Billy Knight
CSP Limoges | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|---|---|
| |
| Career ABA and NBA statistics | |
Points | 13,901 (16.9 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 4,377 (5.3 rpg) |
| Assists | 1,862 (2.3 apg) |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
William R. Knight (born June 9, 1952) is an American former professional
his No. 34.In college, Knight was a consensus second-team
Early life
Knight was born and raised in Braddock, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh, where he attended Braddock High School. He was a member of the 1970 Section High School Basketball Champions Braddock Tigers.
University of Pittsburgh
A 6'6"
Knight's performance during the 1973–1974 season, in which Pitt went 25–4 and won a school record, 22 games in a row, earned him 2nd team All-American team status. He is considered one of Pitt's best players ever and was voted to Pitt's all-time starting five.[1]
Knight had his number 34 jersey retired by the University of Pittsburgh on February 20, 1989.[2]
Professional career
Knight spent 11 seasons, from 1974 to 1985, in the
Indiana Pacers (1975–77, first stint)
Knight's best years were with the Indiana Pacers, after being selected by both the Pacers and the LA Lakers in the player draft. Knight was voted 1st team ABA All-Star for the 1975–1976 season, his second year in the league after averaging 28.1 ppg. This was the last year of the ABA before the Indiana Pacers merged into the NBA. The following year Knight maintained All-Star status, this time in the NBA after averaging 26.6 ppg — second best in the league that season.
Buffalo Braves (1978)
Following a brief but successful tenure with the Buffalo Braves in the 1978 season, Knight's play slowly began to decline. A primary reason for Knight's initial success in the NBA was the poor state of the Braves franchise upon his arrival.[citation needed] Having recently lost their MVP talent Bob McAdoo, the directionless Braves won only 27 games in Knight's lone season with the franchise. Knight's averages of 23 points and 7 rebounds would nevertheless be enough for the forward to make his third and final career all-star team.
Boston Celtics (1978–79)
Knight departed from Buffalo via a trade that sent Knight, fellow all star
Indiana Pacers (1979–83, second stint), and later career
After less than one year in Boston, Knight was traded back to the Pacers for rookie Rick Robey.[3] On November 11, 1980, Knight scored 52 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, and recorded 5 steals during a 119–113 win over the San Antonio Spurs.[4] The 52 point total was a career-high for Knight, and resulted in him winning NBA Player of the Week.[5] Knight remained a reliable player throughout the remainder of his career, averaging between 12 and 18 points for the next five consecutive seasons. He ended his career as a member of the San Antonio Spurs, where he played alongside future Hall of Famers George Gervin and Artis Gilmore for 52 games.
Knight is the Indiana Pacers 3rd all-time leading scorer and is in several other Top 5 all-time categories for the Pacers. His 1976 statline of 28.1 points per game still remains the highest points average by a Pacer in a single season. Knight is one of twenty-three players in NBA/ABA history to average 28 points and 10 rebounds in a season, joining the likes of Wilt Chamberlain (x7), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (x5), Shaquille O'Neal (x5), Elgin Baylor (x4), Karl Malone (x4), Giannis Antetokounmpo (x3), Bob McAdoo (x3), Bob Pettit (x3), Oscar Robertson (x3), Anthony Davis (x2), Joel Embiid (x2), Julius Erving (x2), Elvin Hayes (x2), Spencer Haywood (x2), Dan Issel (x2), Charles Barkley, Walt Bellamy, Larry Bird, Patrick Ewing, Moses Malone, George McGinnis, George Mikan, and David Robinson. Among these players, Knight remains the only one out of the eligible names to put up such a statline and not be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Furthermore, himself, Oscar Robertson, and Larry Bird are the only three to achieve such a statline while not playing at the center or power forward position. A versatile wing player, it was commonplace for Knight to switch between playing the small forward and shooting guard positions over the course of his eleven-year professional career.
Front office career
Prior to joining the Hawks organization in 2002, Knight worked as a front office executive with the Pacers and the Vancouver/Memphis Grizzlies.
