes per game under Coach Butch van Breda Kolff. ^[16]

"I wasn't healthy when I got to the league," Lanier reflected. "I shouldn’t have played my first year. But there was so much pressure from them to play, I would have been much better off—and our team would have been much better served—if I had just sat out that year and worked on my knee. My knee was so sore every single day that it was ludicrous to be doing what I was doing." ^[16]

Lanier rehabilitated his knee with the help of Coach van Breda Kolff, who had Lanier stay at his beachfront house for 2½ weeks to run in the sand and strengthen his knee and legs. ^[16]

Lanier became a star for Detroit, playing alongside teammate Dave Bing and averaging more than 21 points per game for each of the next eight seasons, with a high mark of 25.7 PPG in the 1971–72 season, and more than 11 rebounds per game in seven straight seasons. Lanier's latter years in Detroit were marred by recurring injuries, as he never played more than 64 games in any of his last four seasons as a Piston.

Detroit was a franchise in constant transition. Lanier played under eight coaches in ten seasons: Butch van Breda Kolff (1970–1971), Terry Dischinger (1971), Earl Lloyd (1971–1972), Ray Scott (1972–1975), Herb Brown (1975–1977), Bob Kauffman (1977–1978), Dick Vitale (1978–1979) and Richie Adubato (1979–1980). Each coach was hired or fired mid-season. ^[17]

Of his time in Detroit, Lanier said, "I think '73–74 was our best team [52–30]. We had Dave [Bing], Stu Lantz, John Mengelt, Chris Ford, Don Adams, Curtis Rowe, George Trapp. But then for some reason, they traded six guys off that team before the following year. I just didn’t feel we ever had the leadership. I think we had [seven] head coaches in my 10 years there. That was a rough time because, at the end of every year, you'd be so despondent."

Lanier played in seven NBA All-Star games with the Pistons and was the MVP of the 1974 NBA All-Star Game. ^[18]

In his ten seasons with the Pistons, Lanier averaged a double-double 22.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.2 steals in 681 games for Detroit. Lanier is the Pistons' all-time leader in scoring average (22.7 ppg) and ranks second in total rebounds (8,063) and third in total points (15,488). ^{[3] [18]}

Milwaukee Bucks (1980–1984)

February 4, 1980, Lanier was traded by the Detroit Pistons to the Milwaukee Bucks for Kent Benson and a 1980 1st round draft pick (Larry Drew was later selected). ^[18]

In Lanier's five seasons with the Bucks, they won the Midwest Division championship each year under Coach Don Nelson, with Lanier playing alongside teammates Marques Johnson, Sidney Moncrief, Quinn Buckner, Junior Bridgeman and Dave Cowens. Still highly effective, with aging knees, Lanier played a key role with the Bucks while averaging nearly 10 minutes less per game in his Milwaukee tenure that he had in Detroit (36.2 to 26.8). ^[18]

Of going to Milwaukee, "I wanted the trade." Lanier said. "I got to Milwaukee... and the people gave me a standing ovation and really made me feel welcome. It was the start of a positive change. I just wish I had played with that kind of talent around me when I was young. But if I had had Marques [Johnson] and Sidney [Moncrief] and all of them around me? Damn." ^[16]

Lanier officially retired from the Milwaukee Bucks on September 24, 1984. ^[18]

In 278 games with the Bucks, Lanier averaged 26 minutes and 13.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.0 steals. He played in the 1982 All-Star Game with Milwaukee. ^[18]

NBA career totals

For his fourteen-season career, Lanier played in 959 games, averaging 20.1 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.1 steals. He scored 19,248 total points and had 9,698 total rebounds. ^[18]

In 67 career playoff games, Lanier averaged 18.6 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 blocks. Lanier played in eight NBA All-Star Games. ^{[3] [18]}

"Bob probably wasn't as good a total player as he could have been because of the knee injury," said Hall of Famer Willis Reed, acknowledging, "He probably was one of the best all-around big men ever to play the game of basketball." ^[12]

Coaching career

In the 1994–95 season, Lanier was hired as an assistant coach under his former coach Don Nelson with the Golden State Warriors. Lanier was named the interim head coach on February 13, 1995, after Nelson resigned. He compiled a 12–25 win-loss record in 37 games, as the Warriors finished 26–56 overall. ^{[19] [20]}

Personal life

Lanier signing autographs for USS Nimitz sailors in 2003

Lanier currently owns and operates Bob Lanier Enterprises, Inc., a promotional marketing company and is a member of the Proforma network. ^[21]

From 2005 to the present day, Lanier has been the NBA Cares Global Ambassador. Lanier routinely works with youth-serving programs that support education, youth, and family development, and health-related causes. ^[22] At the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, visitors are able to compare the size of their foot to that of Lanier's. The largest shoe ever created by shoe company Allen Edmonds was a size 22 for Lanier.

