Danny Thomas Roundfield (May 26, 1953 – August 6, 2012) was an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player. The 6'8" forward/ center graduated from

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

's Chadsey Senior High School in 1971. On the collegiate scene, Roundfield was twice selected to the All-

Mid-American Conference The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region (North America), Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Its members co ...

Team for

Central Michigan University Central Michigan University (CMU) is a Public university, public research university in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, United States. It was established in 1892 as a private normal school and became a state institution in 1895. CMU is one of the eigh ...

; he was also the 1975 MAC Player of the Year. Roundfield spent 12 seasons in the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major professional basketball league that operated for nine seasons from 1967 to 1976. The upstart ABA operated in direct competition with the more established National Basketball Association thr ...

and

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

, playing for the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

(1975–1978),

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

(1978–1984),

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

(1984–1985), and

Washington Bullets The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...

(1985–1987). He then moved to

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, and played a season for Auxilium Torino. Roundfield earned a reputation as a strong rebounder and tenacious defender, and during his career he was named to five NBA All-Defensive teams and three

All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

teams. His

nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...

was Dr. Rounds.

Professional career

Roundfield was selected in the 2nd round of the 1975 NBA draft by the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

, but opted to play for the

in the last season of the ABA. After an undistinguished rookie season, Roundfield was suddenly pressed into duty as starting power forward and jumped center in his second season because the Pacers had traded away

Mel Daniels Melvin Joe Daniels (July 20, 1944 – October 30, 2015) was an American professional basketball player. He played in the American Basketball Association (ABA) for the Minnesota Muskies, Indiana Pacers, and Memphis Sounds, and in the National Bas ...

, and

Tom Owens Thomas William Owens (born June 28, 1949) is an American retired professional basketball player. Early life A 6'9" center from the Bronx, New York, Owens played for LaSalle Academy and the University of South Carolina. Career Owens playe ...

went to the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

. He was signed by the

as a free agent before the 1978–79 season; the Pacers received the Hawks' first round pick as compensation, which they used to select Dudley Bradley. On November 21, 1978, Roundfield scored a career best 38 points, along with grabbing 10 rebounds, in a 113–107 win over the San Diego Clippers. In the 1979 NBA Playoffs, Roundfield led the Hawks to a first round win over the Rockets while averaging 18 points, 15 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks a game. However, in the following round, the Hawks would be eliminated by the defending champion

in a tough seven-game series. Roundfield was selected to the NBA Eastern Conference All-Star team in three consecutive seasons from 1980 to 1982. He made the most of his 1980 All-Star appearance debut, scoring 18 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in 27 minutes coming off the bench. He came close to winning the game's MVP award for his performance, but was overshadowed by fellow Detroit product George Gervin's 34-point output. In the 1982 NBA Playoffs, Roundfield scored a career playoff high 29 points, in a deciding Game 2 loss to the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

in a best of three first round series. On June 18, 1984, Roundfield was traded by the Hawks to the

for Antoine Carr, Cliff Levingston, a 1986 2nd round draft pick, and a 1987 2nd round draft pick. A year later, he was traded by the Pistons to the

for

Rick Mahorn Derrick Allen Mahorn (born September 21, 1958) is an American former professional basketball player who played power forward and center for the Washington Bullets, Detroit Pistons, Philadelphia 76ers, and the New Jersey Nets of the National Ba ...

and Mike Gibson. After a season playing for Auxilium Torino in Italy, Roundfield retired in 1988.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , 1975–76 , align="left" ,

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

(ABA) , 67 , , – , , 11.4 , , .424 , , .000 , , .631 , , 3.9 , , 0.5 , , 0.5 , , 0.6 , , 5.1 , - , align="left" , 1976–77 , align="left" ,

, 61 , , – , , 27.0 , , .466 , , – , , .686 , , 8.5 , , 1.1 , , 1.0 , , 2.1 , , 13.9 , - , align="left" , 1977–78 , align="left" ,

, 79 , , – , , 30.7 , , .489 , , – , , .727 , , 10.2 , , 2.5 , , 1.0 , , 1.9 , , 13.4 , - , align="left" , 1978–79 , align="left" ,

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, 80 , , – , , 31.7 , , .504 , , – , , .714 , , 10.8 , , 1.6 , , 1.1 , , 2.2 , , 15.3 , - , align="left" , 1979–80 , align="left" ,

, 81 , , – , , 32.0 , , .499 , , .000 , , .710 , , 10.3 , , 2.3 , , 1.2 , , 1.7 , , 16.5 , - , align="left" , 1980–81 , align="left" ,

