John Harding Lucas II (born October 31, 1953) is 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 (appr ...

coach and former player who is an assistant coach for 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 team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

of the

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

(NBA). He played basketball and

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball cov ...

at the

University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of ...

and was an All-American in both.

Collegiate career

Lucas attended the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of ...

where he was an All-American in basketball. Lucas was a Second-team All-American for the Terrapins team in 1973–74, along with his teammates

Len Elmore Len or LEN may refer to: People and fictional characters * Len (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Lén, a character from Irish mythology * Alex Len (born 1993), Ukrainian basketball player * Mr. Len, American hip hop DJ *Le ...

and

Tom McMillen Charles Thomas McMillen (born May 26, 1952) is an American politician, businessman, and retired professional basketball player. A Rhodes Scholar, McMillen represented Maryland's 4th congressional district from January 3, 1987 to January 3, 199 ...

. The Terrapins had a record of 23–5 in the regular season, and 9–3 in the

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Assoc ...

(ACC). However, they lost during the ACC Tournament, and they could not go to the NCAA Tournament. Elmore and McMillan graduated in 1974, but in the following 1974–75 season, Lucas was a First-team All-American. The Terrapins recorded a 24-5 regular season record, 10–2 in the ACC, and they won the ACC regular season crown. However, they lost to NC State in the semifinals of the ACC tournament. The NCAA tournament, however, had been expanded to include 32 teams. Also, for the first time, more than one team per conference was allowed into the tournament. Maryland gained entry and advanced to the Elite Eight before losing to Louisville. Lucas played for the US national team in the

1974 FIBA World Championship The 1974 FIBA World Championship was the 7th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's teams. It was hosted by Puerto Rico from July 3 to 14, 1974. The tournament was won by the Soviet Union. Venues Comp ...

, winning the bronze medal. In the 1975–76 season, Lucas was a First-team All-American once again. The Terrapins recorded a 22-6 regular season record, 7–5 in the ACC, but they lost out in the ACC Tournament and did not make the NCAA Tournament.

Professional career

Lucas was the first overall pick of the

1976 NBA draft The 1976 NBA draft was the 30th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on June 8, 1976, before the 1976–77 season. In this draft, 18 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players a ...

, selected by the

. He was also drafted by the

New York Nets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

of the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, leading to four A ...

. Lucas played in the NBA for fourteen years. Lucas initially played for the Rockets for two years before NBA commissioner

Larry O'Brien Lawrence Francis O'Brien Jr. (July 7, 1917September 28, 1990) was an American politician and basketball commissioner. He was one of the United States Democratic Party's leading electoral strategists for more than two decades. He served as Pos ...

awarded him to the Golden State Warriors as compensation for the Rockets signing

Rick Barry Richard Francis Dennis Barry III (born March 28, 1944) is an American retired professional basketball player who starred at the NCAA, American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA) levels. Barry ranks among the ...

as a free agent. While a member of the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

, on October 20, 1978, Lucas scored a career best 35 points during a 111–108 win over the Trail Blazers. In his last season with the Warriors, Lucas's problems began where he missed a series of practice sessions, plane trips and games. The Warriors suspended Lucas and chose not to pick up his contract option. After signing with

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 league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...

as a free agent, Lucas continued to miss practices with the Bullets. He admitted that he was addicted to cocaine at the beginning of the 1982–1983 season and entered a rehabilitation program. The Bullets waived him in 1983. Lucas played professional tennis and minor league basketball before returning to the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs and then moving on to Houston. Lucas's drug problems continued to plague him, and the Rockets waived him in 1984 and reinstated him the next season after he underwent rehabilitation. Lucas became a regular season starter for the

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal en ...

. However, after failing two drug tests, the Rockets waived Lucas in March before they embarked on a playoff run to the

1986 NBA Finals The 1986 NBA Finals was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1985–86 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. It pitted the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics against the Western Confer ...

