Willis Reed

Willis Reed, Jr. (born June 25, 1942) is a retired American basketball player, coach and manager of basketball teams. He spent his entire professional playing career (1964–1974) with the New York Knicks. In 1982, his outstanding record and achievements were recognized by his induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame. In 1997, he was voted one of the "50 Greatest Players in NBA History."
After retiring as a player, Reed served as assistant and primary coach with several teams for nearly a decade, then was promoted to General Manager & Vice President of Basketball Operations (1989 to 1996) for the New Jersey Nets. As Senior Vice President of Basketball, he led them to the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003

Early life and education
Reed was born in 1942 in Hico, Louisiana and named after his father Willis Reed. He grew up on a farm in nearby Bernice, a lumber town in an area of pine woods. His parents worked to ensure Reed got an education in the segregated South. Reed showed athletic ability at an early age and played basketball at West Side High School in nearby Lillie.
He attended Grambling State University, a historically black college, where he played college basketball. Reed established a strong athletic record, amassing 2,280 career points, and he averaged 26.6 points and 21.3 rebounds during his senior year. He led the college to one NAIA title and three Southwestern Athletic Conference Championships. Reed also became a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.

[edit] Career

In 1964 Reed was drafted 10th overall by the Knicks, where he quickly made a name as a fierce, dominating and physical force on both ends of the floor. Reed made an immediate impact with the Knicks. In March 1965 he scored 46 points against the Los Angeles Lakers, the second highest single-game total ever by a Knicks rookie. For the season, he ranked seventh in the NBA in scoring (19.5 points per game) and fifth in rebounding (14.7 rebounds per game). He also began his string of All-Star appearances and was named the NBA Rookie of the Year.
Reed proved to be a clutch playoff performer throughout his career. He gave an early indication of this in 1966–67 when he bettered his regular-season average of 20.9 points per game by scoring 27.5 points per contest in the postseason.
In his first seasons with the Knicks, he played power forward and later gained fame as the starting center. Despite his relatively average stature for a basketball player, he made up for his lack of height by playing a physical game, often ending seasons with respectable averages in blocking and rebounding. (He stood 6-foot-10 when contemporaries such as Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar stood 7-1 and 7–2, respectively.)
The team continued to struggle for a few years while adding good players through trades and the draft. Dick McGuire was replaced as coach with Red Holzman midway through the 1967–68 season. The Knicks had gone 15–22 under McGuire; Holzman steered them with to a 28–17 finish. In 1968 New York finished at 43–39, its first winning record since 1958–59, nearly a decade.
Reed continued to make annual appearances in the NBA All-Star Game. By this time he was playing power forward instead of center in order to make room for Walt Bellamy. Reed continued to work hard on the boards, averaging 11.6 rebounds in 1965–66 and 14.6 in 1966–67, both top-10 marks in the league. By the latter season, he had adjusted to the nuances of his new position, averaging 20.9 points to rank eighth in the NBA.
New York won 54 games in 1968–69 after staggering to a 6–10 start. On December 19, the Knicks traded Bellamy and Howard Komives to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Dave DeBusschere. Reed found benefits from the trade. First, DeBusschere assumed some of the heavy labor "inside", thereby taking some of the pressure off Reed. Second, DeBusschere was a legitimate forward, which meant that Reed could move back to the pivot position where he was more comfortable and effective. "Since that trade, I feel like a new person", Reed said at the time. "Center is my position."^{[citation needed]}
In a game played the day after the trade, it was obvious which team had made out best in the exchange. The Knicks pounded the Pistons, 135–87; the 48-point margin of victory was the Knicks' largest ever. From December 17, 1968 to January 4, 1969, New York had a 10-game winning streak. It had an 11-game streak from January 25, 1969 to February 15, 1969.
The Knicks stressed defense. In 1968–69 New York held opponents to a league-low 105.2 points per game. With Reed clogging the middle and Walt Frazier pressuring the ball, the Knicks would be the best defensive club in the league for five of the next six seasons.
Reed scored 21.1 points per game in 1968–69 and grabbed a franchise record 1,191 rebounds, an average of 14.5 rebounds per game.

