David William Cowens ( ; born October 25, 1948) 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

NBA 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 ...

head coach. At , he played the center position and occasionally played

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to center (basketball), centers and are typi ...

. Cowens spent most of his playing career with the

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), ...

. He was the 1971 NBA Rookie of the Year and the 1973 NBA Most Valuable Player. Cowens won NBA championships as a member of the Celtics in 1974 and 1976. He was 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 ...

in 1991. Cowens has also held coaching positions in the NBA, CBA, and WNBA. Cowens was named a member of both the NBA 50th Anniversary All-Time Team and the

NBA 75th Anniversary Team The NBA 75th Anniversary Team, also referred to as the NBA 75, was chosen in 2021 to honor the 75th anniversary of the founding of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was the fourth and most recent anniversary team in the league. S ...

Early life

David William Cowens was born on October 25, 1948, in

Newport, Kentucky Newport is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city in Campbell County, Kentucky, United States. It is at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Licking River (Kentucky), Licking rivers across from Cincinnati. The population was 14,150 ...

, one of six children of Jack and Ruth Cowens. He attended Newport Catholic High School, where he excelled in basketball. In 2018, Cowens attended a ceremony at which the school dedicated its new gymnasium floor, styled in the parquet pattern of Boston Garden.

College career

Cowens attended

Florida State University 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 ...

. He played from 1967 to 1970 for coach Hugh Durham. He scored 1,479 points in 78 games at

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 ...

, at 19.0 points per game, and ranks among Florida State's top 10 all-time scoring leaders. Cowens is the all-time

leading rebounder with 1,340 rebounds (17.2 rebounds per game). He holds the team record for best seasonal rebound average (17.5 in the 1968–1969 season). He once grabbed 31 rebounds (second-best all-time) against

LSU Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

in the 1968–69 season. Cowens was named to ''

The Sporting News ''The Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a ...

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

second team in 1970. His number hangs in the rafters of the Donald L. Tucker Center.

Professional career

Boston Celtics (1970–1980)

Cowens was selected as the fourth overall pick by the

in the 1970 NBA draft. Former Celtics center

Bill Russell William Felton Russell (February 12, 1934 – July 31, 2022) was an American professional basketball player who played Center (basketball), center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. He was t ...

's recommendation of Cowens influenced the selection. While some critics believed that Cowens was too small to play center, Russell said: "No one is going to tell that kid he can't play center". Jim Loscutoff had declined to have his No. 18 jersey number retired by the Celtics, instead choosing to allow other players to wear the number. This allowed Cowens to wear No. 18 as well. During his rookie year, Cowens averaged 17.0 points per game and 15.0 rebounds per game. He was named to the

NBA All-Rookie First Team The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for play ...

and shared the NBA's Rookie of the Year honors with Portland's Geoff Petrie. He also led the league in personal fouls that same year. Dave Cowens

In the 1972–73 season, Cowens averaged 20.5 ppg, 16.2 rpg and 4.1 apg while helping the Celtics to a league-best 68–14 record. In that season also, Cowens scored 20 points, grabbed a career-high 32 rebounds and dished out 9 assists in a home win over 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 carried the Celtics to the semifinals, where they met the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

. They won Game 1 of that best-of-7 series after Cowens recorded 15 points and 18 rebounds. However, they bowed out to the Knicks in Game 7. Cowens was chosen the NBA MVP as well as MVP of the

All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that showcases the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or division, bu ...

that same season. Cowens and fellow Celtic

both have the distinction of being named MVP of the league but not being included on the

All-NBA First Team The All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season. The voting is conducted by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The team has been sel ...

