Freddie Lewis
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Personal information | |
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Born | Huntington, West Virginia, U.S. | July 1, 1943
Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
Listed weight | 175 lb (79 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | McKeesport (McKeesport, Pennsylvania) |
College |
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Cincinnati Royals | |
1967–1974 | Indiana Pacers |
1974 | Memphis Sounds |
1974–1976 | Spirits of St. Louis |
1976–1977 | Indiana Pacers |
Career highlights and awards | |
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Career NBA and ABA statistics | |
Points | 12,033 (16.0 ppg) |
Rebounds | 2,752 (3.7 rpg) |
Assists | 2,979 (4.0 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com | |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Frederick L. Lewis (born July 1, 1943) is a retired American basketball player. He played professionally in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and American Basketball Association (ABA). He is the only player to start his career in the NBA, and play all 9 full ABA seasons (1967-1976) until the NBA/ABA merger, then sign back with the NBA.
Born in
Lewis played a prominent role on three American Basketball Association championship teams for the Indiana Pacers, averaging 16.6 points, 4.1 assists and 4.0 rebounds in seven seasons.
Career
Early years
A 10th-round draft pick of the Cincinnati Royals in 1966, he earned a spot as Oscar Robertson's backup, averaging 4.7 points and 1.3 assists per game. "Oscar taught me a lot," Lewis is quoted on remembertheaba.com about the legend from Indianapolis. "(He) taught me how to be cool, how to handle situations instead of running all over the court helter-skelter."
Lewis was selected by San Diego in the 1967 NBA expansion draft but instead signed with the Indiana Pacers of the ABA.
Chasing the dynasty
In
Lewis was an essential piece of the Indiana Pacers dynasty. A versatile guard that could make big plays in the clutch. He averaged 16.1 points per game, 4 assist and 3.9 rebounds in seven seasons with the Pacers. He was a three time ABA champion and the 1972 Playoffs MVP.
Lewis also added three ABA All-Star appearances and the 1975 All-Star Game MVP award to his resume.
Later years
After the Pacers lost to the Utah Stars in the 1974 Western Division Finals, however, the Pacers traded Lewis, along with Brown and Daniels, to the Memphis Sounds. Daniels, the Sounds' starting center, then injured his back after slipping in his bathtub, and Lewis was traded to the Spirits of St. Louis in exchange for replacement center Tom Owens.
Lewis averaged a career high 22.6 points per game with the Spirits in 1974–1975, was named MVP of the 1975 ABA All-Star Game, and led the young team into the playoffs. However, Lewis suffered an ankle injury, and the Spirits bowed out to the Kentucky Colonels, the eventual champions.
After
with 12,033 combined NBA/ABA career points.ABA All-Time Team
Freddie Lewis was selected to the
Hall of Fame balloting
Freddie Lewis is considered to be one of the greatest Indiana Pacers ever; according to The Indianapolis Star he ranks 8th all time. His 11,660 ABA points place him in the top six in ABA scoring records.
As of 2019, he is currently on the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class ballot waiting to join his Pacers teammates Roger Brown, Mel Daniels, George McGinnis and coach Bob "Slick" Leonard.
Retirement
Lewis retired from professional basketball after the
Lewis later moved to Washington, D.C., where he was an inner-city schoolteacher, working with young teens.[1]
In 2002, Lewis moved back to Indianapolis with plans of joining the staff of Indianapolis' ABA 2000 team, and took over as head coach from former teammate Billy Keller during the franchise's final season.[1]
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 |
* | Led the league |
† | Denotes seasons in which Lewis's team won an ABA championship |
NBA/ABA
Source[2]
Regular season
Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1966–67 | Cincinnati | 32 | 10.4 | .392 | .707 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 4.7 | |||
1967–68 | Indiana (ABA) | 76 | 38.4 | .421 | .216 | .798 | 5.8 | 2.4 | 20.6 | ||
1968–69 | Indiana (ABA) | 78 | 39.2 | .440 | .265 | .822 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 20.3 | ||
1969–70† | Indiana (ABA) | 81 | 35.5 | .421 | .266 | .790 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 16.4 | ||
1970–71 | Indiana (ABA) | 81 | 37.5 | .441 | .304 | .807 | 4.1 | 5.3 | 18.8 | ||
1971–72† | Indiana (ABA) | 77 | 35.2 | .428 | .310 | .861 | 4.2 | 4.7 | 15.4 | ||
1972–73† | Indiana (ABA) | 72 | 30.8 | .436 | .345 | .822 | 3.2 | 4.0 | 14.9 | ||
1973–74 | Indiana (ABA) | 78 | 27.7 | .398 | .181 | .831 | 2.6 | 4.1 | 1.3 | .1 | 9.9 |
1974–75 | Memphis (ABA) | 6 | 37.8 | .405 | .167 | .938 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 1.7 | .0 | 17.7 |
1974–75 | St. Louis (ABA) | 63 | 40.7 | .476 | .279 | .840 | 3.9 | 5.5 | 2.2 | .0 | 22.6 |
1975–76 | St. Louis (ABA) | 74 | 30.6 | .423 | .292 | .817 | 2.9 | 4.0 | 1.5 | .1 | 14.8 |
1976–77 | Indiana | 32 | 17.4 | .407 | .805 | 1.5 | 1.8 | .6 | .1 | 7.0 | |
Career (NBA) | 64 | 13.8 | .401 | .771 | 1.4 | 1.5 | .6 | .1 | 5.8 | ||
Career (ABA) | 686 | 35.0 | .433 | .280 | .819 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 1.6 | .1 | 17.0 | |
Career (overall) | 750 | 33.2 | .432 | .280 | .817 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 1.5 | .1 | 16.0 | |
All-Star (ABA) | 3 | 23.0 | .568 | .667 | .857 | 2.0 | 4.7 | 2.0 | .0 | 16.7 |
Playoffs
Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1967 | Cincinnati | 3 | 3.0 | .444 | – | 1.3 | .0 | 2.7 | |||
1968
|
Indiana (ABA) | 3 | 38.7 | .429 | .000 | .966 | 6.3 | 2.3 | 23.3 | ||
1969
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Indiana (ABA) | 17* | 42.8 | .440 | .294 | .872 | 4.1 | 4.6 | 24.1 | ||
1970 †
|
Indiana (ABA) | 14 | 38.0 | .380 | .357 | .836 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 20.4 | ||
1971
|
Indiana (ABA) | 11 | 34.9 | .364 | .130 | .757 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 9.9 | ||
1972 †
|
Indiana (ABA) | 20* | 40.3 | .441 | .206 | .852 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 19.2 | ||
1973 †
|
Indiana (ABA) | 18 | 35.4 | .392 | .222 | .863 | 3.7 | 5.1 | 15.5 | ||
1974
|
Indiana (ABA) | 14 | 39.1 | .441 | .316 | .866 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 1.7 | .1 | 17.4 |
1975
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St. Louis (ABA) | 49 | 44.8 | .483 | .333 | .822 | 5.1 | 2.9 | 1.8 | .1 | 26.2 |
Career (ABA) | 106 | 39.2 | .424 | .246 | .852 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 1.7 | .1 | 19.0 | |
Career (overall) | 109 | 38.2 | .424 | .246 | .852 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 1.7 | .1 | 18.6 |
References
- ^ a b "Where Are They Now? Freddie Lewis". Indiana Pacers. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
- Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
External links
- Career stats at basketball-reference.com
- Freddie Lewis at Remember the ABA
- Indystar.com Greatest Pacers of All Time
- Query & Schultz Podcast Catching up with Freddie Lewis