[edit] First championship

In the 1969–70 season, the Knicks won a franchise record 60 games and set a then single-season NBA record with an 18 game win streak. Reed played an important role in the Knick success, and in 1970 he became the first player in NBA history to be named the NBA All-Star Game MVP, the NBA regular season MVP, and the NBA Finals MVP in the same season. That same year, he was named to the All-NBA first team and NBA All-Defensive first team, as well as being named as ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year, and the Sporting News NBA MVP.
Reed's most famous performance took place on May 8, 1970, during Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers in Madison Square Garden. Due to a severe thigh injury, a torn muscle that had previously kept him out of Game 6, he was considered unlikely to play in Game 7. Yet Reed surprised the fans by walking onto the court during warmups, prompting widespread applause. Starting the game, he scored the Knicks' first two field goals on his first two shot attempts, his only points of the game.^[1] Reed's performance inspired the Knicks, as teammate Walt "Clyde" Frazier went on to score 36 points. The Knicks won the game 113–99, giving New York City its first NBA title. The moment Reed walked onto the court was voted the greatest moment in the history of Madison Square Garden.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Second championship

The Knicks slipped to 52-30 in the 1970–71 season, still good enough for first place in the Atlantic Division; in mid-season, Reed tied Harry Gallatin's all-time club record by hauling in 33 rebounds against the Cincinnati Royals. Once again Reed started in the All-Star game. For the season, he averaged 20.9 ppg and 13.7 rpg, but the Knicks were eliminated by the Baltimore Bullets in the Eastern Conference Finals. In 1971–72 Reed was bothered by tendinitis in his left knee, limiting his mobility. He missed two weeks early in the season and returned, but shortly thereafter the injured knee prohibited him from playing and he totaled 11 games for the year.
The 1972–73 Knicks finish the season with a 57-25 record and went on to win another NBA title. Reed was less of a contributor than he had two season earlier. In 69 regular-season games he averaged only 11.0 points. In the playoffs the Knicks beat Baltimore and the Boston Celtics and once more faced the Lakers in the finals. After losing the first game, the Knicks captured four straight, claiming their second NBA Championship with a 102-93 victory in Game 5. Reed was named NBA Finals MVP.
Reed's career was cut short by injuries, and he retired after the 1973–74 season, his 10th. For his career, Reed averaged 18.7 points and 12.9 rebounds per game, playing 650 games. He played in seven All-Star Games.

[edit] Legacy

• 1982, Reed was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982. He is widely considered as one of the greatest Knicks players ever, with the likes of Walt Frazier and Patrick Ewing.
• 1997, in a poll entitled the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team, Reed was selected as one of the "50 Greatest Players in NBA History".

[edit] Post-playing career

Reed spent several years coaching before moving into general management. He coached the Knicks in 1977–1978, and left the team 14 games into the following season (49-47 record). He was head coach at Creighton University from 1981–1985 and volunteer assistant coach for St. John's University. Also in the 1980s, he served as an assistant coach for the professional teams, the Sacramento Kings and the Atlanta Hawks.
He became head coach of the New Jersey Nets on February 1988, during their 1987–88 season. He compiled a 33–77 record with them. In 1989, he was hired as the Nets' General Manager & Vice President of Basketball Operations (1989 to 1996). During this time, he drafted Derrick Coleman and Kenny Anderson, and gave the Nets a playoff contender throughout the early 1990s. Reed staged a minor coup when he lured Chuck Daly to coach the Nets for 1992–93 and 1993–94. In 1996, Reed moved to the position of Senior Vice President of Basketball, with the continued goal of building the Nets into a championship contender. The Nets made the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003.
Reed next took the position of Vice President of Basketball Operations with the New Orleans Hornets in 2004. He retired from that position in 2007.