. Lucas was given another chance in January 1987 when he was signed to a ten-day contract by the Milwaukee Bucks that led to a full contract for the rest of the season. Lucas played four more years in the NBA, averaging at age 33 a career-high 17.5 points for Milwaukee in 1986–87, after which, on May 8, 1987, he scored a team high 30 points to lead the Bucks to an Eastern Conference Semifinals Game 3 win over the Boston Celtics. The Bucks would go on to lose the series in seven games. Lucas played more of a reserve role for the next three years. After successfully undergoing drug rehabilitation and starting programs of his own to help other athletes rehabilitate, Lucas returned to the NBA as a coach, eventually becoming a head coach. Lucas runs a wellness and aftercare substance-abuse recovery program for athletes.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , align="left" , 1976–77 , align="left" ,

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...

, 82 , , - , , 30.9 , , .477 , , - , , .789 , , 2.7 , , 5.6 , , 1.5 , , 0.2 , , 11.1 , - , align="left" , 1977–78 , align="left" ,

, 82 , , - , , 35.8 , , .435 , , - , , .772 , , 3.1 , , 9.4 , , 2.0 , , 0.1 , , 12.4 , - , align="left" , 1978–79 , align="left" , Golden State , style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , - , , 37.7 , , .462 , , - , , .822 , , 3.0 , , 9.3 , , 1.9 , , 0.1 , , 16.1 , - , align="left" , 1979–80 , align="left" , Golden State , 80 , , - , , 34.5 , , .467 , , .286 , , .768 , , 2.8 , , 7.5 , , 1.7 , , 0.0 , , 12.6 , - , align="left" , 1980–81 , align="left" , Golden State , 66 , , - , , 29.1 , , .439 , , .167 , , .738 , , 2.3 , , 7.0 , , 1.3 , , 0.0 , , 8.4 , - , align="left" , 1981–82 , align="left" ,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, 79 , , 53 , , 24.6 , , .426 , , .091 , , .784 , , 2.1 , , 7.0 , , 1.2 , , 0.1 , , 8.4 , - , align="left" , 1982–83 , align="left" ,

, 35 , , 0 , , 11.0 , , .473 , , .000 , , .500 , , 0.8 , , 2.9 , , 0.7 , , 0.0 , , 4.1 , - , align="left" , 1983–84 , align="left" ,

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_ ...

, 63 , , 39 , , 28.7 , , .462 , , .275 , , .764 , , 2.9 , , 10.7 , , 1.5 , , 0.1 , , 10.9 , - , align="left" , 1984–85 , align="left" ,

, 47 , , 21 , , 24.6 , , .462 , , .318 , , .798 , , 1.8 , , 6.8 , , 1.3 , , 0.0 , , 11.4 , - , align="left" , 1985–86 , align="left" ,

, 65 , , 65 , , 32.6 , , .446 , , .308 , , .775 , , 2.2 , , 8.8 , , 1.2 , , 0.1 , , 15.5 , - , align="left" , 1986–87 , align="left" ,

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...

, 43 , , 40 , , 31.6 , , .457 , , .365 , , .787 , , 2.9 , , 6.7 , , 1.7 , , 0.1 , , 17.5 , - , align="left" , 1987–88 , align="left" ,

, 81 , , 22 , , 21.8 , , .445 , , .338 , , .802 , , 2.0 , , 4.8 , , 1.1 , , 0.0 , , 9.2 , - , align="left" , 1988–89 , align="left" ,

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region o ...

, 74 , , 8 , , 11.4 , , .398 , , .265 , , .701 , , 1.1 , , 3.5 , , 0.8 , , 0.0 , , 4.2 , - , align="left" , 1989–90 , align="left" ,

, 49 , , 18 , , 19.1 , , .375 , , .299 , , .764 , , 1.8 , , 4.9 , , 0.9 , , 0.0 , , 5.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 928 , , 266 , , 27.5 , , .449 , , .303 , , .776 , , 2.3 , , 7.0 , , 1.4 , , 0.1 , , 10.7

Playoffs

, - , align="left" , 1976–77 , align="left" ,

, 12 , , - , , 35.8 , , .540 , , - , , .765 , , 2.8 , , 6.9 , , 2.0 , , 0.3 , , 14.7 , - , align="left" , 1981–82 , align="left" ,

, 7 , , - , , 10.6 , , .538 , , .333 , , .667 , , 1.1 , , 2.9 , , 0.4 , , 0.1 , , 4.4 , - , align="left" , 1984–85 , align="left" ,

