Clifford Ray
New Jersey Nets (assistant) | |
| 2000–2002 | Golden State Warriors (assistant) |
|---|---|
| 2002–2003 | Cleveland Cavaliers (assistant) |
| 2004–2005 | Orlando Magic (assistant) |
| 2006–2010 | Boston Celtics (assistant) |
| 2012–2013 | Sacramento Kings (assistant) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| As player:
As assistant coach:
| |
| Career statistics | |
Points | 5,821 (7.4 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 6,953 (8.9 rpg) |
| Assists | 1,728 (2.2 apg) |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Clifford Ray (born January 21, 1949) is an American former professional basketball coach and player. He played three of his ten seasons in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls from 1971 to 1974, and the other seven with the Golden State Warriors from 1974 to 1981.
Career
Ray played his college basketball at the
Ray and $100,000 were sent to the Golden State Warriors for
Ray is one of a handful of players to have played at least ten seasons in the pros and to have recorded more rebounds than points for his career, a list that includes Basketball Hall of Famers Nate Thurmond, Bill Russell, Wes Unseld, Dennis Rodman, Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace.
After his playing career, Ray worked as an assistant coach with the
On June 5, 2013, new Kings coach Michael Malone announced that the 2012–13 assistant coaches would not be retained for the 2013–14 season.[4] In 2016, Ray was hired by the Houston Rockets as a consultant.[5]
Dolphin rescue
In 1978, Ray made headlines for saving a dolphin's life at the Marine World/Africa USA amusement park in Redwood City, California. A bottlenose dolphin named "Mr. Spock" had swallowed a bolt with a protruding sharp screw while maintenance was being performed on its holding tank. The park veterinarian was unwilling to perform a risky operation to remove the bolt from the dolphin's first stomach where the object lay just beyond his reach. His remark that he needed longer arms led Marine World president and basketball fan Mike Demetrios to ask for Ray's assistance, as his arms measured at three feet nine inches (114 centimeters). With gloves, lubrication, and guidance, Ray successfully reached into the animal's throat and retrieved the object without causing any additional harm.[6][7][8]
See also
- Bao Xishun, another person who used his long arms to reach into the stomach of a dolphin.
References
- ^ "Chicago Acquires Nate Thurmond; For Clifford Ray and Cash" Associated Press, Wednesday, September 4, 1974
- ^ "1974–75 Golden State Warriors Roster and Stats". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on 2013-04-04. Retrieved 2013-04-11.
- ^ Tom Ziller (March 8, 2012). "Kings Hire Clifford Ray To Work With Big Men". Sactown Royalty. Archived from the original on 2012-03-09. Retrieved 2013-04-11.
- ^ "Mike Malone tells assistant Kings coaches they will not be retained". Archived from the original on 2014-11-29. Retrieved 2013-06-06.
- ^ Jonathan Feigen (March 1, 2016). "Rockets hire former NBA center Clifford Ray as consultant". Archived from the original on December 23, 2016.
- Boston Globe. Archivedfrom the original on 2006-06-14. Retrieved 2013-04-11.
- ^ Peter Hartlaub (August 10, 2011). "Did Clifford Ray really save a dolphin's life?". SFGate. Archived from the original on June 29, 2013. Retrieved 2013-04-11.
- ^ TreeHugger (April 10, 2013). "Former NBA Player Recalls the Time He Saved a Dolphin by Reaching his Arm Down its Throat". care2.com. Archived from the original on April 12, 2013. Retrieved 2013-04-11.