Bob Lanier
(Born 1948)
Hall of Fame Induction: 1992
Card Shown:
2016-17 Panini Grand Reserve
Upper Tier Signatures
Position: C
Height: 6’11”
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Bob Lanier played in the NBA for fourteen years with the Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks. Bob was a southpaw who combined a powerful inside game with an effective outside game. He had a nice touch on his jump shot from 18-20 feet and an effective sweeping hook shot that was tough to guard. Lanier finished his NBA career averaging a double-double with 20.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. Perhaps even more important than his basketball achievements, Bob has used his NBA influence to make a difference in the lives of many people through a number of programs that he has been involved with.
Awards and Honors
- Bob starred in college at St. Bonaventure in New York, earning Second Team All-America recognition twice and First Team All-America status once. He averaged 27.6 points and 15.7 rebounds in college and helped St. Bonaventure to the NCAA Final Four in 1970. An injury prevented Lanier from playing in the their final game of the tournament, a loss to Jacksonville and Artis Gilmore in the semifinals.
- Lanier was named to the NBA All-Rookie team in 1970-71.
- Bob was an eight-time NBA All-Star during his fourteen-year career. He was awarded the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player award in 1974.
- Lanier had his number 31 jersey retired by St. Bonaventure and his number 16 jersey has been retired by both the Pistons and the Bucks.
- Bob was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1989.
Points of Interest
- Lanier was the first overall selection, by the Detroit Pistons, in the first round of the 1970 NBA Draft. Picks two through four, in order, were Rudy Tomjanovich, Pete Maravich, and Dave Cowens.
- Bob wore size 22 shoes, the biggest in the NBA at the time and the same size that Hall of Fame center Shaquille O’Neal wore.
- In 1977-78, Lanier won the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award which is given annually to a player, coach, or trainer who shows outstanding service and dedication to the community. At the time, Bob was involved with helping the Special Olympics, Boys Clubs, the YMCA, and funding muscular dystrophy research.Other winners of this award have included Julius Erving, Magic Johnson, and David Robinson.
- Bob’s stellar professional basketball career may be unappreciated by many people due to two factors. First, despite his greatness, his teams never had the opportunity to play in the NBA Finals. Secondly, Bob played in an era of great big men, so he was often overshadowed by the likes of Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Willis Reed, Dave Cowens, and Bill Walton.
- Lanier has worked to make a difference in the lives of children. From 1989-1994, he served as the chairman of the NBA’s Stay in School program (later renamed Read to Achieve).
Statistics
Bob Lanier Statistics
provided by Basketball-Reference.com