Michael Leon Carr (born January 9, 1951) 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 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) and

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 ...

(ABA), and former head coach and

General Manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

of 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), ...

Playing career

In Teachey, North Carolina, Carr was the first

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

member of Wallace-Rose Hill High School's basketball team.Pender County’s M.L. Carr, heart-and-soul NBA champion
/ref> Afterwards, he played four years at Guilford College, and was then selected by the

Kansas City Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

of the

with the seventh pick of the fifth round of the 1973 NBA draft, though he never played for the team. He subsequently signed with the

Kentucky Colonels The Kentucky Colonels were an American professional basketball team based in Louisville, Kentucky. They competed in the American Basketball Association (ABA) from 1967 to 1976. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky Colonels. The Colo ...

but was one of the final roster cuts the Colonels made in camp, and was released. The following season, Carr played in

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

for the American-owned Israel Sabras in the short-lived European Professional Basketball League. For leading his team to the championship, leading the league in scoring, and emerging second in rebounding, he was named

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

. During the 1975–76 ABA season, Carr played for the Spirits of St. Louis, averaging 12.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, and was named to the ABA's All-Rookie Team. The Spirits of St. Louis were one of two ABA teams (the Colonels being the other) that did not join the NBA in the

ABA–NBA merger The ABA–NBA merger was a major pro sports business maneuver in 1976 when the American Basketball Association (ABA) combined with the National Basketball Association (NBA), after multiple attempts over several years. The NBA and ABA had entered ...

, and as a result Carr joined the NBA as a member 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 1976–79. Upon his arrival in Detroit, he famously delivered the one-liner "Hey, since I'm here, I'm going to change my name from M. L. Carr to Abdul Automobile." During the 1976-77 NBA season, Carr played all 82 games and averaged the second most points of any Piston at 13.3, behind only

Bob Lanier Robert Jerry Lanier Jr. (September 10, 1948 – May 10, 2022) was an American professional basketball player. He played center (basketball), center for the Detroit Pistons and the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). L ...

. 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 ...

marked Carr's first postseason appearance, though Detroit, then in the Western Conference, were eliminated in the first round by 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 ...

. On December 27, 1978, Carr set a career high with 36 points scored in a win against 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) ...

. After being selected to the All-Defense second team upon the conclusion of the 1979 season for leading the league in steals at a career best 2.5 steals per game, Carr was signed as a free agent by the rebuilding Boston Celtics. Pistons coach

Dick Vitale Richard "Dick" John Vitale (; born June 9, 1939), also known as "Dickie V", is an American basketball sportscaster. A former head coach in the college and professional ranks, he is well known for his 41-year tenure as a college basketball broadc ...

responded by saying, "We just had the heart and soul ripped from our team." The Carr acquisition was one of the four major additions which immediately propelled the Celtics back to the top of the NBA standings after finishing near the bottom the previous season, along with majority owner Harry Mangurian, head coach Bill Fitch and rookie forward

Larry Bird Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend" Bird is widely regarded a ...

. Carr was instrumental in leading the Celtics' defense past the favored

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 ...

in the 1981 Eastern Conference Finals, on the way to Boston's 14th NBA championship. Playing for the Celtics until 1985, Carr averaged 9.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game during his NBA career. Carr is well known for the steal and dunk he made in overtime of Game 4 of the

1984 NBA Finals The 1984 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 1983–84 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeated the Wes ...

versus the Lakers in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, which sealed the victory for Boston, and eventually won another title for them. Carr was also famous for waving a towel during crucial situations to fire up the Celtics.

Coaching career

Carr later became the General Manager of the Celtics in 1994. He later took over as coach for the 1995–96 and 1996–97 seasons. In his last year as coach, the Celtics had the worst record in team history, winning just 15 games and losing 67 in a tactical effort to get a stronger draft position and poise the team for a comeback under famed college coach

Rick Pitino Richard Andrew Pitino (; born September 18, 1952) is an American basketball coach who is the head men's basketball coach at St. John's University (New York City), St. John's University. He was also the head coach of Greece national basketball t ...

. He was replaced at the end of season by Pitino, who was unable to restore the team to the glory of Carr's playing days. After the 1997 season, he became the Celtics' Director of Corporate Development. Carr later became president of the WNBA's Charlotte Sting as part of a failed attempt to become the owner of an expansion NBA team in Charlotte, along with Steve Belkin and former teammate

. He was given a small investment stake in the Charlotte Bobcats when Bob Johnson was selected to have the NBA franchise in Charlotte. Subsequently, Bob Johnson sold the team and Carr no longer has a relationship with the Bobcats franchise. Carr currently resides in

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

with his wife Sylvia, where he is a partner with New Technology Ventures - a tech-focused venture capital firm based in Newton.