, 5 , , 4 , , 30.4 , , .325 , , .143 , , .636 , , 4.2 , , 5.4 , , 1.2 , , 0.0 , , 13.6 , - , align="left" , 1986–87 , align="left" ,

, 12 , , 12 , , 30.2 , , .453 , , .333 , , .813 , , 2.1 , , 5.2 , , 1.2 , , 0.1 , , 15.6 , - , align="left" , 1987–88 , align="left" ,

, 5 , , 0 , , 16.0 , , .370 , , .231 , , .667 , , 1.6 , , 3.8 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 5.8 , - , align="left" , 1988–89 , align="left" ,

, 4 , , 0 , , 9.3 , , .294 , , .000 , , .500 , , 0.3 , , 2.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 2.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 45 , , 16 , , 25.2 , , .451 , , .261 , , .746 , , 2.1 , , 4.9 , , 1.2 , , 0.1 , , 11.2

College

, - , align="left" , 1972–73 , align="left" ,

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean t ...

, 30 , , - , , - , , .538 , , - , , .703 , , 2.8 , , - , , - , , - , , 14.2 , - , align="left" , 1973–74 , align="left" ,

, 28 , , - , , - , , .511 , , - , , .753 , , 2.8 , , - , , - , , - , , 20.1 , - , align="left" , 1974–75 , align="left" ,

, 24 , , - , , - , , .549 , , - , , .836 , , 4.2 , , - , , - , , - , , 19.5 , - , align="left" , 1975–76 , align="left" ,

, 28 , , - , , - , , .511 , , - , , .778 , , 3.9 , , - , , - , , - , , 19.9 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 110 , , - , , - , , .525 , , - , , .778 , , 3.4 , , - , , - , , - , , 18.3

Coaching career

He has coached the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known 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 league's Ea ...

and

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 league's Eastern Conference Central ...

, each for less than two seasons, compiling a 174–258 overall coaching record. His most successful stint was with the Spurs. In 1992–93, he took over from

Jerry Tarkanian Jerry Tarkanian (August 8, 1930 – February 11, 2015) was an American basketball coach. He coached college basketball for 31 seasons over five decades at three schools. He spent the majority of his career coaching with the UNLV Runnin' Rebe ...

(9-11) and went 39–22 the rest of the season, and reached the Western Conference semi-finals. The next year the Spurs finished 55–27 but lost in the first round of playoffs. Prior to accepting the head coaching position for the Cavs, he was assistant coach for the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

for three seasons. Lucas worked with Indiana Pacers guard

T. J. Ford Terrance Jerod Ford Sr. (born March 24, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player. Having been awarded numerous top basketball accolades in high school and college, Ford entered the 2003 NBA draft and was selected eighth overall ...

in Houston after the guard sustained a neck injury from a hard foul from

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

Al Horford Alfred Joel Horford Reynoso (born June 3, 1986) is a Dominican professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Big Al", Horford is a five-time NBA All-Star and is the highest paid L ...

. Lucas was hired for the 2009–10 NBA season as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers under head coach Mike Dunleavy. Lucas began working with former NFL first round pick

JaMarcus Russell JaMarcus Trenell Russell (born August 9, 1985) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for three seasons with the Oakland Raiders. Highly successful at LSU, where he was MVP of the 2007 Sugar ...

in 2010 as a life coach, but ceased this role in April 2011. In July 2016, Lucas joined the Houston Rockets as a player development coach. On November 6, 2020, Lucas was announced as an assistant in the staff of new Rockets head coach

Stephen Silas Stephen Silas (born August 6, 1973) is an American basketball coach who is the head coach for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is the son of NBA star player and head coach Paul Silas. He worked under his fa ...

Head coaching record

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

, style="text-align:left;", , 61, , 39, , 22, , , , align="center", 2nd in Midwest, , , 10, , 5, , 5, , , style="text-align:center;", Lost in Conf. Semifinals , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 55, , 27, , , , align="center", 2nd in Midwest, , , 4, , 1, , 3, , , style="text-align:center;", Lost in

First Round First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

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

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 24, , 58, , , , align="center", 6th in Atlantic, , , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", Missed playoffs , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 18, , 64, , , , align="center", 7th in Atlantic, , , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", Missed playoffs , - , style="text-align:left;",

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along ...