. The following season, Cowens averaged 19.0 PPG, 15.7 RPG, 4.4 APG and 1.3 BPG while guiding the Celtics to a record of 56–26. Cowens was instrumental in bringing the Celtics into the playoffs, where they defeated the Buffalo Braves in six games and the New York Knicks in five. In the finals, the Celtics faced the top-seeded

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

. The teams split the first six games, with each team winning at least once on their home court. This led to a decisive Game 7, where the Celtics faced the Bucks in Milwaukee. The Celtics prevailed thanks to a strong performance by Cowens, who recorded 28 points and 14 rebounds as the Celtics took their 12th NBA championship. Cowens won his second NBA championship ring as a member of the 1975–1976 Celtics team that defeated the Phoenix Suns, 4–2, in the NBA Finals. Eight games into the 1976–77 season on November 10, 1976, and with the Celtics on a four-game losing streak, Cowens left the team for "undisclosed reasons". Speculations included that Cowens was upset that the team didn't offer Paul Silas a new contract after the previous season and traded him to 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 Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

. Other speculations were that he was unhappy with coach

Tom Heinsohn Thomas William Heinsohn (August 26, 1934 – November 9, 2020) was an American professional basketball player, coach, and broadcaster. He was associated with the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) for six decades as a pl ...

and also his involvement in a lawsuit from the previous season where he allegedly struck a fan during a game against the

. Cowens returned to the team in January 1977 and led them to the playoffs, where they lost in the second round 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 ...

. Cowens averaged 18.6 points and 14 rebounds a game in the 1977–78 season, but the Celtics missed the playoffs for the first time since his 1970–71 rookie season. After Coach

Satch Sanders Thomas Ernest "Satch" Sanders (born November 8, 1938) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He played his entire professional career as a power forward (basketball), power forward for the Boston Celtics of the National B ...

was fired following a 2–12 start to the 1978–1979 season, Cowens served as player-coach for the remainder of the season. The team finished the year with a 29–53 record. In his final season with the Celtics (1979–80), Cowens helped the team to a 61–21 record. Cowens averaged 14.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists during the season. Cowens and the Celtics defeated the Houston Rockets 4–0 in the Eastern Conference playoffs before losing to the Philadelphia 76ers 4–1 in the Eastern Conference finals. Cowens retired as a player in 1980, as Boston drafted Kevin McHale and traded for

Robert Parish Robert Lee Parish (born August 30, 1953) is an American former professional basketball player. A 7'1" Center (basketball), center, nicknamed "the Chief", Parish played for four teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1976 to 199 ...

to replace him at center. Boston then won the 1981 NBA Championship. "I have sprained my ankle at least 30 times over the duration of my career, broken both legs and fractured a foot," Cowens said upon retiring. "Two years ago, a team of foot and bone specialists said they were amazed that I could play up to that point without sustaining serious injuries." In 1982–83, Cowens felt the desire to play again and approached the Celtics about trading him, as they still held his rights. Cowens said, "The Celtics are set up front (with Bird, McHale and Parish). They could trade me, work something out. No disrespect to Bill Fitch. I'd advise any younger players to play for him, but I'd probably be better off somewhere else".

Milwaukee Bucks (1982–1983)

After first negotiating with the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

, the Celtics traded Cowens to the

, who were coached by former Celtic teammate

Don Nelson Donald Arvid Nelson (born May 15, 1940) is an American former professional basketball player and head coach. Nelson is second all-time in regular season wins of any coach in NBA history, with 1,335 (he held the record for most wins for almost 12 ...

. The Celtics received Quinn Buckner from Milwaukee as compensation. Cowens averaged 8.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 25 minutes per game with the Bucks. He was injured in the final game of the regular season and was unable to play in the playoffs for Milwaukee. Cowens retired for good after the season.

