Lawrence T. Cannon (April 12, 1947 – May 29, 2024) was an American basketball player. Born and raised in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, Cannon was selected in the first round of the

1969 NBA draft The 1969 NBA draft was the 23rd annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 7 and May 7, 1969, before the 1969–70 season. In this draft, fourteen NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college ba ...

by the

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 ...

with the fifth overall pick, but he instead elected to go with 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 ...

. Cannon soon became an ABA All-Star who averaged 16.6 points per game in his ABA/NBA career after his All-American career at

La Salle University La Salle University () is a private university, private, Catholic university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The university was founded in 1863 by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and named for St. Jean-Bapt ...

. Cannon was forced to retire from basketball due to a chronic medical condition,

phlebitis Phlebitis (or venitis) is inflammation of a vein, usually in the legs. It most commonly occurs in superficial veins. Phlebitis often occurs in conjunction with thrombosis (clotting inside blood vessels) and is then called thrombophlebitis or ...

in his legs. Cannon died at his home in

Fort Myers, Florida Fort Myers (or Ft. Myers) is a city in and the county seat of Lee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 86,395; it was estimated to have grown to 95,949 in 2022, making it the List o ...

on May 29, 2024, at the age of 77.

High school career

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 ...

, Cannon was born and raised in

. At Abraham Lincoln High School in Philadelphia, Cannon set scoring records that still stand. Cannon scored more total points all-time than any Philadelphia high school player except

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 ...

. In 1965 Cannon shot 21-for-47 to score 49 points, 34 in the second half, to set a Public League and city-leagues postseason record as Lincoln defeated Roxborough High School 84–78. Cannon was a high school ''Parade'' All-American.

Collegiate career

finished 23–1 in 1968–1969, as Cannon led the team with 140 assists and was second in rebounds (147). Cannon averaged 19.1 points per game during his three seasons, accumulating a total of 1,430 points, and was named to All-American teams. As a sophomore in 1966–1967, Cannon averaged 18.7 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists as LaSalle finished 14–12 under Coach Joseph Heyer. LaSalle finished 20–8 under Coach Jim Hardin in 1967–1968, as Cannon averaged 19.5 points, 9.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists in his junior year. Under Coach

Tom Gola Thomas Joseph Gola (January 13, 1933 – January 26, 2014) was an American basketball player and politician. He is widely considered one of the greatest NCAA basketball players of all time. Gola was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball ...

in his senior year, Cannon averaged 19.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and 6.1 assists and received second-team All-America recognition. La Salle was not permitted to enter the NCAA basketball tournament in Cannon's senior year, despite being ranked #2 in the nation behind UCLA, due to recruiting violations by the school. Over his final two seasons LaSalle was 43–9, with a 15–0 record in the Middle Atlantic Conference. In 75 career games at LaSalle, Cannon averaged 19.1 points, 9.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists, with 1430 total points.

Professional career

Cannon was selected by the

in the 1st round (5th pick overall) of the

and by the

Miami Floridians The Miami Floridians, later in their history known simply as The Floridians, were a professional basketball franchise in the original, now-defunct American Basketball Association. The Miami Floridians played in the ABA from 1968 through 1970 when ...

in the

(ABA) 1969 ABA draft. Cannon chose to play in the ABA. As a rookie in 1969–1970, Cannon averaged 11.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists with the Floridians, who finished 23–61 under coaches

Jim Pollard James Clifford Pollard (July 9, 1922 – January 22, 1993) was an American professional basketball player and coach. As a player in the National Basketball Association (NBA), Pollard was considered one of the best forwards in the 1950s and was k ...

(5–15) and Harold Blitman (18–46). Cannon lead the

Denver Rockets Denver ( ) is a consolidated city and county, the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. It is located in the Western United States, in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains east of ...

(ABA) with 26.6 points per game during the 1970–1971 season. In 1970–1971, playing for Joe Belmont (3–10) and

Stan Albeck Charles Stanley Albeck (May 17, 1931 – March 25, 2021) was an American professional basketball coach. Albeck coached for several teams in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA), including the Denver ...

