Eric Augustus "Sleepy" Floyd (born March 6, 1960) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. An

NBA All-Star The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game. It is the main event of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Originally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of ...

in 1987 as a Warrior, he is perhaps best known for his tenures for Golden State and Houston.

Early life, family and education

Floyd was born in

Gastonia, North Carolina Gastonia is the largest city in and county seat of Gaston County, North Carolina, United States. It is the second-largest satellite city of the Charlotte area, behind Concord. The population was 80,411 at the 2020 census, up from 71,741 in 20 ...

. He received the nickname "Sleepy" playing baseball in the

fourth grade Fourth grade (also called grade four, equivalent to Year 5 in England and Wales, and Year 4 in Australia) is a year of Elementary education in some countries. In North America, the fourth grade is the fifth school year of elementary school. Stud ...

, when a spectator yelled "Get that kid out of the game. He’s sleeping." A guard, Floyd played competitively at

Hunter Huss High School Hunter Huss High School (abbreviated HHHS) is a public high school in the Gaston County Schools school district located in Gastonia, NC. It is the oldest existing high school building still used as a high school in Gaston County. Its attendance ...

in Gastonia. During Floyd's junior season at Hunter Huss High, he led his team to win in the 1977 North Carolina state basketball championship over rival Ashbrook High, a team led by

James Worthy James Ager Worthy (born February 27, 1961) is an American sports commentator, television host, analyst, and former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Big Game James", he played his entire professional career with the Los Angeles Lakers ...

Collegiate career

Floyd was a star basketball player at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

(and was later inducted into the Georgetown University Athletic Hall of Fame). At Georgetown, Floyd excelled all four seasons, leading the team in scoring in 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982 and was team captain in 1981 and 1982. Floyd was named an All-Big East Conference selection in 1980, 1981, 1982, and an All-American in 1981 and 1982. In his final season at Georgetown, Floyd and co-star

Patrick Ewing Patrick Aloysius Ewing (born August 5, 1962) is a Jamaican-American basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Georgetown University men's team. He played most of his career as the starting center for the N ...

helped lead the Hoyas all the way to the National Championship game, where Floyd scored 18 points, recorded 5 assists, and stole the ball 5 times in a 63-62 loss to

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

. Floyd holds the Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball record for career points — 2,304.

Professional career

Floyd was drafted by the

New Jersey 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 ...

with the 13th pick of the 1982 NBA draft. During the middle of an unspectacular rookie season, Floyd was traded by the Nets with Mickey Johnson to the Golden State Warriors for

Micheal Ray Richardson Micheal "Sugar" Ray Richardson (born April 11, 1955) is an American former professional basketball player and head coach. He played college basketball for the Montana Grizzlies. The No. 4 overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft, Richardson played in ...

. Floyd quickly blossomed while playing for the Warriors, averaging 16.8 points per game in his first full season with the franchise, and during the

1984–85 NBA season The 1984–85 NBA season was the 39th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Los Angeles Lakers winning the NBA Championship, beating the Boston Celtics 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. Notable occurrences *The 19 ...

, he averaged a career high 19.5 points per game. Two seasons later, he averaged 18.8 points and 10.3 assists and earned a spot on the

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...

NBA All-Star Team. That season, on December 6, Floyd scored a career high 41 points in 109-104 loss against the Dallas Mavericks. During the 1987 NBA Playoffs, Floyd averaged 21.4 points, 10.2 assists, and 1.8 steals in 10 games, and played a key role in a first round upset of the

Karl Malone Karl Anthony Malone (born July 24, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Mailman", he is considered one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history. Malone sp ...

-led

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

. The following round, however, the Warriors were eliminated by the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers. In December 1987, Floyd was traded with

Joe Barry Carroll Joe Barry Carroll (born July 24, 1958) is an American former professional basketball player who spent ten seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). After retiring from basketball, he became a wealth advisor, philanthropist, artist, a ...

to the Houston Rockets for

Ralph Sampson Ralph Lee Sampson Jr. (born July 7, 1960) is an American former professional basketball player. He is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. A phenom, three-time college national player of the year, and first overall selec ...

and Steve Harris. On February 26, 1991, Floyd scored 40 points after playing only 24 minutes (the fewest minutes needed for a 40 point game in NBA history), in a 129-99 win over the Denver Nuggets. Floyd would play 5½ seasons in total with the Rockets before signing as a free agent with 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 ...

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...

, a year before the Rockets would win their two consecutive championships. After one season in San Antonio, he returned to the

, and he retired in

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...

with 12,260 career points and 5,175 career assists. Floyd still holds the NBA playoff record for points scored in a quarter (29) and in half (39), in Game 4 of the aforementioned 1987 Western Conference Semifinals against the Lakers. Floyd scored 12 consecutive field goals in the fourth quarter, finishing the game with 51 points, and prevented a sweep of the Warriors by in-state rival Lakers.

