Dean Tolson

Dean Tolson

Tolson as a sophomore at Arkansas
Personal information
Born	(1951-11-25) November 25, 1951 (age 73) Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight	190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school	Central (Kansas City, Missouri)
College	Arkansas (1971–1974)
NBA draft	1974: 5th round, 80th overall pick
Drafted by	Seattle SuperSonics
Playing career	1974–1981
Position	Power forward
Number	20
Career history
1974–1975	Seattle SuperSonics
1975–1976	Hazleton Bullets
1976–1977	Seattle SuperSonics
1977–1979	Anchorage Northern Knights
1979	Gilbey's Gin
1980–1981	Rochester Zeniths
1981	St. George's Whiskies
Career highlights
CBA champion (1980) All-EBA Second Team (1976) CBA blocks leader (1979)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference

Byron Dean Tolson (born November 25, 1951) is an American former professional basketball player. Tolson played three seasons for the Seattle SuperSonics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Professional career

Tolson was selected by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 5th round (8th pick, 80th overall) of the 1974 NBA draft, after completing his career at the University of Arkansas. He played three seasons for the SuperSonics, appearing in 80 games over his career. ^[1]

Tolson was also selected in the 7th round of the 1974 American Basketball Association Draft by the New York Nets. ^[2]

Tolson played in the Eastern Basketball Association (EBA) / Continental Basketball Association (CBA) for the Hazleton Bullets during the 1975–76 season, the Anchorage Northern Knights from 1977 to 1979 and Rochester Zeniths during the 1980–81 season. ^[3] He was selected to the All-EBA Second Team in 1976. ^[3]

Tolson played eleven years internationally ^[4] before returning to school to complete his education at the University of Arkansas. ^{[5] [6] [7]} He played for Greek club AEK B.C. in the 1983–84 FIBA Korać Cup.

In 2023, Dean Tolson's book, ‘Power Forward: My Journey from Illiterate NBA Player to a Magna Cum Laude Master's Degree,’ was published. A motivational speaker, he moved from Tacoma, Washington, and lives in Scottsdale, Arizona.

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

NBA

Source ^[1]

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1974–75	Seattle	19	4.6	.432	.647	1.2	.3	.2	.3	2.3
1976–77	Seattle	60	9.8	.566	.535	2.6	.5	.5	.4	6.0
1977–78	Seattle	1	7.0	.000	–	.0	2.0	.0	.0	.0
Career		80	8.5	.546	.545	2.2	.4	.5	.3	5.0

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1975	Seattle	4	5.5	.125	1.000	1.8	.3	.0	.0	1.0

References

1. "Dean Tolson NBA stats". Basketball Reference . Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
2. "1974 ABA Draft". basketballreference.com. Archived from the original on July 20, 2013. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
3. "Dean Tolson minor league basketball statistics". Stats Crew. Retrieved February 19, 2025.
4. Schauffler, Allen (October 5, 2007), A new chapter in the Dean Tolson story, KING 5 News, archived from the original on October 15, 2007
5. Raley, Dan (July 31, 2007), "Ex-Sonic Tolson makes most of second-chance education", The Seattle Post-Intelligencer
6. Boling, Dave (July 4, 2016), "From illiterate to author, former Sonics forward Dean Tolson writes the story of his life", The News Tribune of Tacoma, Washington
7. Lieber, Jill (May 30, 1988), "Never Too Old To Learn: Dean Tolson, a former basketball star at Arkansas, earned his degree at 36", Sports Illustrated