Peter Kelly Tripucka (born February 16, 1959) 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 who played in 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) from 1981 to 1991. He was a two-time NBA All Star and averaged over twenty points a game in five of the ten seasons that he played in. Tripucka played for 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 ...
,
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 Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...
and was a member of the
Charlotte Hornets during their inaugural season in the NBA. The son of
NFL Pro-Bowl (and
CFL)
quarterback
The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...
Frank Tripucka, Kelly was a
color analyst for 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 ...
for four years, ending with the
2011–12 season.
High school and college
Tripucka grew up in
Bloomfield, New Jersey, and was a three-year starter from 1974 to 1977 for the
Bloomfield High School boys' basketball team. In three varsity seasons he scored 2,278 points, including 1,045 during his senior campaign, and his jersey (#42) was retired by Bloomfield High School. Tripucka also was a four-year starter at
Notre Dame, and led the Irish in scoring each year. His senior year, he averaged 18.2 points per game on 55.1% shooting, with 5.8 rebounds per gam
He also helped lead Notre Dame to the
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, NCAA Tournament in each of his four years, with the Irish earning their first, and to this point, their only Final Four appearance in 1978.
Professional career
Detroit Pistons
Tripucka was selected 12th overall by 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 ...
in the
1981 NBA draft
The 1981 NBA draft was the 35th annual NBA draft, draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on June 9, 1981, before the 1981–82 NBA season, 1981–82 season. The draft was broadcast in the United States on the NBA ...
. He proved to be a prolific scorer, averaging 21.6 points per game, and he made the All-Star team in his rookie year. The following season Tripucka had his best season as a professional, averaging a career-best 26.5 points and 4.1 assists per game. He played in only 58 games, however. In his third season with the Pistons, Tripucka continued to play well, averaging 21.3 points per game, and qualified for the All-Star team a second time in three seasons. He helped lead the Pistons to their first playoff appearance since the 1976–77 season, but they were eliminated in five games in the first round. The following season, Tripucka played in only 55 games and averaged 19.1 points per game. He did start all nine playoff games, however, and helped the Pistons advance to the second round. The 1985–86 season, Tripucka's fifth, was another successful one. He missed only one game during the regular season, averaged 20 points per game, and helped lead the Pistons to a third straight post-season appearance. In the playoffs, however, the Pistons were eliminated in the first round.
Utah Jazz
After five successful seasons in Detroit, the Pistons traded Tripucka and teammate
Kent Benson to the
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 Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...
for
Adrian Dantley and future draft picks. Tripucka and Jazz coach
Frank Layden did not get along with each other; at the time, Layden was beginning to build the team around the talents of
John Stockton and
Karl Malone, and Tripucka was upset at his lack of involvement in the offense. He had two lackluster seasons with the franchise, averaging only 9.1 points per game during his two seasons with the team. The Jazz qualified for the playoffs during both of those seasons, but Tripucka made little impression. During the 1988 NBA playoffs, he would only appear in two games.
Charlotte Hornets
After two frustrating seasons with the Jazz, Tripucka was traded to the
Charlotte Hornets (a new expansion team at the time) for
Mike Brown. In his first season with the Hornets, he returned to his All-Star form, leading the Hornets with 22.6 points per game. In a game between the Hornets and the Jazz in 1989, shortly after Layden resigned as the Jazz's coach,
Karl Malone expressed his devotion to Layden by writing "FRANK" on the heels of his sneakers. In a mock gesture, Tripucka responded by writing "DICK" on the back of his shoes (for then-Hornets coach
Dick Harter). The move was seen as a jab at Layden and Malone, whom Tripucka felt ran him out of Utah. In Tripucka's second season with the Hornets, he averaged 15.6 points per game, but the team struggled, finishing one game behind their inaugural season's record. The
1990–91 season, Tripucka's third with the Hornets and tenth overall, saw him average career lows with only 7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, as he came off the bench.
CSP Limoges
After failing to find suitors in the NBA, Tripucka signed with French
Nationale 1A club
CSP Limoges for the 1991–1992 season. In February 1992, he was replaced with
Tim Legler. In 7 league games, he averaged 17.6 points per game.
Later life
Tripucka was a
color commentator for Detroit Pistons television for eight seasons, from 1993 to 2001. After 2001 he left
FSN Detroit and
WKBD before leaving to take a full-time radio job with the
New Jersey Nets following the
2000–01 season. From 2003 to 2005, he served as the color commentator for New Jersey Nets telecasts on the
YES Network. Tripucka joined the New York Knicks MSG broadcast team on November 7, 2008, placing him alongside
Walt "Clyde" Frazier,
Gus Johnson and
Mike Breen. He remained with the broadcast team until 2012. Tripucka has also called college basketball for
Westwood One radio.
Personal life
Tripucka resided in 2013 in
Boonton Township, New Jersey with his family. He is the son of former football quarterback
Frank Tripucka, and father of professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
player
Travis Tripucka.
