LaRue Martin
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LaRue Martin (born March 26, 1950) 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. Martin was drafted first overall out of
Loyola University Chicago Loyola University Chicago (Loyola or LUC) is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1870 by the Society of Jesus, Loyola is one of the largest Catholic Church, ...
by the
Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (N ...
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 ...
's (NBA) controversy riddled 1972 NBA draft. He was drafted ahead of future
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rs
Bob McAdoo Robert Allen McAdoo Jr. ( ; born September 25, 1951) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he was a five-time NBA All-Star and named the NBA Mos ...
and
Julius Erving Julius Winfield Erving II (born February 22, 1950), commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is an American former professional basketball player. Erving helped legitimize the American Basketball Association (ABA), and he was the best-known player ...
.Tomasson: Olowokandi leaves a sour taste
, January 20, 2006
Martin has been discussed as one of the worst first overall
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picks in NBA history, but he moved on to forge a successful corporate career.


College career

Shy and reserved as a youth, Martin was a 6-foot-11 center from
Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
, who attended high school at
De La Salle Institute De La Salle Institute is a private, Catholic, coeducational high school run by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools in the Bronzeville neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois. It was founded by Brother Adjutor o ...
. There he played for Coach Jerry Tokars and was a classmate of Bryant Gumbel. Martin stayed in Chicago for college, recruited to
Loyola University Chicago Loyola University Chicago (Loyola or LUC) is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1870 by the Society of Jesus, Loyola is one of the largest Catholic Church, ...
by Coach George Ireland. In 1969–1970, after a year on the freshman team (freshman were not allowed to play NCAA varsity basketball in this era), Martin debuted for the Loyola Ramblers, averaging a strong double-double of 16.6 points and 14.4 rebounds, as Loyola finished 13–11. As a junior in 1970–1971, Martin was the star on a dreadful 4–20 team, averaging 18.7 points and 17.6 rebounds. Loyola finished 8–14 in Martin's senior season of 1971–1972, despite his averaging 19.6 points and 15.7 rebounds. Martin had garnered attention, playing well against
Bill Walton William Theodore Walton III (November 5, 1952 – May 27, 2024) was an American basketball player and television Sports commentator, sportscaster. He played college basketball, collegiately for the UCLA Bruins men's basketball, UCLA Bruins an ...
in a game between Loyola and
UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...
, in 1971–72. Although his Ramblers lost to UCLA 92–64 on January 28, 1972, while the Bruins were in the midst of their 88-game winning streak, Martin had 19 points and 18 rebounds while matched up directly against future teammate Walton, who had 18 points and 16 rebounds. Martin had played similarly against Jim Chones of Marquette in their game the night before, outscoring him, 33–22, and outrebounding him 23–14. Portland Trail Blazers scout
Stu Inman Stuart Kirk Inman (August 2, 1926 – January 30, 2007) was an American basketball player, coach and executive. He was selected in the sixth round of the 1950 NBA draft from San Jose State University by the Chicago Stags; however, he did not pl ...
was in attendance for both games and took notice of Martin's strong back-to-back performances against the two premier big men in the country. Portland would later draft both Walton and Martin. In his career at Loyola, Martin averaged a double-double of 18.2 points and 15.9 rebounds in 67 games. He had 1222 career points with 1062 rebounds. Martin remains Loyola's all-time leading rebounder.


Professional career


Portland Trail Blazers (1972–1976)