Player profile and legacy

During his

career, Cowens averaged a double-double of 17.6 points and 13.6 rebounds. with 3.8 assists and 1.1 steals in 766 career NBA games. Cowens was selected to eight All-Star Games, was named to the All-NBA Second Team three times, and was named to the All-NBA Defensive First Team in 1976 and All-NBA Defensive Second Team in 1973 and 1980. He was a member of the Celtics' 1974 and 1976

NBA Championship The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

teams. Cowens' playing credo was all-out intensity at both ends of the court, a style that never wavered during his 11-year NBA career. "He was quick, fast, strong and skilled, and played hard," Knicks Hall of Fame center

Willis Reed Willis Reed Jr. (June 25, 1942 – March 21, 2023) was an American professional basketball player, coach, and general manager. He spent his entire ten-year pro playing career (1964–1974) with the New York Knicks of the National Basketball ...

said of Cowens. Cowens was the fourth center in NBA history to average five assists per game in a single season, joining

Wilt Chamberlain Wilton Norman Chamberlain ( ; August21, 1936 – October12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player. Standing tall, he played Center (basketball), center in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 seasons. He was enshrin ...

, former Celtic center,

, and

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ( ; born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. , April 16, 1947) is an American former basketball player. He played professionally for 20 seasons for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Associatio ...

. His career average is 3.8 assists per game. As of the end of the 2018–19 season, Cowens ranked 27th overall for most point-rebound-assist triple-doubles by a center in NBA history. As evidence to his all-around ability, only five other players (

Scottie Pippen Scotty Maurice Pippen Sr. (born September 25, 1965), usually spelled Scottie Pippen, is an American former professional basketball player. He played 17 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning six NBA championships with th ...

Kevin Garnett Kevin Maurice Garnett ( ; born May 19, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player who played 21 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Big Ticket," Garnett is considered one of the greatest power f ...

LeBron James LeBron Raymone James Sr. ( ; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is the NBA's all-time leading scorer and ...

Giannis Antetokounmpo Giannis Sina Ugo Antetokounmpo ( Adetokunbo; born December 6, 1994) is a Nigerian-Greek professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His size, speed, and strength have earned him the nick ...

and

Nikola Jokić Nikola Jokić ( ; sr-Cyrl, Никола Јокић ; born February 19, 1995) is a Serbian professional basketball player who is a Center (basketball), center for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the ...

) have led their teams in all five major statistical categories for a season: points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals. He accomplished the feat in the 1977–78 season, averaging 18.6 points, 14.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 0.9 blocks and 1.3 steals as Boston finished 32–50. In 1996, Cowens was honored as one of the league's greatest players of all time by being named to the

NBA 50th Anniversary Team The 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, also referred to as NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team, were chosen in 1996 to honor the 50th anniversary of the founding of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was the third anniversary team ...

. In October 2021, Cowens was again honored as one of the league's greatest players of all time by being named to the

. To commemorate the NBA's 75th Anniversary ''

The Athletic ''The Athletic'' is a subscription-based sports journalism department of ''The New York Times''. It provides national and local coverage in 47 North American cities as well as the United Kingdom. ''The Athletic'' also covers national stories ...

'' ranked their top 75 players of all time, and named Cowens as the 57th greatest player in NBA history. "No one ever did more for the Celtics than Dave did," said

John Havlicek John Joseph Havlicek (often nicknamed Hondo) ( ; April 8, 1940 – April 25, 2019) was an American professional basketball player who spent his entire career with the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A swingman, Hav ...

of his Celtic teammate.

Coaching career

Boston Celtics (1978–1979)

He began his coaching career by serving as a

player-coach A player–coach (also playing coach, captain–coach, or player–manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. Player–coaches may be head coaches or assistant coaches, and they may make chang ...

for the

during the 1978–79 season, but he quit coaching after the season and returned as a full-time player before retiring in 1980.

Bay State Bombardiers (1984–1985)

Cowens coached the Bay State Bombardiers of the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA), originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association, was a men's professional basketball m ...

in 1984–85.

San Antonio Spurs (1994–1996)

Cowens returned to the NBA coaching ranks as an assistant coach for 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 Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

in 1994–96 and was considered for the coaching job of the Boston Celtics during the 1995 offseason.

