William R. Knight (born June 9, 1952) 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 Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player and executive. Playing with the Indiana Pacers in both 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 ...

(ABA) and later the

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 ...

(NBA), he was both an ABA and NBA All-Star. He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

with the Pittsburgh Panthers, who retired his No. 34. In college, Knight was a consensus second-team All-American in 1974. He began his pro career with the Indiana Pacers, earning ABA All-Rookie First Team honors in 1975. He continued with the Pacers in the NBA, and he also played in the league for the

Buffalo Braves The Buffalo Braves were an American professional basketball team based in Buffalo, New York. The Braves competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference ...

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

Kansas City Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

and

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 Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

. Knight finished his playing career with a season in France. He became an executive with the Pacers and the Vancouver/Memphis Grizzlies. He last served as the executive vice president and general manager of the

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 ...

from 2003 to 2008.

Early life

Knight was born and raised in Braddock, Pennsylvania, a suburb of

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

, where he attended Braddock High School. He was a member of the 1970 Section High School Basketball Champions Braddock Tigers.

University of Pittsburgh

A 6'6" guard/ forward, he then attended the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...

(Pitt), where he starred, and along with Mickey Martin and Kirk Bruce, Knight led the Panthers to the East Regional Finals in the 1974 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, where they lost to eventual NCAA Champion North Carolina State, in a matchup between Knight and NCSU's David Thompson. The game was played in Raleigh, North Carolina. NCSU went on to defeat UCLA & Marquette for the National title in Greensboro, North Carolina. Knight's performance during the 1973–1974 season, in which Pitt went 25–4 and won a school record, 22 games in a row, earned him 2nd team All-American team status. He is considered one of Pitt's best players ever and was voted to Pitt's all-time starting five. Knight had his number 34 jersey retired by the University of Pittsburgh on February 20, 1989.

Professional career

Knight spent 11 seasons, from 1974 to 1985, in the ABA and NBA as a member of the Indiana Pacers,

, and

. He scored 13,901 points in his ABA/NBA career and appeared in two All-Star games as well as one ABA all-star game.

Indiana Pacers (1975–77, first stint)

Knight's best years were with the Indiana Pacers, after being selected by both the Pacers and the LA Lakers in the player draft. Knight was voted 1st team ABA All-Star for the 1975–1976 season, his second year in the league after averaging 28.1 ppg. This was the last year of the ABA before the Indiana Pacers merged into the NBA. The following year Knight maintained All-Star status, this time in the NBA after averaging 26.6 ppg — second best in the league that season.

Buffalo Braves (1978)

Following a brief but successful tenure with the

in the 1978 season, Knight's play slowly began to decline. A primary reason for Knight's initial success in the NBA was the poor state of the Braves franchise upon his arrival. Having recently lost their MVP talent Bob McAdoo, the directionless Braves won only 27 games in Knight's lone season with the franchise. Knight's averages of 23 points and 7 rebounds would nevertheless be enough for the forward to make his third and final career all-star team.

Boston Celtics (1978–79)

Knight departed from Buffalo via a trade that sent Knight, fellow all star Tiny Archibald, Marvin Barnes, and a 1981 2nd round draft pick that would become

Danny Ainge Daniel Ray Ainge ( ; born March 17, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and professional baseball player who serves as the chief executive officer for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NB ...

to the

in exchange for Sidney Wicks, Kermit Washington, Freeman Williams, and Kevin Kunnert. In Boston, Knight's scoring numbers dropped from 22.9 to 13.9.

Indiana Pacers (1979–83, second stint), and later career

After less than one year in Boston, Knight was traded back to the Pacers for rookie Rick Robey. On November 11, 1980, Knight scored 52 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, and recorded 5 steals during a 119–113 win over the

. The 52 point total was a career-high for Knight, and resulted in him winning NBA Player of the Week. Knight remained a reliable player throughout the remainder of his career, averaging between 12 and 18 points for the next five consecutive seasons. He ended his career as a member of the

, where he played alongside future Hall of Famers George Gervin and Artis Gilmore for 52 games. Knight is the Indiana Pacers 3rd all-time leading scorer and is in several other Top 5 all-time categories for the Pacers. His 1976 statline of 28.1 points per game still remains the highest points average by a Pacer in a single season. Knight is one of twenty-three players in NBA/ABA history to average 28 points and 10 rebounds in a season, joining the likes of Wilt Chamberlain (x7), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (x5), Shaquille O'Neal (x5), Elgin Baylor (x4), Karl Malone (x4), Giannis Antetokounmpo (x3), Bob McAdoo (x3), Bob Pettit (x3), Oscar Robertson (x3), Anthony Davis (x2), Joel Embiid (x2), Julius Erving (x2), Elvin Hayes (x2), Spencer Haywood (x2), Dan Issel (x2), Charles Barkley, Walt Bellamy, Larry Bird, Patrick Ewing, Moses Malone, George McGinnis, George Mikan, and David Robinson. Among these players, Knight remains the only one out of the eligible names to put up such a statline and not be inducted into the

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pre ...

