Richard Wilson (born February 7, 1956) 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. He played for the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

of 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 1978 to 1980.

College career

Wilson graduated from Atherton High School in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

. He played collegiately for the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public university, public research university in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. Chartered in 1798 as the Jefferson Seminary, it became in the 19t ...

from 1974 to 1978. As a freshman, Wilson was a reserve on the Cardinals' 1975 Final Four team. Wilson then entered the starting lineup for the rest of his Louisville career. As a sophomore, he averaged 14.8

points A point is a small dot or the sharp tip of something. Point or points may refer to: Mathematics * Point (geometry), an entity that has a location in space or on a plane, but has no extent; more generally, an element of some abstract topologica ...

, 6.3

rebounds 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

and 4.5 assists per game and led the Cardinals to the

1976 National Invitation Tournament The 1976 National Invitation Tournament was the 1976 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition. Selected teams Below is a list of the 12 teams selected for the tournament.

. As a junior, Wilson teamed with senior backcourt mate Phil Bond and led the Cardinals back to the 1977 NCAA tournament, where they lost to

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 his senior year, the 1977–78 season, Wilson averaged 17.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists as he led the Cardinals to a

Metro Conference The Metropolitan Collegiate Athletic Conference, popularly known as the Metro Conference, was an NCAA Division I athletics conference, so named because its six charter members were all in urban metropolitan areas, though its later members di ...

championship and was named MVP of the 1978 Metro Conference men's basketball tournament. Wilson was named Metro Conference player of the year that season.

Professional career

Following his senior season, Wilson was drafted in the second round of the

1978 NBA draft The 1978 NBA draft was the 32nd annual NBA draft, draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on June 9, 1978, at the Plaza Hotel in New York City, New York, before the 1978–79 NBA season, 1978–79 season. In this dr ...

by the Atlanta Hawks (25th pick overall). He played in 81 games as a rookie in 1978–79, averaging 3.0 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game in a reserve role. The next season, Wilson played in 5 games before being released by the Hawks. He finished the season with the

Utica Olympics The Utica Olympics, known also as Mohawk Valley Thunderbirds, were an American professional basketball team based in Utica, New York that were members of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) from 1978 to 1980. The team was previously known ...

of the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA), originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association, was a men's professional basketball m ...

(CBA). The next season, Wilson played with the Atlantic City Hi-Rollers.

Life after basketball

Wilson became a regular contributor in professional softball, playing the outfield for the

Kentucky Bourbons The Kentucky Bourbons were a professional softball team that played in two men's professional softball leagues between 1977 and 1982 at Bishop David Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky. The Bourbons, Cincinnati Suds and Pittsburgh Hardhats were th ...

of the United Professional Softball League from 1981 to 1982, helping Kentucky to a World Series title in 1981 in a 5–3 series victory over the New England Pilgrims. Wilson left the Bourbons early in the 1982 season. Wilson went to work for the

Jefferson County, Kentucky Jefferson County is a county located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 782,969. It is the most populous county in the commonwealth (with more than twice the population of sec ...

sheriff's department, but resigned in 1990 with a conviction for dealing cocaine. Battling an addiction, Wilson was later sentenced on a probation violation and ordered to a work-release program, but was sentenced to 10 years in prison after a shooting incident.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Rick 1956 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen American men's basketball players Atherton High School alumni Atlanta Hawks draft picks Atlanta Hawks players Atlantic City Hi-Rollers players Basketball players from Louisville, Kentucky Louisville Cardinals men's basketball players Point guards Shooting guards Utica Olympics players