Atlanta Hawks (2003–08)
Knight's reign as GM of the
On May 7, 2008, Knight stepped down as Hawks GM. When announcing his resignation from the team he stated that he had left the Hawks "in much better shape than it was in when I took over."[8]
Personal life
Knight currently lives in Atlanta, and continues to play tennis, a game he enjoys and began playing around the age of 30.[9]
ABA/NBA career statistics
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974–75 | Indiana (ABA) | 80 | – | 32.0 | .534 | .250 | .799 | 7.9 | 2.1 | 1.4 | .4 | 17.1 |
| 1975–76 | Indiana (ABA) | 70 | – | 39.6 | .494 | .400 | .828 | 10.1 | 3.7 | 1.3 | .3 | 28.1 |
| 1976–77 | Indiana | 78 | – | 40.0 | .493 | – | .816 | 7.5 | 3.3 | 1.5 | .2 | 26.6 |
| 1977–78 | Buffalo | 53 | – | 40.7 | .494 | – | .809 | 7.2 | 3.0 | 1.5 | .2 | 22.9 |
| 1978–79 | Boston | 40 | – | 28.0 | .502 | – | .808 | 4.3 | 1.7 | .8 | .1 | 13.9 |
| 1978–79 | Indiana | 39 | – | 25.0 | .556 | – | .873 | 4.5 | 2.2 | .8 | .1 | 14.7 |
| 1979–80 | Indiana | 75 | – | 25.5 | .533 | .267 | .809 | 4.8 | 2.1 | 1.1 | .1 | 13.1 |
| 1980–81 | Indiana | 82 | – | 29.1 | .533 | .158 | .832 | 5.0 | 1.9 | 1.0 | .1 | 17.5 |
| 1981–82 | Indiana | 81 | 19 | 22.3 | .495 | .281 | .826 | 3.2 | 1.5 | .8 | .2 | 12.3 |
| 1982–83 | Indiana | 80 | 54 | 28.3 | .520 | .158 | .841 | 4.1 | 2.4 | .8 | .1 | 17.1 |
| 1983–84 | Kansas City | 75 | 39 | 25.1 | .491 | .286 | .859 | 3.4 | 2.1 | .7 | .1 | 12.8 |
| 1984–85 | Kansas City | 16 | 0 | 11.8 | .449 | 1.000 | .813 | 1.4 | 1.3 | .1 | .1 | 4.8 |
| 1984–85 | San Antonio | 52 | 1 | 11.8 | .439 | .417 | .895 | 1.8 | 1.1 | .3 | .0 | 6.0 |
| Career | 821 | 113 | 28.9 | .507 | .284 | .827 | 5.3 | 2.3 | 1.0 | .2 | 16.9 | |
| All-Star | 2 | 0 | 17.5 | .526 | .000 | 1.000 | 7.5 | 1.0 | 1.0 | .0 | 12.0 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1975
|
Indiana(ABA) | 18 | – | 42.4 | .568 | .000 | .845 | 8.9 | 2.4 | .9 | .1 | 24.1 |
1976
|
Indiana(ABA) | 3 | – | 47.7 | .554 | .000 | .864 | 10.7 | 4.0 | .7 | .0 | 33.7 |
1981
|
Indiana | 2 | – | 35.5 | .533 | – | .625 | 6.0 | 2.5 | .5 | .0 | 18.5 |
1984
|
Kansas City | 3 | – | 12.3 | .333 | – | 1.000 | 1.0 | .7 | .0 | .0 | 6.0 |
1985
|
San Antonio | 5 | 0 | 9.0 | .533 | .000 | – | 1.2 | .6 | .4 | .0 | 3.2 |
| Career | 31 | 0 | 34.2 | .550 | .000 | .837 | 6.9 | 2.1 | .7 | .0 | 19.5 | |
References
- ^ Stonesifer, Jared. "Pitt Panthers Basketball: 5 Best Players in Team History". Bleacher Report. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
- ISBN 9780738510699. Retrieved March 4, 2013.
- ^ Billy Knight Transactions
- ^ Indiana Pacers at San Antonio Spurs Box Score, November 11, 1980
- ^ Billy Knight of the Indiana Pacers, who scored 52 points against the San Antonio Spurs, Monday was named the NBA Player of the Week
- ^ "Hawks GM Knight to resign after 6 years with team". ESPN.com. May 7, 2008. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
- ^ "So long, Atlanta: Childress leaves NBA for Greece". ESPN.com. July 23, 2008. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
- ^ "Knight to step down after leading Hawks out of playoff drought". ESPN.com. May 7, 2008. Retrieved March 27, 2009.
- ^ Meyer, Craig (July 23, 2018), "Former Braddock and Pitt great Billy Knight reconnects with his roots", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
External links
- Career stats at basketball-reference.com
- Profile at nba.com