Samuel Lacey (March 28, 1948 – March 14, 2014) was an American

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 spent the majority of his career with the Royals/Kings franchise. Lacey was selected as an all-star while playing for the Kings in 1975, and eventually had his number 44 retired by them.

Early life

Lacey was born on March 8, 1948, in Indianola, Mississippi. He attended Gentry High School in Indianola. He was MVP of the Mississippi High School All Star Game. In 1970, Indianola held Sam Lacey Day, including a parade and six-seven thousand attendees, and a speech by the mayor.

College career

Lacey attended New Mexico State University, and played college basketball there as its 240 pound (108.86 kg) center. As a freshman, he entered school at 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) and only 180 pounds (81.65 kg), but gained 60 pounds (27.22 kg) between his freshman and sophomore years. He was recruited by Ed Murphy, an assistant to head coach Lou Henson. The Aggies had a combined record of 74–14 during the three seasons he played varsity basketball there (1967-1970), and were in the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

tournament all three years. In 1968, he was the MVP of the Evansville Classic. In the 1969–70 post-season, he and All-American star guard Jimmy Collins (24.3 points per game) led the Aggies to their first and only

Final Four In sports, the final four is the last four teams remaining in a playoffs, playoff tournament. Usually the final four compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final (penultimate) round. Of these teams, the two who win in ...

appearance. Lacey averaged 17.7 points and 15.9 rebounds per game that season. The Aggies defeated

Rice University William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University, is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. Established in 1912, the university spans 300 acres. Rice University comp ...

Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant coll ...

and

Drake University Drake University is a private university in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. The University offers over 140 undergraduate and graduate programs, including professional programs in business, education, Legal education, law, and pharmacy. Drake U ...

before falling to eventual national champion

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 ...

and legendary coach

John Wooden John Robert Wooden (October 14, 1910 – June 4, 2010) was an American basketball coach and player. Nicknamed "the Wizard of Westwood", he won ten National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, nati ...

at the Final Four. Lacey suffered a foot injury early in the game, and the Aggies were not competitive in the second half. UCLA had won five of the previous six NCAA titles, and would go on to win the next three. However, the Aggies won the third-place game over St. Bonaventure to finish 27–3, and ended the year ranked fifth in the nation. Lacey earned first-team All-American honors from ''Basketball Weekly''. While at New Mexico State, Lacey set team rebounding records for a career, season and single game. As of 2024, Lacey's 1969-1970 average of 15.9 rebounds per game remains the school record, and his 493 total rebounds that season is still the record as well. Over his college career, Lacey averaged 16.3 points and 14.2 rebounds per game. His nickname in college was "Slammin' Sam".

NBA career

Lacey was drafted in the first round (fifth overall) of the 1970 NBA draft by the Cincinnati Royals, playing over ten years for that franchise. In total, he played 13 seasons (1970–1983) 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 ...

. He started as a member of the Royals in Cincinnati. The team (which had moved from Rochester to Cincinnati in 1957) moved in 1972, becoming the Kansas City-Omaha Kings and then became 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 ...

before the 1975-1976 season. Lacey played for both Kansas City incarnations (the same franchise now being the

Sacramento 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 ...

). At the end of his career, he played for the New Jersey Nets and

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 ...

. He averaged a double-double in points and rebounds over his first six seasons. Lacey had the NBA's third leading rebound average in the 1974–75 season (behind only hall of famers Wes Unseld and Dave Cowens), and the second-most total rebounds (behind only hall of famer Bob McAdoo). Lacey's most productive NBA season came in 1973–74 when he averaged 14.2 points and 13.4 rebounds per game. That year, on November 25, 1973, Lacey grabbed a career best 26 rebounds, including 10 offensive rebounds, along with scoring 20 points and recording 6 assists, in a 104–99 loss to the Seattle SuperSonics. He was named an All-Star in 1975, and finished the season averaging 11.5 points, 14.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game. That season, on February 5, 1975, Lacey recorded a career high 8 steals during a 90–82 win over 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 ...

. During the 1981 NBA Playoffs, Lacey was the team captain and leader and played a key role in the 40–42 five seed Kings making it to the Western Conference Finals before being eliminated by Moses Malone and 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) ...

. He averaged 10 points, 8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.9 steals, for a Kansas City team missing starting guards Phil Ford and Otis Birdsong due to injuries for most of the playoffs. During the following season, Lacey was traded to the Nets for Mike Woodson and a future first round draft pick. Lacey is one of only five NBA players (along with

Hakeem Olajuwon Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon ( ; ; born January 21, 1963), nicknamed "the Dream", is a Nigerian and American former professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played Center (basketball), center in the National Basketball Association (NB ...

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 ...