Charlotte Hornets (1996–1999)

Cowens served as head coach of the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team ...

from 1996 to 1999.

Golden State Warriors (2000–2001)

Cowens was the head coach 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 Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...

from 1999 to 2001, a tenure of 105 games.

Chicago Sky (2006)

In 2005–06 Cowens was head coach of the

Chicago Sky The Chicago Sky are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Sky compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The franchise was founded prior to the 2006 season. Th ...

of the

Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. The league comprises 13 teams (scheduled to expand to 15 in 2026). The WNBA is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan. The WNBA w ...

(WNBA).

Detroit Pistons (2006–2009)

Cowens was an assistant coach of the

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 ...

from 2006 to 2009.

Politics

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

, Cowens, a former Democrat, ran as a Republican for

Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth The secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Originally appointed under authority of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, Eng ...

. However, because he did not register by June 5, 1989, he was unable to appear on the primary ballot. Cowens considered running a sticker campaign for the Republican nomination, but decided to drop out of the race.

Personal life

Cowens married his wife, Deby, in 1978. They have two daughters and several grandchildren. In 1977, Cowens spent a day driving a taxi cab for the Independent Taxi Operators Association (ITOA) in Boston. "Nobody even knew who I was," Cowens told

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

. "I put my cap on and just you know drove around. I got decent tips, though."

Honors

* In 1973, Cowens was inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame. * Cowens was inducted into the Florida State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1977. * Cowens's #13 is an Honored number at Florida State University. * On February 8, 1981, the Boston Celtics retired Cowens's #18 jersey. Celtics18

* In 1991, Cowens was inducted into the

. * Cowens was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , 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 ...

, 81 , , , , 38.0 , , .422 , , , , .732 , , 15.0 , , 2.8 , , , , , , 17.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 79 , , , , 40.3 , , .484 , , , , .720 , , 15.2 , , 3.1 , , , , , , 18.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , , , 41.8 , , .452 , , , , .779 , , 16.2 , , 4.1 , , , , , , 20.5 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , , , 41.9 , , .437 , , , , .832 , , 15.7 , , 4.4 , , 1.2 , , 1.3 , , 19.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 65 , , , , 40.5 , , .475 , , , , .783 , , 14.7 , , 4.6 , , 1.3 , , 1.1 , , 20.4 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;",

, 78 , , , , 39.8 , , .468 , , , , .756 , , 16.0 , , 4.2 , , 1.2 , , 0.9 , , 19.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 50 , , , , 37.8 , , .434 , , , , .818 , , 13.9 , , 5.0 , , 0.9 , , 1.0 , , 16.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 77 , , , , 41.8 , , .490 , , , , .842 , , 14.0 , , 4.6 , , 1.3 , , 0.9 , , 18.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 68 , , , , 37.0 , , .483 , , , , .807 , , 9.6 , , 3.6 , , 1.1 , , 0.8 , , 16.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 66 , , 55 , , 32.7 , , .453 , , .083 , , .779 , , 8.1 , , 3.1 , , 1.0 , , 0.9 , , 14.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, 40 , , 34 , , 25.4 , , .444 , , .000 , , .825 , , 6.9 , , 2.1 , , 0.8 , , 0.4 , , 8.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 766 , , 89 , , 38.6 , , .460 , , .071 , , .783 , , 13.6 , , 3.8 , , 1.1 , , 0.9 , , 17.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 6 , , 4 , , 25.7 , , .500 , , , , .714 , , 13.5 , , 2.0 , , 0.7 , , 0.2 , , 12.7

Playoffs

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

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...

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

, 11, , , , 40.1, , .455, , , , .596, , 13.8, , 3.0, , , , , , 15.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...