1972–74: Early years

The Portland Trail Blazers made Martin the first overall pick in the 1972 NBA draft; Martin was also the #3 pick of 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 ...
draft by the
Dallas Chaparrals The Dallas Chaparrals were a charter member of the American Basketball Association (ABA). The team moved to San Antonio, Texas, for the 1973–74 season and were renamed the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs joined the National Basketball Association ...
. The 1972 NBA draft may have been controversially influenced: Chones had signed with the
New York Nets New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...
of the ABA. It was rumored that North Carolina star
Bob McAdoo Robert Allen McAdoo Jr. ( ; born September 25, 1951) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he was a five-time NBA All-Star and named the NBA Mos ...
, one of the best players available in the draft, had signed with the
Virginia Squires The Virginia Squires were a basketball team based in Norfolk, Virginia, and playing in several other Virginia cities. They were members of the American Basketball Association from 1970 to 1976. The team originated in 1967 as the Oakland Oaks, a ...
of the rival
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 ...
after a "secret" ABA draft took place, in which names of those drafted were not made public; Reportedly, NBA Commissioner Walter Kennedy had advised NBA teams not to draft McAdoo. Other reports were that a contract was signed and voided, because McAdoo was too young to have signed it, and that the NBA
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 ...
somehow knew this.Clubhouse Lawyer: Law in the World of Sports By Frederick J. Day p.50-51 Yet another story was that Portland negotiated with McAdoo on the eve of the draft, but could not meet his demands. Later, McAdoo was the No. 1 pick of the 1972 American Basketball Association Draft. Buffalo chose McAdoo with the pick behind Martin, while the
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 ...
drafted Julius Erving with the No. 12 pick, but he was already playing in the ABA, and remained with the Virginia Squires. As a rookie in the 1972–73 season (Portland's third overall season as a franchise), Martin was 6'11" and weighed 205 pounds. In his rookie year, he averaged 4.4 points and 4.6 rebounds in 77 games with limited minutes (12 per game). The Trail Blazers finished 21–61 under head coach Jack McCloskey. When the Trail Blazers played at Chicago during his rookie year, McCloskey benched Martin for the entire game. "It was a tough pill to swallow. I was embarrassed. I had tears in my eyes." said Martin, who had numerous family and friends in attendance. "Every time I think about it it haunts me." Martin had similar numbers the next season playing for McCloskey and the Trail Blazers were 27–55. Martin reflected on coach McCloskey by stating that he "wasn't a believer in my ability," Martin said. "He came from Wake Forest in North Carolina, and he wanted Bob McAdoo. Hey, Bob was a hell of a player. I know that. Maybe I wasn't the right guy for Jack. So be it. But I never gave him any grief when I was playing for him. I'm not into that. I just kept my mouth shut and did what I was told. I guess it wasn't good enough."


