A sad day for the NBA: Bob Lanier, one of the great centers of the 1970s and early 1980s, has died at the age of 73. Member of the Hall of Fame since 1992, he was number one in the draft (in 1970) and eight times all starseven in the seventies and the last in 1982. He was even MVP of the event in 1974. His exceptional career made both the Detroit Pistons and the Milwaukee Bucks, the two franchises in which he played as a professional (1970-1984) will retire his number 16. His legend is especially remembered in Detroit, where he teamed up with Dave Bing in the best moments of the team in the MoTown before the arrival, after, of the Bad Boys who won two rings.
Lanier (a 2.08 left-hander) was a left-hander whom Willis Reed defined as “one of the most complete centers there had been up to that point.” he ended up playing 959 games in the NBA (between 1970 and 1980 in Detroit and later, until 1984 in Milwaukee) and he averaged 20.1 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.5 blocks. In the playoffs he played 67 games with 18.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 blocks. He lacked success in the qualifiers to definitely light up his career. In Detroit he lived convulsive years, with eight different coaches in a decade, and in Milwaukee he arrived when he was 32 years old. In Wisconsin he played in two Eastern finals and regretted not meeting talents like Marques Johnson and Sidney Moncrief sooner.
On an individual level, however, his best years came in Detroit. Born in Buffalo, he ruled out going to the ABA, where he had been pick territorial New York Nets, and joined the Pistons with whom he entered the Best Rookie Quintet (15.6 points and 8.1 rebounds) despite playing with a battered knee. He had been injured in the college tournament, making it to St. Bonaventure to a Final Four that he was unable to play. In the hospital he signed his professional contract, and afterwards it was always said that the mismanagement of that injury prevented him from having an even more brilliant career in the NBA. On the Pistons, however, he played at an exceptional level, and beginning in his second season (25.7 points and 14.2 rebounds) he spent eight seasons averaging more than 21 points as one of the best centers of a center era. In fact, already in College He entered the Second National Quintet behind, of course, Lew Alcindor. The myth that ended up being Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
After his retirement, he had a fleeting stint on the bench as an assistant and interim coach for the Warriors (1994-95), and then was a much-loved ambassador for an NBA that now mourns his passing in an official note from Commissioner Adam Silver: “He was a Hall of Famer and one of the most talented centers in NBA history, but his impact on the League went far beyond what he achieved on the court. For more than thirty years, he was our ambassador and a special assistant to David Stern and me. He traveled the world teaching our values and making a positive impact for young people everywhere. It was a labor of love for him, one of the most genuine and caring people I have ever met.“.
