Fred Saunders

Fred Saunders

Personal information
Born	(1951-06-13) June 13, 1951 (age 74) Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight	210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school	Mohawk (Columbus, Ohio)
College	Louisiana (1970–1973) Syracuse (1973–1974)
NBA draft	1974: 2nd round, 31st overall pick
Drafted by	Phoenix Suns
Playing career	1974–1978
Position	Small forward
Number	30, 20, 12
Career history
1974–1976	Phoenix Suns
1976–1978	Boston Celtics
1978	New Orleans Jazz
Career NBA statistics
Points	1,107 (5.3 ppg)
Rebounds	624 (3.0 rpg)
Assists	224 (1.1 apg)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference

James Frederick Saunders (born June 13, 1951) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Collegiate career

Fred Saunders began his collegiate career at University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 1970; in his three years there, he averaged 6.5 points per game. Saunders transferred to Syracuse University for his senior year. At Syracuse University, Saunders averaged 9.8 points per game as a power forward for the Orangemen. The Orangemen finished the season with a record of 17-9 and went on to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship tournament. At Syracuse, he acquired the nickname "Chocolate Thunder" due to his unique skyhook. Collegiate Stats

NBA

Saunders was selected by the Phoenix Suns in the second round of the 1974 NBA draft with the 31st overall pick. He played power forward for the Suns and the Boston Celtics during the 1970s.

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	Phoenix	69	15.3	.433	.695	3.7	1.2	.6	.2	6.1
1975–76	Phoenix	17	8.6	.438	.545	2.2	.8	.3	.1	3.6
1976–77	Boston	68	15.5	.466	.660	3.3	1.3	.4	.1	5.9
1977–78	Boston	26	9.3	.330	.824	1.4	.4	.3	.2	2.8
1977–78	New Orleans	30	13.3	.483	.632	2.5	1.2	.5	.3	5.0
Career		210	13.8	.443	.682	3.0	1.1	.4	.2	5.3

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1977	Boston	9	7.3	.364	.833	1.0	.6	.1	.0	3.2

References

1. "Fred Saunders NBA stats". Basketball Reference . Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 13, 2025.

See also

• University of Southwestern Louisiana basketball scandal