1974–76: Final seasons

In 1974–75, under new head coach
Lenny Wilkens Leonard Randolph Wilkens (born October 28, 1937) is an American former professional basketball player and coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been inducted three times into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, fi ...
, Martin initially saw his playing time decrease more after the Trail Blazers had selected Bill Walton as the No. 1 pick of the
1974 NBA draft The 1974 NBA draft was the 28th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and was held on May 28, 1974, before the 1974–75 season. In this draft, 18 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and ot ...
and inserted him in the lineup. However, Martin averaged 7.0 points in 17 minutes and shot .452 from the field, when Walton missed most of the year with injuries. Portland finished 38-44 that year, then finished the next year 37–45. Martin was traded from the Trail Blazers to the
Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly shortened to Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Division (1967–1970), and ...
before the 1976 season. However, Martin wouldn't play another game after being cut by Seattle before the start of the 1976–77 season. Martin signed contracts 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 ...
(September 1, 1977) and
Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...
(August 1, 1978). In both cases he was placed on waivers within weeks of signing. Martin also rejected numerous offers to play in Europe. In four NBA seasons, Martin averaged 5.3 points and 4.6 rebounds in 271 career games, averaging 14 minutes per game. Martin's short career at times becomes the punchline to draft jokes. His selection was the predecessor in Portland to other unfulfilled big-man potential in Bill Walton (No. 1 overall pick
1974 NBA draft The 1974 NBA draft was the 28th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and was held on May 28, 1974, before the 1974–75 season. In this draft, 18 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and ot ...
),
Sam Bowie Samuel Paul Bowie (born March 17, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. A national sensation in high school and outstanding collegian and Olympic team member, Bowie's professional promise was undermined by repeated injuries ...
(No. 2 overall pick in
1984 NBA draft The 1984 NBA draft was the 37th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was held at the Felt Forum at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, on June 19, 1984, before the 1984–85 season. The draft is generally ...
selected just ahead of
Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player, who is currently a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Ass ...
) and
Greg Oden Gregory Wayne Oden Jr. (born January 22, 1988) is an American former professional basketball player. Oden, a 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) center (basketball), center, played college basketball for the Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball, Oh ...
(No. 1 overall pick of the
2007 NBA draft The 2007 NBA draft was held on June 28, 2007, at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. It was broadcast on television in 115 countries. In this draft, National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amate ...
selected just ahead of
Kevin Durant Kevin Wayne Durant (born September 29, 1988), also known by his initials KD, is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Durant has won two List of NBA champions, NBA champ ...
). “Being a No. 1 draft choice, getting that big zero on your back, you are a marked man,” Martin said at a National Basketball Retired Players Association event. “My career was up and down. They called me the worst draft choice in the nation, and that bothered me. But I had the opportunity to move on and get into the corporate world, and I’ve moved on ever since.” His selection as the #1 pick had been compared to other #1 picks that were later seen as busts in the NBA, such as
Michael Olowokandi Michael Olowokandi (born 3 April 1975) is a Nigerian former professional basketball player. Born in Lagos, Nigeria, and raised in London, he played collegiately for the Pacific Tigers in Stockton, California. Nicknamed "the Kandi Man," Olowokand ...
from
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Kwame Brown Kwame Hasani Brown (born March 10, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player who spent 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Selected first overall by the Washington Wizards in the 2001 NBA draft, Brown was ...
from
2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...
, and most recently Anthony Bennett from
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
. However, his selection is oftentimes considered forgotten about in the more modern-day era by comparison to those other players.


Career statistics


NBA

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Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...
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Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...
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Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...
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Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...
, 63 , , – , , 14.1 , , .361 , , – , , .740 , , 4.9 , , 1.1 , , .1 , , .4 , , 4.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 271 , , – , , 14.0 , , .416 , , – , , .685 , , 4.6 , , .7 , , .2 , , .5 , , 5.3


Personal life

Martin received a B.A. in sociology with a minor in education from Loyola. After his basketball career, he worked for
Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine giv ...
in Oregon, and an insurance company before joining UPS in the mid-1980s. Remaining at UPS, he has worked as the Community Services Manager since August 2005.Legends of Basketball – Where Are They Now? LaRue Martin
, August 30, 2005
Martin is on the National Basketball Retired Players Association Board of Directors. Active in the community, besides his corporate career, Martins's board memberships and civic affiliations have included the City Club of Chicago, YMCA Mentoring Program, the African American Advisory Council of the Cook County State's Attorney's office, the Urban League of N.W. Indiana, M.L.K. Boys and Girls Club of Chicago, The Leverage Network and De La Salle Instite Board of Directors. Martin was featured in a segment on
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel in 2011. Reflecting on his NBA career, Martin said "I don't believe in saying anything negative, you have no control over that, I took care of my family, did what I had to do and I'm the type of person I can't dwell off the negatives. I can't. I kept my head up high and moved onto a positive mode of life and it has treated me very well."


Honors

* In 1982, Martin was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame at the Basketball Museum of Illinois. * Martin's #20 jersey was retired by Loyola in 2002. * Martin is in the De La Salle Instite Sports Hall of Fame. * Martin is in the Loyola Athletics Hall of Fame. * In 2018, Martin was named to the All-Century Team at Loyola. * Martin has been honored with numerous community service awards. Among them are the Leadership in Community Relations Award from the Human Resources Development Institute, Chicago Urban League Beautiful People Award, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Award, and the Black Heritage Award.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Larue 1950 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen American men's basketball players Basketball players from Chicago Centers (basketball) Dallas Chaparrals draft picks De La Salle Institute alumni First overall NBA draft picks Loyola Ramblers men's basketball players Portland Trail Blazers draft picks Portland Trail Blazers players