Willis Reed
Willis Reed Jr. (June 25, 1942 – March 21, 2023) was an American professional basketball player, coach, and general manager. He spent his entire ten-year pro playing career (1964–1974) with the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Reed was a seven-time NBA All-Star and five-time All-NBA selection, including once on the first team in 1970, when he was named the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP). He was a two-time NBA champion (1970, 1973) and was voted the NBA Finals MVP both times. In 1982, Reed was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was named to both the NBA's 50th and 75th anniversary teams.
Reed with the New York Knicks in 1972 | |||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
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| Born | June 25, 1942 Hico, Louisiana, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Died | March 21, 2023 (aged 80) Houston, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 235 lb (107 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | West Side (Lillie, Louisiana) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Grambling State (1960–1964) | ||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 1964: 2nd round, 8th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Selected by the New York Knicks | |||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1964–1974 | ||||||||||||||
| Position | Center | ||||||||||||||
| Number | 19 | ||||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 1977–1989 | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| As player: | |||||||||||||||
| 1964–1974 | New York Knicks | ||||||||||||||
| As coach: | |||||||||||||||
| 1977–1978 | New York Knicks | ||||||||||||||
| 1981–1985 | Creighton | ||||||||||||||
| 1985–1987 | Atlanta Hawks (assistant) | ||||||||||||||
| 1987–1988 | Sacramento Kings (assistant) | ||||||||||||||
| 1988–1989 | New Jersey Nets | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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| Career NBA statistics | |||||||||||||||
| Points | 12,183 (18.7 ppg) | ||||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 8,414 (12.9 rpg) | ||||||||||||||
| Assists | 1,186 (1.8 apg) | ||||||||||||||
| Stats at NBA.com | |||||||||||||||
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |||||||||||||||
| Basketball Hall of Fame as player | |||||||||||||||
| College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2006 | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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After retiring as a player, Reed served as assistant and head coach with several teams for nearly a decade, then was promoted to general manager and vice president of basketball operations (1989–1996) for the New Jersey Nets. As senior vice president of basketball operations, he helped to lead them to the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003.