Lanier was a spokesperson and chairman of the NBA's "Stay In School" program (later renamed Read to Achieve) from 1989 to 1994. ^[3]

According to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Lanier would smoke cigarettes during halftime breaks. Abdul-Jabbar would try to take advantage of this by forcing Lanier to run more during the second half. ^[23] In the movie Airplane! , Abdul-Jabbar also references Lanier when he says to little Joey: "Tell your old man to drag Walton and Lanier up and down the court for 48 minutes."

In March 2018, St. Bonaventure won its first game in the NCAA Tournament since 1970, defeating UCLA. Coach Mark Schmidt said, "It can't get better. Our guys just fought, we persevered. ... In 1970, you know, Bob Lanier got hurt, and didn't have a chance to play UCLA and ... this is for him." ^[24] “When I got the job here 11 years ago, we hear the stories about 1970,” Schmidt said. “And everybody talks about if Lanier was healthy, they would have taken on UCLA. This victory is for those guys.” ^[25]

Honors

• Lanier was inducted into the St. Bonaventure Athletics Hall of Fame in 1975. ^[26]
• St. Bonaventure retired Lanier's #31 jersey. ^[26]
• In 1978, Lanier was selected by the Professional Basketball Writers Association (PBWA) as the recipient of the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award for outstanding community service. ^[22]
• In 1981, the YMCA organization presented Lanier with the "Jackie Robinson Award." The award is given for service to youth, good citizenship and leadership. ^[22]
• Lanier was awarded the Oscar Robertson Leadership Award in 1984.
• Lanier was inducted into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 1991. ^[27]
• Lanier's #16 jersey is retired by both the Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks retired his jersey in 1984. The Pistons retired his jersey in 1993. ^{[28] [29] [30]}
• Lanier was enshrined into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992. ^[13]
• In 2000, Lanier was the recipient of the Congressional "Horizon & Leadership Award." The award is presented annually by the Joint Leadership Commission of the United States Congress and the Board of Directors of The Congressional Award Foundation to individuals who have made an exceptional impact on the lives of America's young people. ^{[22] [31]}
• In 2006, Lanier was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame. ^[32]
• In 2007, Lanier received the National Civil Rights Museum Sports Legacy Award. It was awarded for his significant contribution to civil and human rights internationally in the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. ^[33]
• The basketball court at Lanier's alma mater, St. Bonaventure, was named in his honor in 2007. "Bob Lanier Court" is in the Reilly Center Arena. Said the 2007 press release, "Bob Lanier elevated an already established St. Bona basketball program to the next level and is an ideal ambassador of the sport. When we were thinking about names for the court he was the obvious choice and a perfect fit." ^{[34] [35]}
• Lanier was named co-recipient of the 2009 "The Mannie Jackson - Basketball's Human Spirit Award." The award was given by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in recognition of his passion for the game of basketball and his continued commitment to community service. ^{[22] [36]}

NBA 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

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1970–71	Detroit	82	—	24.6	.455	—	.726	8.1	1.8	—	—	15.6
1971–72	Detroit	80	—	38.7	.493	—	.768	14.2	3.1	—	—	25.7
1972–73	Detroit	81	—	38.9	.490	—	.773	14.9	3.2	—	—	23.8
1973–74	Detroit	81	—	37.6	.504	—	.797	13.3	4.2	1.4	3.0	22.5
1974–75	Detroit	76	—	39.3	.510	—	.802	12.0	4.6	1.0	2.3	24.0
1975–76	Detroit	64	—	36.9	.532	—	.768	11.7	3.4	1.2	1.3	21.3
1976–77	Detroit	64	—	38.2	.534	—	.818	11.6	3.3	1.1	2.0	25.3
1977–78	Detroit	63	—	36.7	.537	—	.772	11.3	3.4	1.3	1.5	24.5
1978–79	Detroit	53	—	34.6	.515	—	.749	9.3	2.6	.9	1.4	23.6
1979–80	Detroit	37	—	37.6	.546	.000	.781	10.1	3.3	1.0	1.6	21.7
1979–80	Milwaukee	26	—	28.4	.519	1.000	.785	6.9	2.4	1.4	1.1	15.7
1980–81	Milwaukee	67	—	26.2	.525	1.000	.751	6.2	2.7	1.1	1.2	14.3
1981–82	Milwaukee	74	72	26.8	.558	.000	.752	5.2	3.0	1.0	.8	13.5
1982–83	Milwaukee	39	35	25.1	.491	.000	.684	5.1	2.7	.9	.6	10.7
1983–84	Milwaukee	72	72	27.9	.572	.000	.708	6.3	2.6	.8	.7	13.6
Career		959	—	33.5	.514	.154	.767	10.1	3.1	1.1	1.5	20.1
All-Star		8	0	15.1	.582	—	.833	5.6	1.5	.5	.6	9.2