, David Robinson and Ben Wallace) to have registered 100 blocks and 100 steals in six consecutive seasons. His

jersey Jersey ( ; ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous and self-governing island territory of the British Islands. Although as a British Crown Dependency it is not a sovereign state, it has its own distinguishing civil and gov ...

no. 44 is retired by the Sacramento Kings. He is also one of three NBA players (along with Wes Unseld and Reggie Evans) to total at least 30 rebounds and fewer than 10 points in the first two games of the season. When Lacey retired in 1983, he had accumulated 9,687 rebounds and a total of 10,303 points. As of 2024, Lacey ranks 45th overall for total rebounds in NBA history, and 49th on combined ABA/NBA total rebounds.

Honors

In 2024, Lacey was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. In 1975, he was inducted into the New Mexico State Athletics Hall of Fame. In February 2008, Lacey was among the first inductees into the Aggies Ring of Honor, along with his coach Lou Henson, and Billy Joe Price. In 2015, he became the first New Mexico State basketball player to be inducted into the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame.

Statistics

Regular season

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Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

, 81 , , – , , 32.7 , , .418 , , – , , .687 , , 11.3 , , 1.4 , , – , , – , , 13.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , – , , 35.0 , , .422 , , – , , .704 , , 12.0 , , 2.1 , , – , , – , , 11.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Kansas City–Omaha , 79 , , – , , 37.1 , , .474 , , – , , .708 , , 11.8 , , 2.4 , , – , , – , , 13.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Kansas City–Omaha , 79 , , – , , 39.3 , , .476 , , – , , .749 , , 13.4 , , 3.8 , , 1.6 , , 2.3 , , 14.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Kansas City–Omaha , 81 , , – , , 41.7 , , .427 , , – , , .754 , , 14.2 , , 5.3 , , 1.7 , , 2.1 , , 11.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Kansas City , 81 , , – , , 38.1 , , .401 , , – , , .759 , , 12.6 , , 4.7 , , 1.6 , , 1.7 , , 12.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Kansas City , 82 , , – , , 31.6 , , .422 , , – , , .762 , , 9.0 , , 4.7 , , 1.5 , , 1.6 , , 10.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Kansas City , 77 , , – , , 27.7 , , .449 , , – , , .717 , , 8.3 , , 3.9 , , 1.6 , , 1.4 , , 8.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Kansas City , 82 , , – , , 32.0 , , .502 , , – , , .739 , , 8.6 , , 5.2 , , 1.3 , , 1.7 , , 10.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Kansas City , 81 , , – , , 29.8 , , .448 , , .000 , , .741 , , 8.0 , , 5.7 , , 1.4 , , 1.3 , , 9.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Kansas City , 82 , , – , , 27.2 , , .442 , , .200 , , .786 , , 7.1 , , 4.9 , , 1.2 , , 1.5 , , 6.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Kansas City , 2 , , 1 , , 10.0 , , .600 , , – , , .000 , , 2.0 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , 3.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

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Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

, 60 , , 33 , , 20.5 , , .420 , , .222 , , .784 , , 3.9 , , 2.0 , , .5 , , .4 , , 4.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 1,002 , , 40 , , 31.8 , , .441 , , .188 , , .738 , , 9.7 , , 3.7 , , 1.3 , , 1.5 , , 10.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 1 , , 0 , , 17.0 , , .333 , , – , , 1.000 , , 7.0 , , 1.0 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , 6.0

Playoffs

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1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

, style="text-align:left;”, Kansas City–Omaha , 6, , –, , 44.0, , .377, , –, , .611, , 15.7, , 5.0, , 2.0, , 1.5, , 9.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

, style="text-align:left;”, Kansas City , 5, , –, , 35.2, , .381, , –, , .789, , 10.2, , 4.2, , 1.8, , 2.0, , 9.4 , - , 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 ...

, style="text-align:left;”, Kansas City , 3, , –, , 33.7, , .381, , 1.000, , .750, , 7.3, , 4.3, , 2.3, , .7, , 6.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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;”, Kansas City , 15, , –, , 35.5, , .420, , .000, , .857, , 8.0, , 5.3, , 1.9, , 1.5, , 10.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 29 , , – , , 37.0 , , .401 , , .250 , , .776 , , 9.9 , , 5.0 , , 1.9 , , 1.5 , , 9.4

Death

Lacey died in his home in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

on March 14, 2014, at age 65.

References

External links

*
Career stats
a
basketball-reference.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lacey, Sam 1948 births 2014 deaths 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen American men's basketball players Basketball players from Mississippi Centers (basketball) Cincinnati Royals draft picks Cincinnati Royals players Cleveland Cavaliers players Kansas City Kings players Memphis Pros draft picks NBA All-Stars NBA players with retired numbers New Jersey Nets players New Mexico State Aggies men's basketball players New Orleans Buccaneers draft picks People from Indianola, Mississippi