Honors
In 2000, Tripucka was named to the
National Polish-American Hall of Fame, and the ''
Star-Ledger'' named Tripucka the "New Jersey Boys' Basketball Player of the Century". In 2008, he was named to the "50 Greatest Pistons" team. Tripucka shares the record for most points scored in his first road playoff game, with 40. He is one of six Pistons to have scored 40 or more in a playoff game, along with
Dave Bing,
Isiah Thomas,
Jerry Stackhouse,
Chauncey Billups and
Richard (Rip) Hamilton.
NBA career statistics
Regular season
, -
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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 ...
, 82 , , 82 , , 37.5 , , .496 , , .227 , , .797 , , 5.4 , , 3.3 , , 1.1 , , 0.2 , , 21.6
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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 ...
, 58 , , 58 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 38.8* , , .489 , , .378 , , .845 , , 4.6 , , 4.1 , , 1.2 , , 0.3 , , 26.5
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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 , , 75 , , 32.8 , , .459 , , .118 , , .815 , , 4.0 , , 3.0 , , 0.9 , , 0.2 , , 21.3
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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 ...
, 55 , , 43 , , 30.5 , , .477 , , .400 , , .885 , , 4.0 , , 2.5 , , 0.9 , , 0.3 , , 19.1
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
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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 ...
, 81 , , 81 , , 32.4 , , .498 , , .480 , , .856 , , 4.3 , , 3.3 , , 1.1 , , 0.1 , , 20.0
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Utah
Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...
, 79 , , 76 , , 23.6 , , .469 , , .365 , , .872 , , 3.1 , , 3.1 , , 1.1 , , 0.1 , , 10.1
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Utah
Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...
, 49 , , 21 , , 19.9 , , .459 , , .419 , , .868 , , 2.4 , , 2.1 , , 0.7 , , 0.1 , , 7.5
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Charlotte
, 71 , , 65 , , 32.4 , , .467 , , .357 , , .866 , , 3.8 , , 3.2 , , 1.2 , , 0.2 , , 22.6
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Charlotte
, 79 , , 73 , , 30.4 , , .430 , , .365 , , .883 , , 4.1 , , 2.8 , , 0.9 , , 0.2 , , 15.6
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Charlotte
, 71 , , 1 , , 16.7 , , .454 , , .333 , , .910 , , 2.3 , , 2.1 , , 0.4 , , 0.2 , , 7.0
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 707 , , 575 , , 29.6 , , .473 , , .361 , , .849 , , 3.8 , , 3.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.2 , , 17.2
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star
, 2 , , 0 , , 10.5 , , .429 , , – , , .500 , , 0.5 , , 2.0 , , 0.5 , , 0.0 , , 3.5
Playoffs
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1984
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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 ...
, 5, , –, , 41.6, , .471, , .000, , .804, , 4.6, , 3.0, , 2.2, , 0.0, , 27.4
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
1985
, 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 ...
, 9, , 9, , 32.0, , .415, , .000, , .875, , 4.3, , 3.2, , 0.4, , 0.3, , 14.8
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
1986
, 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 ...
, 4, , 4, , 43.8, , .465, , –, , .913, , 5.8, , 2.3, , 0.8, , 0.5, , 21.8
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
1987
Events January
* January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency.
* January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade.
* January 3 – Afghan leader ...
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Utah
Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...
, 5, , 5, , 14.0, , .700, , .000, , 1.000, , 1.4, , 0.6, , 0.8, , 0.0, , 6.4
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
1988
, style="text-align:left;",
Utah
Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...
, 2, , 0, , 4.5, , .333, , –, , –, , 0.5, , 0.5, , 0.0, , 0.0, , 0.5
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 25 , , 18 , , 30.0 , , .462 , , .000 , , .856 , , 3.7 , , 2.3 , , 0.9 , , 0.2 , , 15.6
Personal life
He is the son of former
Notre Dame Quarterback and
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...
Hall of Fame QB
Frank Tripucka. He is also the uncle of football players Shane Tripucka and father of
Travis Tripucka and professional lacrosse player Jake Tripucka.
See also
*
References
External links
Pistons In-Focus: Kelly Tripucka, Part 1
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tripucka, Kelly
1959 births
Living people
All-American college men's basketball players
American expatriate basketball people in France
American men's basketball players
American people of Polish descent
Bloomfield High School (New Jersey) alumni
Charlotte Hornets players
College basketball announcers in the United States
Detroit Pistons announcers
Detroit Pistons draft picks
Detroit Pistons players
Limoges CSP players
NBA All-Stars
NBA broadcasters
NBA executives
New Jersey Nets announcers
New York Knicks announcers
Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball players
Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)
Sportspeople from Bloomfield, New Jersey
Basketball players from Essex County, New Jersey
People from Boonton Township, New Jersey
Basketball players from Morris County, New Jersey
Sportspeople from Glen Ridge, New Jersey
Shooting guards
Small forwards
Utah Jazz players
YES Network
20th-century American sportsmen