Coaching record

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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 ...

, align="left" , , 82, , 33, , 49, , , , align="center" , 5th in Atlantic, , —, , —, , —, , — , align="center" , Missed playoffs , - , align="left" ,

, align="left" , , 82, , 15, , 67, , , , align="center" , 7th in Atlantic, , —, , —, , —, , — , align="center" , Missed playoffs , -class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" , Career , 164, , 48, , 116, , , , , , —, , —, , —, , —, ,

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", St. Louis (ABA) , 74 , , – , , 29.4 , , .483 , , .375 , , .665 , , 6.2 , , 3.0 , , 1.7 , , 0.6 , , 12.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , 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 ...

, 82 , , – , , 32.2 , , .476 , , – , , .735 , , 7.7 , , 2.2 , , 2.0 , , 0.7 , , 13.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 79 , , – , , 32.4 , , .455 , , – , , .738 , , 7.1 , , 2.3 , , 1.9 , , 0.3 , , 12.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , – , , 40.1 , , .514 , , – , , .743 , , 7.4 , , 3.3 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 2.5* , , 0.6 , , 18.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 7 , , 24.3 , , .474 , , .293 , , .739 , , 4.0 , , 1.9 , , 1.5 , , 0.4 , , 11.1 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;",

, 41 , , 7 , , 16.0 , , .449 , , .071 , , .791 , , 2.0 , , 1.4 , , 0.7 , , 0.4 , , 6.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 56 , , 27 , , 23.1 , , .450 , , .294 , , .707 , , 2.7 , , 2.3 , , 1.2 , , 0.4 , , 8.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 77 , , 0 , , 11.5 , , .429 , , .158 , , .741 , , 1.8 , , 0.9 , , 0.6 , , 0.1 , , 4.3 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;",

, 60 , , 1 , , 9.8 , , .409 , , .200 , , .875 , , 1.3 , , 0.8 , , 0.3 , , 0.1 , , 3.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 47 , , 0 , , 8.4 , , .416 , , .391 , , 1.000 , , 0.9 , , 0.5 , , 0.4 , , 0.1 , , 3.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 678 , , 42 , , 24.2 , , .472 , , .275 , , .737 , , 4.5 , , 2.0 , , 1.4 , , 0.4 , , 10.0

Playoffs

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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;”,

, 3, , –, , 37.3, , .387, , –, , .571, , 5.7, , 2.0, , 0.3, , 1.0, , 9.3 , - , 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 ...

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, 9, , –, , 19.1, , .400, , .400, , .667, , 3.7, , 1.2, , 0.7, , 0.1, , 9.1 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

† , style="text-align:left;”,

, 17, , –, , 16.9, , .416, , .000, , .750, , 1.5, , 0.8, , 0.6, , 0.4, , 6.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...

, style="text-align:left;”,

, 12, , –, , 25.4, , .352, , .000, , .652, , 3.6, , 2.3, , 0.9, , 0.1, , 7.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...

, style="text-align:left;”,

, 3, , –, , 7.3, , .250, , .000, , 1.000, , 0.3, , 0.0, , 0.7, , 0.0, , 2.0 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

† , style="text-align:left;”,

, 16, , –, , 5.1, , .406, , .333, , .909, , 0.5, , 0.3, , 0.4, , 0.0, , 2.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

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, 7, , 0, , 3.4, , .267, , .500, , –, , 0.3, , 0.1, , 0.1, , 0.0, , 1.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 67 , , ? , , 15.0 , , .382 , , .227 , , .714 , , 1.9 , , 1.0 , , 0.6 , , 0.1 , , 5.3

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carr, M. L. 1951 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen African-American basketball coaches American men's basketball players Baseball players from Barnstable County, Massachusetts Basketball coaches from North Carolina Basketball players from North Carolina Boston Celtics head coaches Boston Celtics players Charlotte Bobcats owners Charlotte Sting executives Detroit Pistons players Guilford Quakers men's basketball players Kansas City Kings draft picks Kentucky Colonels draft picks NBA general managers Sportspeople from Barnstable, Massachusetts Shooting guards Small forwards Spirits of St. Louis players Women's National Basketball Association executives