Post career

After retiring from the NBA, Floyd ran a restaurant for three years, and he started a financial management company. In 2004–2005, he coached junior varsity boys' basketball at Gaston Day School, located in

, his hometown. Floyd accompanied a group of basketball players to

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

in January 2014 for an exhibition game honoring that nation's leader

Kim Jong Un Kim Jong-un (; , ; born 8 January 1982) is a North Korean politician who has been Supreme Leader of North Korea since 2011 and the leader of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is a son of Kim Jong-il, who was North Korea's secon ...

as " basketball diplomacy". Less than a half day after his arrival, Floyd regretted the trip, feeling "misled".

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, 43 , , 6 , , 11.5 , , .426 , , .286 , , .844 , , 1.0 , , 1.6 , , 0.4 , , 0.2 , , 5.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 33 , , 11 , , 22.8 , , .431 , , .545 , , .830 , , 2.9 , , 2.2 , , 1.2 , , 0.2 , , 11.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 77 , , 73 , , 33.2 , , .463 , , .178 , , .816 , , 3.5 , , 3.5 , , 1.3 , , 0.4 , , 16.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 82 , , 82 , , 35.0 , , .445 , , .294 , , .810 , , 2.5 , , 5.0 , , 1.6 , , 0.5 , , 19.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 82 , , 82 , , 33.7 , , .506 , , .328 , , .796 , , 3.6 , , 9.1 , , 1.9 , , 0.2 , , 17.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 82 , , 82 , , 37.4 , , .488 , , .384 , , .860 , , 3.3 , , 10.3 , , 1.8 , , 0.2 , , 18.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 18 , , 18 , , 37.8 , , .439 , , .050 , , .835 , , 5.1 , , 9.9 , , 1.5 , , 0.1 , , 21.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-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 i ...

, 59 , , 55 , , 31.1 , , .431 , , .250 , , .860 , , 3.5 , , 6.2 , , 1.2 , , 0.2 , , 13.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 82 , , 34.0 , , .443 , , .373 , , .845 , , 3.7 , , 8.6 , , 1.5 , , 0.1 , , 14.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 73 , , 32.1 , , .451 , , .380 , , .806 , , 2.4 , , 7.3 , , 1.1 , , 0.1 , , 12.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 4 , , 22.6 , , .411 , , .273 , , .752 , , 1.9 , , 3.9 , , 1.2 , , 0.2 , , 12.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 3 , , 20.3 , , .406 , , .301 , , .794 , , 1.8 , , 2.9 , , 0.7 , , 0.3 , , 9.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 52 , , 10 , , 16.7 , , .407 , , .286 , , .794 , , 1.7 , , 2.5 , , 0.6 , , 0.1 , , 6.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-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_t ...

, 53 , , 2 , , 13.9 , , .335 , , .222 , , .667 , , 1.3 , , 1.9 , , 0.2 , , 0.2 , , 3.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 48 , , 1 , , 17.3 , , .335 , , .284 , , .698 , , 1.1 , , 2.6 , , 0.3 , , 0.1 , , 4.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 957 , , 584 , , 27.6 , , .444 , , .324 , , .815 , , 2.6 , , 5.4 , , 1.2 , , 0.2 , , 12.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 1 , , 0 , , 19.0 , , .571 , , .333 , , .714 , , 5.0 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 14.0

Playoffs

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

, style="text-align:left;”, Golden State , 10, , 10, , 41.4, , .507, , .464, , .922, , 3.0, , 10.2, , 1.8, , 0.2, , 21.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicenten ...

, style="text-align:left;”,

, 4, , 4, , 38.5, , .426, , .500, , .864, , 1.8, , 8.5, , 2.0, , 0.0, , 18.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...

, style="text-align:left;”,

, 4, , 4, , 40.0, , .478, , .533, , .714, , 4.5, , 6.5, , 2.0, , 0.3, , 15.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicist ...

, style="text-align:left;”,

, 4, , 4, , 43.0, , .469, , .250, , .647, , 3.8, , 10.3, , 1.3, , 0.3, , 18.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...

, style="text-align:left;”,

, 3, , 0, , 13.7, , .333, , .000, , –, , 0.7, , 2.3, , 0.7, , 0.3, , 5.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;”,

, 7, , 0, , 8.6, , .316, , .333, , .700, , 0.6, , 1.1, , 0.3, , 0.0, , 2.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson ...

, style="text-align:left;”,

, 4, , 0, , 9.3, , .250, , –, , .500, , 0.3, , 0.3, , 0.0, , 0.0, , 1.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 36 , , 22 , , 28.8 , , .457 , , .414 , , .814 , , 2.1 , , 6.1 , , 1.2 , , 0.1 , , 13.0

References

External links

Career stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Floyd, Sleepy 1960 births Living people African-American basketball players All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from North Carolina Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball players Golden State Warriors players Houston Rockets players National Basketball Association All-Stars New Jersey Nets draft picks New Jersey Nets players People from Gastonia, North Carolina Point guards San Antonio Spurs players 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople

Early life, family and education

Collegiate career

Professional career

Post career

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

See also

References

External links