Reggie Harding
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 4, 1942 Detroit, Michigan |
| Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. Detroit, Michigan |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) |
| Listed weight | 249 lb (113 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Eastern (Detroit, Michigan) |
| NBA draft | 1962 / Round: 4 / Pick: 29th overall |
| Selected by the Detroit Pistons | |
| Position | Center |
| Number | 19, 17, 32 |
| Career history | |
| 1963–1967 | Detroit Pistons |
| 1967 | Chicago Bulls |
| 1967 | Trenton Colonials (EPBL) |
| 1967–1968 | Indiana Pacers (ABA) |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Reginald 'Reggie' Harding (May 4, 1942 – September 2, 1972) was an American professional basketball player.
Basketball career
A native of Detroit, Michigan and a 1961 graduate of Eastern High School, Harding, a 7'0" center, was selected by the Detroit Pistons in the fourth round of the 1962 NBA Draft and later in the 6th round of the 1963 draft. He became the first player drafted into the NBA without having played in college,[1] although he did not actually play for the Pistons until the 1963–64 season.
In four seasons with the Pistons and Chicago Bulls, Harding averaged 9.0 points and 9.1 rebounds per game, and also spent part of 1967–68 with the ABA's Indiana Pacers, averaging 13.4 points and 13.4 rebounds in 25 games.
Personal issues and death
Harding's basketball career was cut short by a number of personal problems. He spent time in jail,[2] often struggled with drug addictions, and was rumored to carry a pistol in his gym bag.[3] During a television interview, he threatened to shoot the Indiana Pacers' general manager, Mike Storen. He also reportedly threatened to shoot teammate Jimmy Rayl while the two were rooming together.[2] According to Peter Benjaminson's The Lost Supreme: The Life of Dreamgirl Florence Ballard, Harding raped Florence Ballard, a member of The Supremes, at knifepoint in 1960.[4]
Harding was shot dead at a Detroit intersection in 1972, aged 30.[2][5]
See also
Notes
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Sachare, Alex. The Chicago Bulls Encyclopedia. Chicago: Contemporary, 1999
- ↑ Benjaminson, Peter. The Lost Supreme: the Life of Dreamgirl Florence Ballard. Chicago: Lawrence Hill Books, 2008. 22-23.
- ↑ Reusse, Patrick. "And the winner for stupidity by an athlete is ...". Minneapolis Star-Tribune. 30 May 1998.
External links
- 1942 births
- 1972 deaths
- American basketball players
- American men's basketball players
- American murder victims
- American rapists
- Basketball players from Michigan
- Centers (basketball)
- Deaths by firearm in Michigan
- Detroit Pistons draft picks
- Detroit Pistons players
- Chicago Bulls players
- Indiana Pacers players
- Murdered basketball players
- National Basketball Association high school draftees
- Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)
- People murdered in Michigan
- Sportspeople from Detroit, Michigan
