Gail Goodrich
(Born 1943)
Hall of Fame Induction: 1996
Card Shown:
2009-10 Panini Hall of Fame
Famed Signatures
Position: G
Height: 6’1″
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Gail Goodrich played for the Los Angeles Lakers for nine years during his fourteen-year career. He, along with Hall of Famers Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West, led the 1971-72 Lakers to the NBA Championship. During that season, the Lakers won a record 33 games in a row and finished with a record of 69 wins and 13 losses. Gail led the Lakers in scoring with an average of 25.9 points per game, slightly ahead of Jerry West’s 25.8 points per game.
Gail was a crafty, left-handed shooter who could score and distribute the ball. In college he was considered too small, and in the pros he was considered too frail, but Goodrich worked hard and his accomplishments in the game of basketball at all levels speak for themselves.
Awards and Honors
- Gail led his high school team, Sun Valley Poly, to the Los Angeles City title in 1961. That season he averaged 23.2 points per game. In the 52-37 victory against Manual Arts in the title game, Goodrich scored 29 points.
- Goodrich helped lead the UCLA Bruins, coached by John Wooden, to the 1964 and 1965 NCAA National Championships when he was a junior and a senior. Gail was named to the NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team in each of these years. On the way to winning his first championship, Goodrich and Walt Hazzard guided the Bruins to a 30-0 record during the 1963-64 season.
- Gail was a five-time NBA All-Star in 1969 and 1972 through 1975.
- In 1973-74 Goodrich was selected to the All-NBA First Team.
- Gail led the Lakers in scoring four times, including their impressive 1971-72 season when they won 33 in a row and then won the NBA Championship.
Points of Interest
- In 1965, Gail was a territorial draft pick by the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Draft. This practice, which ended after 1965, allowed teams to give up their first-round pick to select a local player that they believed would increase the team’s fan base.
- The Lakers lost Goodrich in the 1968 expansion draft when he was selected by the Phoenix Suns. In 1968-69 Gail averaged 23.8 points per game and became the star of the new franchise. It was the first time in his career that Goodrich was a starter and he made the most of his opportunity. He played for the Suns for two years before he was traded to the Lakers for center Mel Counts. The Lakers were thrilled to have him back.
- After Wilt retired in 1973 and West retired in 1974, the Lakers entered into a down cycle. Goodrich, after a messy contract dispute, decided to sign as a free agent with the Utah Jazz after the 1976 season. The Lakers, as compensation, were awarded two future first-round draft picks and a second-round draft pick from the Jazz. In the 1979 NBA Draft, the Lakers used one of those draft choices (the number one overall pick) to select Hall of Famer and NBA Legend Magic Johnson.
- Goodrich finished his NBA career with averages of 18.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game.
- On November 20, 1996, the Lakers retired Goodrich’s number 25 jersey. His #25 jersey was also retired by UCLA on December 18, 2004.
Statistics
Gail Goodrich Statistics
provided by Basketball-Reference.com