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1974	Detroit	7	—	43.3	.507	—	.789	15.3	3.0	.6	2.0	26.3
1975	Detroit	3	—	42.7	.510	—	.750	10.7	6.3	1.3	4.0	20.3
1976	Detroit	9	—	39.9	.552	—	.900	12.7	3.3	.9	2.3	26.1
1977	Detroit	3	—	39.3	.630	—	.842	16.7	2.0	1.0	2.3	28.0
1980	Milwaukee	7	—	36.6	.515	—	.738	9.3	4.4	1.0	1.1	19.3
1981	Milwaukee	7	—	33.7	.588	—	.719	7.4	4.0	1.7	1.1	17.6
1982	Milwaukee	6	—	35.3	.513	.000	.560	7.5	3.7	1.3	.8	16.0
1983	Milwaukee	9	—	27.8	.573	—	.600	7.0	2.6	.6	1.6	13.7
1984	Milwaukee	16	—	31.2	.480	—	.886	7.3	3.4	.7	.6	12.7
Career		67	—	35.2	.532	.000	.768	9.6	3.5	.9	1.5	18.6

See also

• List of National Basketball Association career rebounding leaders
• List of NCAA Division I men's basketball players with 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds

References

1. "Bob Lanier Biography - Too Big Too Fast, Became College All-Star, Starred for the Pistons, Traded to Milwaukee". biography.jrank.org.
2. "Detroit Pistons Legend Bob Lanier". Detroit Pistons.
3. "Legends profile: Bob Lanier". NBA.com.
4. "Bennett Coach Inspired Lanier: NBA Great Points to Mentor", The Buffalo News , February 16, 1995, archived from the original on March 29, 2015
5. "ER's Larry Weise on 1970 Bonnies: 'We knew we were good enough to win the championship'". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.
6. "1967-68 St. Bonaventure Bonnies Roster and Stats". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com.
7. "Bob Lanier 1967-68 Game Log". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com.
8. "NCAA College Basketball AP All-America Teams". Basketball-Reference.com.
9. "1968-69 St. Bonaventure Bonnies Schedule and Results". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com.
10. "Bob Lanier 1969-70 Game Log". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com.
11. "1969-70 St. Bonaventure Bonnies Roster and Stats". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com.
12. Press, From The Associated (May 19, 1985). "Lanier Looks Back at What Might Have Been : He Put In 14 Seasons in the NBA but Has No Championship to Show for Efforts" – via LA Times.
13. "The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: Bob Lanier". www.hoophall.com.
14. "Bob Lanier College Stats". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com.
15. "1970 ABA Draft Pick Transactions". www.prosportstransactions.com.
16. "1970-71 Detroit Pistons Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.com.
17. "Detroit Pistons Franchise Index". Basketball-Reference.com.
18. "Bob Lanier Stats". Basketball-Reference.com.
19. "1994-95 Golden State Warriors Transactions". Basketball-Reference.com.
20. "Bob Lanier". Basketball-Reference.com.
21. "Bob Lanier Enterprises Joins Proforma". asicentral.com. The Advertising Specialty Institute. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
22. "Bob Lanier".
23. PBS News Hour, November 11, 2015
24. "Schmidt salutes Hall of Famer Lanier after First Four win". Cincinnati.com.
25. "St. Bonaventure coach dedicates emotional, long-awaited NCAA tournament win to Bob Lanier". sports.yahoo.com.
26. "St. Bonaventure". St. Bonaventure.
27. "Bob Lanier – Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame".
28. "Retired Numbers". Milwaukee Bucks.
29. "NBA.com: Team-by-team retired jersey numbers". NBA.com.
30. "Jan. 9, 1993: Detroit Pistons retire Bob Lanier's No. 16 Jersey". January 9, 2014.
31. "Horizon & Leadership Awards". August 15, 2014.
32. "Hall of Fame".
33. "Grizzlies to honor Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bob Lanier as part of the Sixth Annual MLK, Jr. Day Game and Celebration". Memphis Grizzlies.
34. "Bob Lanier Court (Reilly Center Arena) - StBonaVenue".
35. "New Reilly Center Court to be named for Bob Lanier". www.sbu.edu.
36. "The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: The Mannie Jackson - Basketball's Human Spirit Award". www.hoophall.com.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from NBA.com  and  Basketball-Reference.com
• Bob Lanier at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
• Bob Lanier bio