(27–44), Cannon played in 80 games, averaging 26.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.6 assists. He made the All-ABA Second team. The 1st Team was: Rick Barry, Roger Brown, Mack Calvin, Mel Daniels and Charlie Scott. The 2nd Team was Zelmo Beaty, John Brisker, Joe Caldwell, Cannon, Donnie Freeman and Dan Issel. It was the only full and healthy season of Cannon's professional career. He also was the only ABA player in the league's history to make it to an All-ABA Team without also playing or participating in an

ABA All-Star Game The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist after merging with the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1976. In total, the league held nine all-star game An a ...

as well. In 1971–1972, Cannon played for the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

, averaging 6.6 points, 2.6 assists and 1.7 rebounds, as the Pacers defeated 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 ...

with

Rick Barry Richard Francis Dennis Barry III (born March 28, 1944) is an American former professional basketball player who starred at the NCAA, American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA) levels. Barry ranks among the m ...

4–2 in the ABA Finals to capture the ABA Championship. In his career, Cannon played for the

(1969–70),

(1970–71),

Memphis Pros Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Mem ...

(1971–72),

(1971–72, 1973–74) in the ABA for 194 games and

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 ...

(1973–74) in the

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 ...

for 19 games. Overall, in his ABA/NBA career, Cannon averaged 16.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 213 career games. Cannon was forced to retire due to

in his legs.

Coaching career

Cannon served as a head coach in the Eastern Basketball Association (EBA) / Continental Basketball Association (CBA) for the Lancaster Red Roses from 1975 to 1977 and Baltimore Metros / Mohawk Valley Thunderbirds during the 1978–79 season. He accumulated a 40–20 record as a head coach.

Career statistics

ABA/NBA

Source

Regular season

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

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

(ABA) , 57 , , , , 26.4 , , .383 , , .267 , , .681 , , 2.5 , , 2.7 , , , , , , 11.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

(ABA) , 80 , , , , 38.7 , , .436 , , .261 , , .794 , , 4.2 , , 5.2 , , , , , , 26.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Memphis (ABA) , 26 , , , , 26.7 , , .370 , , .250 , , .753 , , 2.8 , , 3.0 , , , , , , 16.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , 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 ...

(ABA) , 28 , , , , 17.1 , , .383 , , .167 , , .718 , , 1.2 , , 2.6 , , , , , , 6.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

(ABA) , 3 , , , , 8.7 , , .429 , , – , , .333 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 2.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

(NBA) , 19 , , 0 , , 17.6 , , .386 , , , , .679 , , 1.9 , , 2.7 , , .4 , , .2 , , 6.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career (ABA) , 194 , , , , 29.9 , , .412 , , .257 , , .762 , , 3.0 , , 3.7 , , .0 , , .0 , , 17.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career (overall) , 213 , , 0 , , 28.8 , , .411 , , .257 , , .760 , , 2.9 , , 3.6 , , .3 , , .2 , , 16.6

Honors

* Cannon was elected to the Middle Atlantic Conference Hall of Fame in 2018. * In 1973 Cannon was elected to the Big 5 Hall of Fame. He was in the inaugural class along with Cliff Anderson (St. Josephs), Wali Jones (Villanova), Stan Pawlak (Pennsylvania), and

Guy Rodgers Guy William Rodgers (September 1, 1935 – February 19, 2001) was an American professional basketball player born in Philadelphia. He spent twelve years (1958–1970) in the NBA, and was one of the league's best playmakers in the early to mid-196 ...

(Temple). * Cannon was inducted into the "Pennsylvania Basketball Hall of Fame." * Cannon was inducted into the La Salle Hall of Athletes in 1977. * In 2010, Cannon was recognized as an Atlantic 10 Conference Legend. * Cannon's # 20 jersey was retired by LaSalle in December, 2016. * In 2016, La Salle's 1968–69 basketball team was enshrined in the Big 5 Hall of Fame. * In 2019, La Salle's 1968–69 basketball team was inducted into the La Salle Hall of Athletes.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cannon, Larry 1947 births 2024 deaths American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Pennsylvania Basketball players from Philadelphia Chicago Bulls draft picks Continental Basketball Association coaches Denver Rockets players Indiana Pacers players Lancaster Red Roses (CBA) players La Salle Explorers men's basketball players Memphis Pros players Miami Floridians draft picks Miami Floridians players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Philadelphia 76ers players Shooting guards