, 63 , , – , , 33.8 , , .527 , , .000 , , .721 , , 10.1 , , 2.6 , , 1.2 , , 1.9 , , 17.6 , - , align="left" , 1981–82 , align="left" ,

, 61 , , 58 , , 36.3 , , .466 , , .200 , , .760 , , 11.8 , , 2.7 , , 1.0 , , 1.5 , , 18.6 , - , align="left" , 1982–83 , align="left" ,

, 77 , , 76 , , 36.5 , , .470 , , .185 , , .749 , , 11.4 , , 2.9 , , 0.8 , , 1.5 , , 19.0 , - , align="left" , 1983–84 , align="left" ,

, 73 , , 72 , , 35.8 , , .485 , , .000 , , .770 , , 9.9 , , 2.5 , , 0.8 , , 1.0 , , 18.9 , - , align="left" , 1984–85 , align="left" ,

, 56 , , 43 , , 26.6 , , .467 , , .000 , , .781 , , 8.1 , , 1.8 , , 0.5 , , 1.0 , , 10.9 , - , align="left" , 1985–86 , align="left" , Washington , 79 , , 21 , , 29.4 , , .488 , , .000 , , .754 , , 8.1 , , 1.8 , , 0.5 , , 0.6 , , 11.6 , - , align="left" , 1986–87 , align="left" , Washington , 36 , , 0 , , 18.6 , , .409 , , .200 , , .792 , , 4.7 , , 1.1 , , 0.3 , , 0.4 , , 6.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 813 , , 270 , , 29.7 , , .482 , , .111 , , .735 , , 9.2 , , 2.0 , , 0.9 , , 1.4 , , 14.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 1 , , 0 , , 27.0 , , .467 , , – , , .444 , , 13.0 , , 0.0 , , 1.0 , , 2.0 , , 18.0

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

, style="text-align:left;",

(ABA) , 2 , , – , , 12.5 , , .583 , , – , , .889 , , 5.0 , , 0.0 , , 1.0 , , 2.0 , , 11.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

, style="text-align:left;",

(NBA) , 9 , , – , , 37.6 , , .459 , , – , , .800 , , 11.8 , , 2.8 , , 0.9 , , 2.6 , , 17.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

, style="text-align:left;",

(NBA) , 5 , , – , , 34.8 , , .464 , , .000 , , .629 , , 11.6 , , 2.2 , , 0.8 , , 1.6 , , 17.2 , - , style="text-align:left",

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...

, style="text-align:left;",

(NBA) , 2 , , – , , 42.5 , , .472 , , – , , .571 , , 11.0 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , 2.0 , , 21.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...

, style="text-align:left;",

(NBA) , 3 , , – , , 41.3 , , .480 , , .000 , , .455 , , 14.0 , , 3.3 , , 1.3 , , 1.3 , , 17.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

, style="text-align:left;",

(NBA) , 5 , , – , , 38.2 , , .435 , , 1.000 , , .714 , , 8.8 , , 1.7 , , 0.4 , , 1.4 , , 17.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

, style="text-align:left;",

(NBA) , 9 , , 8 , , 23.9 , , .485 , , – , , .941 , , 6.7 , , 1.7 , , 0.4 , , 0.7 , , 9.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1986 , style="text-align:left;", Washington (NBA) , 5 , , 0 , , 35.4 , , .528 , , .000 , , .824 , , 9.2 , , 2.0 , , 0.4 , , 0.8 , , 14.0 , -class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 40 , , 8 , , 33.2 , , .473 , , .250, , .732 , , 9.7 , , 2.0 , , 0.7 , , 1.5 , , 15.0

Personal life

Roundfield lived in

, where he worked for Camp Dresser & McKee Inc. Roundfield died at Baby Beach in San Nicolas Zuid,

Aruba Aruba, officially the Country of Aruba, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in the southern Caribbean Sea north of the Venezuelan peninsula of Paraguaná Peninsula, Paraguaná and northwest of Curaçao. In 19 ...

in August 2012, drowning after helping his wife, Bernadine, to safety.

References

External links

Career stats
a
basketball-reference.comCatching up with Dan Roundfield
a
nba.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roundfield, Dan 1953 births 2012 deaths Accidental deaths in Aruba American expatriate basketball people in Italy American men's basketball players Atlanta Hawks players Basketball players from Detroit Centers (basketball) Central Michigan Chippewas men's basketball players Chadsey High School alumni Cleveland Cavaliers draft picks Deaths by drowning Detroit Pistons players Indiana Pacers draft picks Indiana Pacers players NBA All-Stars Power forwards Small forwards Washington Bullets players