William Earl Tatum (born July 26, 1953) 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 from
Mount Vernon, New York
Mount Vernon is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is an inner suburb of New York City, immediately to the north of the Borough (New York City), borough of the Bronx. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Moun ...
. He was a
guard
Guard or guards may refer to:
Professional occupations
* Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault
* Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street
* Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning
* Prison gu ...
who played high school basketball at Mount Vernon, where he was selected large-school player of the year by the
New York State Sportswriters Association
The New York State Sportswriters Association (NYSSWA), founded in 1967, is a source of reference information and statistics about scholastic athletics in the state. Begun by sportswriters Larry Serrell of the Schenectady Daily Gazette and Chuck K ...
in 1972, and collegiately at
Marquette University
Marquette University () is a Private university, private Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It was established as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, by John Henni, the first Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Ar ...
.
Tatum was selected with the 4th pick of the second round in 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 ...
by the
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...
. During the
1977 NBA playoffs
The 1977 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1976–77 NBA season, 1976–77 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champion 1976–77 Portland Trail ...
, Tatum's only postseason appearance, he averaged 13.6 points and 4.8 rebounds in 11 games, as the Lakers advanced past the Golden State Warriors before losing to the Portland Trail Blazers.
1976-77 Los Angeles Lakers Roster and Stats
/ref> He played for five teams in 4 years, his final season spent with 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 ...
in 1979–80.
Career statistics
NBA
Source
Regular season
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers
, 68 , , , , 18.4 , , .466 , , , , .720 , , 3.5 , , 1.7 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , 9.4
, -
, style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2",
, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers
, 25 , , , , 26.5 , , .487 , , , , .763 , , 3.6 , , 2.8 , , 1.5 , , .4 , , 14.0
, -
, 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 ...
, 57 , , 40 , , 32.6 , , .462 , , , , .788 , , 3.6 , , 4.0 , , 1.8 , , .5 , , 14.4
, -
, style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2",
, 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 ...
, 3 , , , , 12.7 , , .400 , , , , .800 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , .0 , , .3 , , 6.7
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Detroit
Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
, 76 , , , , 15.7 , , .448 , , , , .727 , , 1.6 , , .9 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , 7.8
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", Cleveland
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...
, 33 , , , , 6.8 , , .383 , , .333 , , .579 , , .8 , , .6 , , .5 , , .2 , , 2.6
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 262 , , 40 , , 20.0 , , .459 , , .333 , , .746 , , 2.6 , , 1.9 , , 1.2 , , .4 , , 9.6
Playoffs
{, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right;"
!Year
!Team
!GP
!MPG
!FG%
!FT%
!RPG
!APG
!SPG
!BPG
!PPG
, -
, 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;", L.A. Lakers
, 11 , , 32.4 , , .500 , , .667 , , 4.9 , , 2.5 , , 1.4 , , .8 , , 13.6
See also
*
References
External links
NBA stats
@ basketballreference.com
Recent photo of Earl Tatum
@ legendsofbasketball.com
1953 births
Living people
20th-century African-American sportsmen
21st-century African-American sportsmen
All-American college men's basketball players
American expatriate basketball people in the Philippines
American men's basketball players
Boston Celtics players
Cleveland Cavaliers players
Detroit Pistons players
Great Taste Coffee Makers players
Indiana Pacers players
Los Angeles Lakers draft picks
Los Angeles Lakers players
Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball players
Mount Vernon High School (New York) alumni
Philippine Basketball Association imports
Shooting guards
Basketball players from Mount Vernon, New York
{{1950s-US-basketball-bio-stub