Charlie Scott
(Born 1948)
Hall of Fame Induction: 2018
Card Shown:
2014-15 Panini Preferred
Panini Signatures
Position: PG/SG
Height: 6’5″
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Charlie Scott made a huge impact on the game of basketball and the game of life. Scott was the first black scholarship athlete at the University of North Carolina. He paved the way for the integration of college basketball in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
On the court, Charlie led the Tarheels into the NCAA Final Four twice. He also won a gold medal in basketball at the Olympics. Scott played professional basketball for ten years in the ABA with the Virginia Squires and in the NBA with the Phoenix Suns, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, and Denver Nuggets.
Awards and Honors
- Scott was a two-time All American at North Carolina in 1969 and 1970 and was named to the All ACC team three times.
- In 1971 Charlie, playing for the Virginia Squires, shared the ABA Rookie of the Year award with Dan Issel.
- During his professional basketball career Scott was named an All-Star five times. He was selected twice in the ABA while playing with the Virginia Squires and three times in the NBA while a member of the Phoenix Suns.
- Charlie helped lead the Boston Celtics to the 1976 NBA Championship, averaging 17.6 points during that championship season. Celtics teammates that year included Hall of Fame players Dave Cowens, John Havlicek, and Jo Jo White.
- Scott won a gold medal with Team USA in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. Jo Jo White and Spencer Haywood were also members of the team.
Points of Interest
- Scott was the valedictorian of his high school class.
- Charlie was the first African-American athlete to receive an athletic scholarship in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Under Dean Smith he earned the opportunity to play basketball at the University of North Carolina.
- Scott led the Tarheels into the NCAA Final Four in 1968 and 1969. In 1969 his buzzer-beating shot from the top of the key beat Davidson College 87-85 and sent North Carolina to the Final Four.
- In 1997 Charlie was named a member of the ABA All-Time Team by a panel of 50 people that included sportswriters, radio announcers, referees, executives, owners, and fans. He was one of thirty players included to be honored.
- In 2015 Scott was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.
Statistics
Charlie Scott Statistics
provided by Basketball-Reference.com
Personal Autograph Interactions
We met Charlie Scott at both the 2020 Hall of Fame Induction weekend and at the 2023 Hall of Fame Induction weekend. He was a willing signer although he signed my second card much faster and without the same amount of precision that he had used in signing the earlier card.
In 2021, Charlie signed the blank card for me at the Hall of Fame on the basketball court after they introduced the incoming 2021 Hall of Fame class. Due to Covid, the 2021 class would be inducted into the Hall only months after the 2020 class was inducted in May of 2021.
In 2023, Charlie signed my 1972-73 Topps card in the lobby of the Mohegan Sun. I sensed that he was in more of a hurry than he had been in 2021. Compare the two autographs below and I think you will see the difference. Still, it was a pleasure to meet (twice) one of the greats of the game.
Thank you, Charlie!
In-Person Autograph Photos