. Furthermore, himself, Oscar Robertson, and Larry Bird are the only three to achieve such a statline while not playing at the center or power forward position. A versatile wing player, it was commonplace for Knight to switch between playing the small forward and shooting guard positions over the course of his eleven-year professional career.

Front office career

Prior to joining the Hawks organization in 2002, Knight worked as a front office executive with the Pacers and the Vancouver/Memphis Grizzlies.

Atlanta Hawks (2003–08)

Knight's reign as GM of the

was marred by a mix of successful and poor draft selections. In 2004, he drafted Josh Childress over future All-Stars Luol Deng and Andre Iguodala. Childress wound up leaving the Atlanta Hawks to join a Greek franchise. In 2005, Billy Knight drafted UNC freshman phenom Marvin Williams over consensus top point guard and future 9-time All Star and 7-time All-NBA team

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the Basketball positions, five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position and is usually the shortest player ...

Chris Paul despite the roster's need for a point guard and glut of young players at the swing position between Josh Childress and Josh Smith. 2006 led to the selection of Sheldon Williams, an undersized power forward, despite glaring needs at guard and future all-star Brandon Roy available. On May 7, 2008, Knight stepped down as Hawks GM. When announcing his resignation from the team he stated that he had left the Hawks "in much better shape than it was in when I took over."

Personal life

Knight currently lives in Atlanta, and continues to play tennis, a game he enjoys and began playing around the age of 30.

ABA/NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Indiana (ABA) , 80 , , – , , 32.0 , , .534 , , .250 , , .799 , , 7.9 , , 2.1 , , 1.4 , , .4 , , 17.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Indiana (ABA) , 70 , , – , , 39.6 , , .494 , , .400 , , .828 , , 10.1 , , 3.7 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , 28.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-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 ...

, 78 , , – , , 40.0 , , .493 , , – , , .816 , , 7.5 , , 3.3 , , 1.5 , , .2 , , 26.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Buffalo , 53 , , – , , 40.7 , , .494 , , – , , .809 , , 7.2 , , 3.0 , , 1.5 , , .2 , , 22.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, 40 , , – , , 28.0 , , .502 , , – , , .808 , , 4.3 , , 1.7 , , .8 , , .1 , , 13.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 39 , , – , , 25.0 , , .556 , , – , , .873 , , 4.5 , , 2.2 , , .8 , , .1 , , 14.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 75 , , – , , 25.5 , , .533 , , .267 , , .809 , , 4.8 , , 2.1 , , 1.1 , , .1 , , 13.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , – , , 29.1 , , .533 , , .158 , , .832 , , 5.0 , , 1.9 , , 1.0 , , .1 , , 17.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , 19 , , 22.3 , , .495 , , .281 , , .826 , , 3.2 , , 1.5 , , .8 , , .2 , , 12.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , 54 , , 28.3 , , .520 , , .158 , , .841 , , 4.1 , , 2.4 , , .8 , , .1 , , 17.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Kansas City , 75 , , 39 , , 25.1 , , .491 , , .286 , , .859 , , 3.4 , , 2.1 , , .7 , , .1 , , 12.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Kansas City , 16 , , 0 , , 11.8 , , .449 , , 1.000 , , .813 , , 1.4 , , 1.3 , , .1 , , .1 , , 4.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

, 52 , , 1 , , 11.8 , , .439 , , .417 , , .895 , , 1.8 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , .0 , , 6.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 821 , , 113 , , 28.9 , , .507 , , .284 , , .827 , , 5.3 , , 2.3 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , 16.9 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 2 , , 0 , , 17.5 , , .526 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 7.5 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , 12.0

Playoffs

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

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

, style="text-align:left;”, Indiana(ABA) , 18, , –, , 42.4, , .568, , .000, , .845, , 8.9, , 2.4, , .9, , .1, , 24.1 , - , 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;”, Indiana(ABA) , 3, , –, , 47.7, , .554, , .000, , .864, , 10.7, , 4.0, , .7, , .0, , 33.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1981 , style="text-align:left;”,

, 2, , –, , 35.5, , .533, , –, , .625, , 6.0, , 2.5, , .5, , .0, , 18.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1984 , style="text-align:left;”, Kansas City , 3, , –, , 12.3, , .333, , –, , 1.000, , 1.0, , .7, , .0, , .0, , 6.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1985 , style="text-align:left;”,

, 5, , 0, , 9.0, , .533, , .000, , –, , 1.2, , .6, , .4, , .0, , 3.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 31 , , 0 , , 34.2 , , .550 , , .000 , , .837 , , 6.9 , , 2.1 , , .7 , , .0 , , 19.5

References

External links

Career stats
at basketball-reference.com

at nba.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Knight, Billy 1952 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen ABA All-Stars African-American sports executives and administrators All-American college men's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in France American men's basketball players American sports executives and administrators Basketball players from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Boston Celtics players Buffalo Braves players Indiana Pacers draft picks Indiana Pacers players Kansas City Kings players Limoges CSP players Los Angeles Lakers draft picks Memphis Grizzlies executives NBA All-Stars Sportspeople from Braddock, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball players San Antonio Spurs players Shooting guards Small forwards