Richard Washington

Richard Lee Washington (born July 15, 1955) is a retired American professional basketball player.

For the American football player, see Richard Washington (American football). For the provost of Trinity College, Dublin, see Richard Washington (provost).
Richard Washington
Personal information
Born (1955-07-15) July 15, 1955
Portland, Oregon
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High schoolBenson Polytechnic
(Portland, Oregon)
CollegeUCLA (1973–1976)
NBA draft1976 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3rd overall
Selected by the Kansas City Kings
Playing career1976–1982
PositionPower forward / Center
Number31
Career history
1976–1979Kansas City Kings
1979–1980Milwaukee Bucks
1980Dallas Mavericks
1980–1982Cleveland Cavaliers
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points3,456 (9.8 ppg)
Rebounds2,204 (6.3 rpg)
Assists409 (1.2 apg)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Early life

A 6'11" center born in Portland, Oregon, Washington played high school ball at Portland's Benson Tech. An all-around athlete and agile big man, Washington was a three-time all-state and first-team all-tournament selection and led Benson to state championships in 1971 and 1973. Benson was a combined 77-6 those three seasons.[1] Washington was also a hurdler in track and, as a defensive end-receiver, was MVP on the Techmen football team his junior year (the last year he played football).[2]

College career

Washington was highly recruited out of high school and seriously considered the University of Hawaii, but he decided to play college basketball for perennial national champion UCLA and legendary coach John Wooden.[3] In his three seasons at UCLA, the Bruins went 26-4, 28-3 and 28-4, won three Pac-8 championships and made three Final Fours.

In Washington's sophomore season of 1974–75, the Bruins captured the NCAA title. The Bruins went 28-3 and, powered by the front line of future NBA players Washington, Dave Meyers and Marques Johnson, and defeated Kentucky 92-85 in the title game, which would also be coach Wooden's final game. Washington was named NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player following UCLA's 1975 championship.[2]

He earned first-team All-American honors as a junior in 1975–76.[4]

NBA career

Washington was declared eligible for the 1976 NBA draft due to hardship status. He played six seasons in the NBA as a member of the Kansas City Kings, Milwaukee Bucks, Dallas Mavericks and Cleveland Cavaliers. In his NBA career, he scored 3,456 points and grabbed 2,204 rebounds.

Personal life

Washington and his wife, Leiko, reside in Milwaukie, Oregon. They have raised two daughters. Interested in building and construction since his youth, in 1993 he founded Richard Washington Construction, a general contracting company.[2][5]

In 1988, Washington was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame.[1]

References
  1. http://www.oregonsportshall.org/richard_washington.html
  2. http://www.bruinbasketballreport.com/2005/12/catching-up-with-richard-washington-73.html
  3. https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1873&dat=19730303&id=fU4fAAAAIBAJ&sjid=otEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=568,892919
  4. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-06-06. Retrieved 2014-09-18.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. https://www.linkedin.com/pub/richard-washington/27/725/ab


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