Robert Franklin Lewis (born March 20, 1945) 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.
Lewis grew up in Northwest Washington, D.C., and developed many of his skills at Jelleff's Boys Club in Georgetown, under the tutelage of Joe Branzell.
He attended
St. John's College High School
St. John's College High School (SJC, SJCHS, or St. John's) is a Catholic high school in Washington, D.C. Established in 1851, it is the third oldest Christian Brothers school in the United States, and was one of the oldest Army JROTC schools u ...
in
Washington, D.C
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
, where he played for coach Joe Gallagher.
As a junior, Lewis averaged 25.4 points per game, including a season-high 40 points against the Georgetown freshman team. He was named first team All-Met.
As a senior, he was named the Daily News SSA Player of the Year and First Team All-Met for the second consecutive year. He also appeared on ''
The Ed Sullivan Show
''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the ''CB ...
'' as a
Parade Magazine All-American in 1963.
He went on to play for coach Dean Smith at the
University of North Carolina
The University of North Carolina is the Public university, public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referre ...
, where he played an integral role on the 1967 ACC Champion and Final Four team. In 1966, he averaged 27.4 points per game, the second-highest single-season average in UNC history. On December 16, 1965, he scored 49 points against
Florida State
Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...
, which remains the highest single-game scoring total in school history. Lewis currently ranks tenth all-time in scoring at UNC, with 1,836 career points.
He was an All-ACC and All-America selection in 1966 and 1967. Because of his national accolades, Lewis' number 22 was honored by the University of North Carolina and hangs in the rafters of the
Dean Smith Center
The Dean E. Smith Student Activities Center (commonly known as the Dean Smith Center, Smith Center, or the Dean Dome) is a multi-purpose arena in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, used primarily as the home for the University of North Carolina at Ch ...
.
Lewis was selected by the
San Francisco 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 Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...
in the fourth round (39th pick overall) of the
1967 NBA draft
The 1967 NBA draft was the 21st annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on May 3 and 4, 1967, before the 1967–68 season. In this draft, 12 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball pla ...
. He was also selected by the
Anaheim Amigos
The Anaheim Amigos were a charter member American Basketball Association (ABA) team based in Southern California. They were the first professional sports team to identify with the city of Anaheim, California. After their first season in Anaheim, ...
in the
1967 ABA Draft.
He played for the Warriors for three seasons and 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 ...
for one. During his professional career, he averaged 5.8 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game.
Career statistics
Source
NBA
Regular season
Playoffs
See also
*
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Bobby
1945 births
Living people
All-American college men's basketball players
American men's basketball players
Anaheim Amigos draft picks
Basketball players from Washington, D.C.
Cleveland Cavaliers expansion draft picks
Cleveland Cavaliers players
North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball players
Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)
San Francisco Warriors draft picks
San Francisco Warriors players
Shooting guards
St. John's College High School alumni
20th-century American sportsmen