NBA, HBCU Legend Willis Reed Dies at 80
HOUSTON - Willis Reed was an NBA and HBCU legend with an incredibly successful basketball career that began at Grambling State University, where he played from 1960 to 1964. On Tuesday, March 21, Reed passed at the age of 80.
Reed became the first player in Grambling's history to score over 1,000 points in his collegiate career, finishing with 2,280 points and 1,043 rebounds.
Willis Reed Dies at 80
The Hico, Louisiana native was a powerful figure on the court, leading Grambling to a 29-3 record in his senior year and a spot in the NCAA tournament.
He averaged 26.6 points and 21.3 rebounds per game during that season, earning him the first-ever NAIA Player of the Year award.
Reed's impressive performance at Grambling caught the attention of the New York Knicks, who selected him as the eighth overall pick in the 1964 NBA Draft.
His storied NBA career included two NBA Championships with the Knicks while earning numerous honors and accolades, including the NBA Finals MVP in 1970.
The center evolved into an NBA legend playing for the New York Knicks from 1964 to 1974. He stood at 6-9, but was a physical player with the ability to create his own shots and block shots of contemporaries like Wilt Chamberlain, Wes Unseld, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
In his rookie year, Reed quickly was a Knicks leader averaging 19.5 points and 14.7 rebounds per game and earning NBA Rookie of the Year honors. He was a seven-time NBA All-Star, a five-time All-NBA selection, and a two-time NBA Finals MVP.
One of the most memorable moments of Reed's career came in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals when he famously limped onto the court despite a severe thigh injury and helped lead the Knicks to victory over the heavily favored Los Angeles Lakers. Reed's heroics earned him the NBA Finals MVP award, cementing his place in basketball lore.
Reed retired in 1974 after ten seasons, and 728 (regular season + playoffs) game appearances with the Knicks, finishing his career with averages of 18.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, 1.1 blocks per game. He gained enshrinement into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982.
NBA writers voted him as one of the "50 Greatest Players in NBA History" in 1996. and will forever be knowns as one of the greatest basketball players in NBA history.