Bob Lanier was a Basketball Hall of Famer who played center for the Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks in the 1970s and ‘80s.
- Died: May 10, 2022 (Who else died on May 10?)
- Details of death: Died after a short illness at the age of 73.
- We invite you to share condolences for Bob Lanier in our Guest Book.
Basketball career
Lanier was a college basketball standout at St. Bonaventure University, where he was a three-time All-American team pick. In his senior year, the Bonnies went to the Final Four. Lanier had been recruited by the New York Nets during his junior year, but he completed his college career and entered the 1970 NBA Draft. He was the first overall selection, picked by the Pistons. Playing his first year with a knee injury he had received in the NCAA tournament, Lanier nevertheless was named to the 1971 NBA All-Rookie Team. The following year, he was an NBA All-Star, the first of eight such honors. In 1974 Lanier was named MVP of the All-Star game. While playing for the Pistons, Lanier was in the cult classic movie “The Fish that Saved Pittsburgh.” He remained with the Pistons until his 1980 trade to the Bucks, where he played until his retirement in 1984. In his career, he averaged 20.1 points and had 9.698 total rebounds. Later, Lanier was briefly a coach for the Golden State Warriors, and he was chairman of the NBA’s Stay in School program. He was a member of the College Basketball Hall of Fame and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, where an exhibit invites visitors to compare their feet to his size 22 shoes.
Notable quote
“It was a rougher game, a much more physical game that we played in the 70s. You could steer people with elbows. They started cutting down on the number of fights by fining people more. Oh, it was a rough ‘n’ tumble game.” —from a 2018 interview for ExNBA
Tributes to Bob Lanier
Full obituary: ESPN