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 29, , 53, , , , align="center", 7th in Central, , , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", Missed playoffs , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 42, , 8, , 34, , , , align="center", (fired), , , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", — , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:left;", Career , , , 431, , 173, , 258, , , , , , 14, , 6, , 8, , , ,

Tennis career

Lucas was not only a standout basketball player, but also a standout

player. An All-American in the sport while at Maryland, he won ACC number one singles championship twice in 1974 and 1976, before being named the McKelvin Award winner as the conference's top all-around athlete. Lucas competed in two

Grand Prix tennis The Grand Prix tennis circuit was a professional tennis tour for male players that existed from 1970 to 1989. The Grand Prix and World Championship Tennis (WCT) were the two predecessors to the current tour for male players, the ATP Tour, with t ...

tournaments in 1973, another in 1979, and a

challenger Challenger, Challengers, or The Challengers may refer to: Entertainment Comics and manga * Challenger (character), comic book character * ''Challengers'' (manga), manga by Hinako Takanaga Film and TV * ''The Challengers'' (TV series), a 197 ...

event in 1979. His best result was reaching the semi-finals of the challenger in

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Sout ...

, partnering

Fred McNair Frederick V. McNair IV (born July 22, 1950) is an American former professional tennis player who reached the world No. 1 doubles ranking in 1976. That year, he teamed up with Sherwood Stewart to capture the men's doubles titles at French Open, ...

. He won one other tour match, by default in doubles in 1973 in

Merion, Pennsylvania Merion Station, also known as Merion, is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. It borders Philadelphia to its west and is one of the communities that make up the Philadelphia Main Line. Merion Station is part of Lower M ...

while partnering

Vic Seixas Elias Victor Seixas Jr. (; pronounced SAY-shus; born August 30, 1923)

. He lost all four of the singles first round matches which he contested, and in straight sets. His best singles result was a 4–6, 4–6 loss to John Austin. Lucas's career high ranking was 579th, in singles in December 1979. (Doubles computer rankings were not officially kept until the early 1980s.) Lucas also played

World Team Tennis World TeamTennis (WTT) is a mixed-gender professional tennis league played with a team format in the United States, which was founded in 1973. The league's season normally takes place in the summer months. Players from the ATP and WTA take a ...

with the

San Francisco Golden Gaters The San Francisco Golden Gaters were a charter franchise of World Team Tennis (WTT). The Golden Gaters won two Western Division Championships and lost in the WTT Finals both times. The team was founded in 1973 and made the playoffs in each of the ...

in 1976, and the

New Orleans Sun Belt Nets The New Orleans Sun Belt Nets were a charter franchise of World TeamTennis, World Team Tennis (WTT). The team first played as the Cleveland Nets in 1974 World Team Tennis season, 1974, and was known as the Cleveland–Pittsburgh Nets in 1977, when ...

in 1978. He and

Renée Richards Renée Richards (born August 19, 1934) is an American ophthalmologist and former tennis player who competed on the professional circuit in the 1970s, and became widely known following male-to-female sex reassignment surgery, when she fought to ...

had success teaming up as the Nets' regular mixed-doubles team in 1978. The 6'1" Richards was delighted to have a male partner who was taller than she was. In 2005, Lucas was the head coach of the Houston Wranglers, which featured

Steffi Graf Stefanie Maria Graf ( , ; born 14 June 1969) is a German former professional tennis player. Widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, she was ranked world No. 1 for a record 377 weeks and won 22 major singles titles, ...

and

Mardy Fish Mardy Simpson Fish (born December 9, 1981) is an American former professional tennis player. He was a hardcourt specialist. He is one of several American tennis players who rose to prominence in the early 2000s.Fish won six tournaments on the ma ...

Personal life

Lucas's elder son

John Lucas III John Harding Lucas III (born November 21, 1982) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is currently an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketbal ...

played college basketball at

Oklahoma State Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, ...

, and has been a member of several NBA teams. His younger son, Jai, played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...