Bob Lanier, a Hall of Fame NBA center, passed away at 73. Lanier played for the Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992.
In his 14 NBA seasons, Lanier averaged 20.1 ppg, 10.1 rpg, while shooting a stellar 51.4% from the field. He played in eight NBA All-Star Games and was named Most Valuable Player of the 1974 game. He had his #16 jersey retired by both the Pistons and the Bucks and his #31 jersey retired by St. Bonaventure University.
Lanier was a three-time Converse All-America selection (1968–1970), playing for coach Weise at St. Bonaventure. In 1970, he led St. Bonaventure to the NCAA Final Four. He injured his knee near the end of the regional championship game in a collision with Villanova's Chris Ford and did not participate in St. Bonaventure's National Semifinal loss to Jacksonville University to center Artis Gilmore. That year he was named Coach and Athlete Magazine player of the year, and the ECAC Player of the Year.
Lanier was the number one overall pick by the National Basketball Association's Detroit Pistons in the 1970 NBA draft. He was also a territorial pick by the New York Nets of the American Basketball Association in the 1970 ABA Draft. The Nets had approached Lanier about turning professional after his junior year of college, but he declined because he felt St. Bonaventure could compete for a national championship.
Still recovering from knee surgery, Lanier signed with the Pistons, who eagerly presented him with his NBA contract while he was still in the hospital recuperating from his knee surgery. Lanier reported to Piston's training camp limping, in significant pain, and overweight from his long period of inactivity following the surgery. Lanier played while still recovering from surgery. He was named to the 1971 NBA All-Rookie Team, averaging 15.6 points and 8.1 rebounds, for the 45–37 Pistons, in 24 minutes per game under Coach Butch van Breda Kolff.[16] "I wasn't healthy when I got to the league," Lanier reflected. "I shouldn’t have played my first year. But there was so much pressure from them to play, I would have been much better off—and our team would have been much better served—if I had just sat out that year and worked on my knee. My knee was so sore every single day that it was ludicrous to be doing what I was doing." Lanier rehabilitated his knee with the help of Coach van Breda Kolff, who had Lanier stay at his beachfront house for 2½ weeks to run in the sand and strengthen his knee and legs.
Lanier became a star for Detroit, playing alongside teammate Dave Bing and averaging more than 21 points per game for each of the next eight seasons, with a high mark of 25.7 PPG in the 1971–72 season, and more than 11 rebounds per game in seven straight seasons. Lanier's latter years in Detroit were marred by recurring injuries, as he never played more than 64 games in any of his last four seasons as a Piston. On January 15, 1974, Lanier led all scorers in that season's NBA All-Star Game with 24 points and was named the All-Star Game MVP.
Detroit was a franchise in constant transition. Lanier played under eight coaches in ten seasons: Butch van Breda Kolff (1970–1971), Terry Dischinger (1971), Earl Lloyd (1971–1972), Ray Scott (1972–1975), Herb Brown (1975–1977), Bob Kauffman (1977–1978), Dick Vitale (1978–1979) and Richie Adubato (1979–1980). Each coach was hired or fired mid-season. Of his time in Detroit, Lanier said, "I think '73–74 was our best team [52–30]. We had Dave [Bing], Stu Lantz, John Mengelt, Chris Ford, Don Adams, Curtis Rowe, George Trapp. But then for some reason, they traded six guys off that team before the following year. I just didn’t feel we ever had the leadership. I think we had [seven] head coaches in my 10 years there. That was a rough time because, at the end of every year, you'd be so despondent."
In his ten seasons with the Pistons, Lanier averaged a double-double 22.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.2 steals in 681 games for Detroit. Lanier is the Pistons' all-time leader in scoring average (22.7 ppg) and ranks second in total rebounds (8,063), third in total points (15,488) and was voted in seven All-Star games.
On February 4, 1980, Lanier was traded by the Detroit Pistons to the Milwaukee Bucks for Kent Benson and a 1980 1st round draft pick (Larry Drew was later selected). On April 20, 1980, Lanier scored 19 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in a Game 7 loss against the Seattle SuperSonics in the Western Conference Semifinals (it was the last season Milwaukee was in the Western Conference).
On May 5, 1982, Lanier's 27 points led the Bucks to a Game 5 victory against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Bucks eventually lost the series. It was his highest single post season game points total for the Bucks. In Lanier's five seasons with the Bucks, they won the Midwest Division championship each year under Coach Don Nelson, with Lanier playing alongside teammates Marques Johnson, Sidney Moncrief, Quinn Buckner, Junior Bridgeman and Dave Cowens. Still highly effective, with aging knees, Lanier played a key role with the Bucks while averaging nearly 10 minutes less per game in his Milwaukee tenure that he had in Detroit (36.2 to 26.8).
Of going to Milwaukee, "I wanted the trade." Lanier said. "I got to Milwaukee... and the people gave me a standing ovation and it really made me feel welcome. It was the start of a positive change. I just wish I had played with that kind of talent around me when I was young. But if I had Marques [Johnson] and Sidney [Moncrief] and all of them around me? Damn. "Lanier officially retired from the Milwaukee Bucks on September 24, 1984. He cited reoccurring knee injuries as the reason for his retirement. In 278 games with the Bucks, Lanier averaged 26 minutes and 13.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.0 steals. He played in the 1982 All-Star Game with Milwaukee. During Lanier's five-season tenure, the Bucks advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals twice. However, they were not ultimately able to advance to the NBA Finals