LaRue Martin

LaRue Martin
Martin in 1972
Personal information
Born (1950-03-30) March 30, 1950
Chicago, Illinois
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight 208 lb (94 kg)
Career information
High school De La Salle Institute
(Chicago, Illinois)
College Loyola (Illinois) (1969–1972)
NBA draft 1972 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall
Selected by the Portland Trail Blazers
Playing career 1972–1976
Position Center
Number 35
Career history
1972–1976 Portland Trail Blazers
Career NBA statistics
Points 1,430 (5.3 ppg)
Rebounds 1,258 (4.6 rpg)
Assists 203 (0.7 apg)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

LaRue Martin (born March 30, 1950) is a retired American professional basketball player. Martin was taken first overall by the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Portland Trail Blazers in 1972, drafted ahead of future Hall of Famers Bob McAdoo and Julius Erving.[1] Martin has been discussed as one of the worst first overall draft picks in NBA history.[1]

A 6-foot-11 center out of Loyola University Chicago, LaRue Martin entered the NBA with much fanfare in 1972. Martin set the basketball world abuzz when he outplayed Bill Walton in a game between Loyola and UCLA, in the midst of their storied title runs, in 1971–72. The Portland Trail Blazers were so impressed with Martin that they made him the first overall pick in the 1972 NBA Draft.[2]

Martin saw his playing time decrease once the Trail Blazers selected Bill Walton in the 1974 NBA Draft, with the first overall pick. In his best season, Martin averaged 7.0 points per game and shot .452 from the field. He notched both of those numbers during the 1974–75 season, when Walton missed most of the year with injuries.

Martin was traded from the Trail Blazers to the Seattle SuperSonics before the 1976 season. However, Martin wouldn't play another game. Martin retired before the start of the 1976-77 season. In four seasons he averaged 5.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.[3]

Martin received a B.A. in sociology with a minor in education from Loyola. After his basketball career, he worked for Nike and an insurance company before joining UPS in the mid-1980s. [4] At UPS, he has worked as the Community Services Manager since August 2005.[4]

Notes

  1. 1 2 Tomasson: Olowokandi leaves a sour taste Archived 2009-03-31 at the Wayback Machine., January 20, 2006
  2. ↑ Matthew Citak (June 25, 2013). "Top 5 Biggest NBA Draft Busts Of All Time". WBZ-TV.
  3. ↑ https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/martila01.html
  4. 1 2 Legends of Basketball - Where Are They Now? LaRue Martin Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine., August 30, 2005
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