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

, 13, , , , 46.0, , .473, , , , .659, , 16.6, , 3.7, , , , , , 21.9 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

† , style="text-align:left;",

, 18, , , , 42.9, , .435, , , , .797, , 13.3, , 3.7, , 1.2, , 0.9, , 20.5 , - , 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;",

, 11, , , , 43.5, , .428, , , , .885, , 16.5, , 4.2, , 1.6, , 0.5, , 20.5 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

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;",

, 18, , , , 44.3, , .457, , , , .759, , 16.4, , 4.6, , 1.2, , 0.7, , 21.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

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

, 9, , , , 42.1, , .446, , , , .773, , 14.9, , 4.0, , 0.9, , 1.4, , 16.6 , - , 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;",

, 9, , , , 33.4, , .476, , .000, , .909, , 7.3, , 2.3, , 1.0, , 0.8, , 12.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 89 , , , , 42.3 , , .451 , , .000 , , .744 , , 14.4 , , 3.7 , , 1.2 , , 0.9 , , 18.9

Head coaching record

NBA

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

, style="text-align:left;", , 68, , 27, , 41, , , , style="text-align:center;", 5th in Atlantic, , -, , -, , -, , , style="text-align:center;", Missed playoffs , - , style="text-align:left;", Charlotte , style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 54, , 28, , , , style="text-align:center;", 4th in Central, , 3, , 0, , 3, , , style="text-align:center;", Lost in

First Round First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

, - , style="text-align:left;", Charlotte , style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 51, , 31, , , , style="text-align:center;", 3rd in Central, , 9, , 4, , 5, , , style="text-align:center;", Lost in Conf. Semifinals , - , style="text-align:left;", Charlotte , style="text-align:left;", , 15, , 4, , 11, , , , style="text-align:center;", (resigned), , –, , –, , –, , – , style="text-align:center;", – , - , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 17, , 65, , , , style="text-align:center;", 7th in Pacific, , –, , –, , –, , – , style="text-align:center;", Missed playoffs , - , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , style="text-align:left;", , 23, , 8, , 15, , , , style="text-align:center;", (fired), , –, , –, , –, , – , style="text-align:center;", – , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:left;", Career , , , 352, , 161, , 191, , , , , , 12, , 4, , 8, ,

WNBA

, - , style="text-align:left;", CHI , style="text-align:left;", , 34, , 5, , 29, , , , style="text-align:center;", 7th in East, , –, , –, , –, , – , style="text-align:center;", Missed Playoffs , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:left;", Career , , , 34, , 5, , 29, , , , , , , , , , , ,

References

External links

*
NBA History profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cowens, Dave 1948 births Living people 20th-century American sportsmen American men's basketball players American women's basketball coaches Basketball coaches from Kentucky Basketball players from Kentucky Boston Celtics draft picks Boston Celtics head coaches Boston Celtics players Charlotte Hornets head coaches Chicago Sky coaches College basketball announcers in the United States Continental Basketball Association coaches Detroit Pistons assistant coaches Golden State Warriors head coaches Florida State Seminoles men's basketball players Los Angeles Stars draft picks Massachusetts Republicans Milwaukee Bucks assistant coaches Milwaukee Bucks players Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees NBA All-Stars NBA Most Valuable Player Award winners NBA players with retired numbers National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductees Newport Central Catholic High School alumni Sportspeople from Newport, Kentucky Sportspeople from Campbell County, Kentucky Basketball player-coaches Power forwards San Antonio Spurs assistant coaches Utah Stars draft picks Women's National Basketball Association general managers

Early life

College career

Professional career

Boston Celtics (1970–1980)

Milwaukee Bucks (1982–1983)

Player profile and legacy

Coaching career

Boston Celtics (1978–1979)

Bay State Bombardiers (1984–1985)

San Antonio Spurs (1994–1996)

Charlotte Hornets (1996–1999)

Golden State Warriors (2000–2001)

Chicago Sky (2006)

Detroit Pistons (2006–2009)

Politics

Personal life

Honors

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Head coaching record

NBA

WNBA

See also

References

Further reading

External links