Howard Porter (basketball)
New Jersey Nets | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|---|---|
*Selection later vacated | |
| Career NBA statistics | |
Points | 4,215 (9.2 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 1,872 (4.1 rpg) |
| Blocks | 212 (0.6 bpg) |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Howard Porter (August 31, 1948 – May 26, 2007) was an American professional
Early life
Porter was born in
College career
Porter then played collegiately at
Professional career
Porter never played for the Condors, instead joining the
His best professional season was in 1976–77 with Detroit, when he averaged 13.2 points and 5.9 rebounds, playing alongside fellow Villanova teammate Chris Ford.[4]
Porter was nicknamed "Geezer" during his time at Villanova and had become a fan favorite at the Pistons' then-home,
Post-NBA life
Porter had retired from the NBA in 1978 at 29 years old in a career cut short by injuries, including a blood clot in his lungs, and a cocaine addiction, a significant problem in the 1970s NBA. He was arrested in 1985 and served six months in jail for drug possession. He entered a drug rehabilitation program in Minnesota in 1989, remained in the area, and in 1995 began working as a probation officer for Ramsey County.[6][7][8]
2007 disappearance and murder
Howard Porter disappeared on May 18, 2007. He was found severely beaten in a Minneapolis alley in the early morning hours of May 19 and died on May 26 of injuries sustained during the assault.[9]
Local police arrested a 33-year-old prostitute named Tanya Washington that Porter had solicited in connection with the murder.[10] Washington was later released by police, who stated that there was not enough evidence to file charges against her.[11] On September 4, police announced that they had arrested and charged Rashad Arthur Raleigh with Porter's murder, who had attacked the former NBA star in a robbery set-up.[12] Raleigh is serving a life sentence for the crime.[13]
Porter is interred at Washington Park Cemetery in Orlo Vista, Florida. He had three children, Ebony, Howard Jr. and Keelee.[14]
References
- Palm Beach Post (West Palm Beach, Florida). June 9, 2007. p. 38.
- ^ "Campus Publications and Media". Publications.villanova.edu. Archived from the original on 2006-08-29. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
- ^ "Howard Porter Stats".
- ^ "Howard Porter Stats - Basketball-Reference.com". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
- ^ Goldaper, Sam (24 September 1974). "Porter Carries Hope for New Life on Knicks". The New York Times.
- ^ "How Howard Porter died: A tale of sex, drugs, violence". 4 September 2007.
- ^ "Howard Porter, Villanova All-American, Dead at 58". The New York Times. 28 May 2007.
- ^ "Finally forgiven: The Howard Porter story". 14 December 2014.
- ^ "Porter dies from beating injuries at age 58", ESPN, updated May 28, 2007.
- ^ "KSTP.com - Woman arrested in Porter case released". Archived from the original on 2007-10-24. Retrieved 2007-06-05.
- ^ "Kyw.com - Woman Released in Beating Death of Howard Porter". Archived from the original on 2007-07-07. Retrieved 2007-06-05.
- ^ "Murder charge filed in death of ex-Villanova star". ESPN.com. 4 September 2007. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
- ^ "Offender Locator - Offender Information". Archived from the original on 2004-11-22. Retrieved 2009-03-21.
- ^ "Vacated* *Twenty-Five Years Ago an Asterisk Replaced the Name of Villanova's Howard Porter, Who Was Stripped of His Final Four Outstanding Player Award. His Life Hasn't Been the Same Since".