Eric Augustus "Sleepy" Floyd (born March 6, 1960) 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. An

NBA All-Star The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game. It is the main event of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Traditionally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of ...

in 1987 as a Warrior, he is perhaps best known for his tenures for Golden State and Houston.

Early life, family and education

Floyd was born in Gastonia, North Carolina. He received the nickname "Sleepy" playing baseball in the fourth grade, when a spectator yelled "Get that kid out of the game. He's sleeping." A guard, Floyd played competitively at Hunter Huss High School in Gastonia. During Floyd's junior season at Hunter Huss High, he led his team to win in the 1977 North Carolina state basketball championship over rival Ashbrook High, a team led by James Worthy.

Collegiate career

Floyd was a star basketball player at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

(and was later inducted into the Georgetown University Athletic Hall of Fame). At Georgetown, Floyd excelled all four seasons, leading the team in scoring in 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982 and was team captain in 1981 and 1982. Floyd was named an All-Big East Conference selection in 1980, 1981, 1982, and an All-American in 1981 and 1982. In his final season at Georgetown, Floyd and co-star

Patrick Ewing Patrick Aloysius Ewing Sr. (born August 5, 1962) is a Jamaican-American basketball coach and former professional player who is a basketball ambassador for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he played most o ...

helped lead the Hoyas all the way to the National Championship game, where Floyd scored 18 points, recorded 5 assists, and stole the ball 5 times in a 63–62 loss to

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. Floyd holds the

Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball The Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball program represents Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop o ...

record for career points — 2,304.

Professional career

Floyd was drafted by the

New Jersey 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 the 13th pick of the 1982 NBA draft. During the middle of an unspectacular rookie season, Floyd was traded by the Nets with

Mickey Johnson Wallace Edgar "Mickey" Johnson (born August 31, 1952) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Career Basketball After graduating from Chicago's Robert Lindblom Math & Science Academy, ...

to 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 ...

for

Micheal Ray Richardson Michael Ray Richardson (born April 11, 1955), known as Micheal Ray Richardson, is an American former professional basketball player and head coach. He played college basketball for the Montana Grizzlies. The No. 4 overall pick in the 1978 NBA dr ...

. Floyd quickly blossomed while playing for the Warriors, averaging 16.8 points per game in his first full season with the franchise, and during the

1984–85 NBA season The 1984–85 NBA season was the 39th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Los Angeles Lakers winning the NBA Championship, beating the Boston Celtics 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. This was David Stern's fi ...

, he averaged a career high 19.5 points per game. Two seasons later, he averaged 18.8 points and 10.3 assists and earned a spot on the

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

NBA All-Star Team. That season, on December 6, Floyd scored a career high 41 points in 109–104 loss against the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

. During the

1987 NBA Playoffs The 1987 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1986–87 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Boston ...

, Floyd averaged 21.4 points, 10.2 assists, and 1.8 steals in 10 games, and played a key role in a first round upset of the

Karl Malone Karl Anthony Malone (born July 24, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Mailman", he is considered one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history. Malone spen ...

-led

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

. The following round, however, the Warriors were eliminated by the eventual champion

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

. In December 1987, Floyd was traded with Joe Barry Carroll to 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) ...

for Ralph Sampson and Steve Harris. On February 26, 1991, Floyd scored 40 points after playing only 24 minutes (the fewest minutes needed for a 40-point game in NBA history), in a 129–99 win over the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

. Floyd would play 5½ seasons in total with the Rockets before signing as a free agent with the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

, a year before the Rockets would win their two consecutive championships. After one season in San Antonio, he returned to the

, and he retired in

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

with 12,260 career points and 5,175 career assists. Floyd still holds the NBA playoff record for points scored in a quarter (29) and in half (39), in Game 4 of the aforementioned 1987 Western Conference Semifinals against the Lakers. Floyd scored 12 consecutive field goals in the fourth quarter, finishing the game with 51 points, and prevented a sweep of the Warriors by in-state rival Lakers.

Post career

After retiring from the NBA, Floyd ran a restaurant for three years, and he started a financial management company. In 2004–2005, he coached junior varsity boys' basketball at Gaston Day School, located in Gastonia, North Carolina, his hometown. Floyd accompanied a group of basketball players to

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

in January 2014 for an exhibition game honoring that nation's leader

Kim Jong Un Kim Jong Un (born 8 January 1983 or 1984) is a North Korean politician and dictator who has served as supreme leader of North Korea since 2011 and general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is the third son of Kim ...

as " basketball diplomacy". Less than a half day after his arrival, Floyd regretted the trip, feeling "misled". The 2024 film '' Freaky Tales'' features a plot point involving a fictionalized version of Floyd played by Jay Ellis.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2, , 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 ...

, 43 , , 6 , , 11.5 , , .426 , , .286 , , .844 , , 1.0 , , 1.6 , , 0.4 , , 0.2 , , 5.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 33 , , 11 , , 22.8 , , .431 , , .545 , , .830 , , 2.9 , , 2.2 , , 1.2 , , 0.2 , , 11.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 77 , , 73 , , 33.2 , , .463 , , .178 , , .816 , , 3.5 , , 3.5 , , 1.3 , , 0.4 , , 16.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 82 , , 82 , , 35.0 , , .445 , , .294 , , .810 , , 2.5 , , 5.0 , , 1.6 , , 0.5 , , 19.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 82 , , 82 , , 33.7 , , .506 , , .328 , , .796 , , 3.6 , , 9.1 , , 1.9 , , 0.2 , , 17.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 82 , , 82 , , 37.4 , , .488 , , .384 , , .860 , , 3.3 , , 10.3 , , 1.8 , , 0.2 , , 18.8 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2, , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 18 , , 18 , , 37.8 , , .439 , , .050 , , .835 , , 5.1 , , 9.9 , , 1.5 , , 0.1 , , 21.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, 59 , , 55 , , 31.1 , , .431 , , .250 , , .860 , , 3.5 , , 6.2 , , 1.2 , , 0.2 , , 13.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 82 , , 34.0 , , .443 , , .373 , , .845 , , 3.7 , , 8.6 , , 1.5 , , 0.1 , , 14.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 73 , , 32.1 , , .451 , , .380 , , .806 , , 2.4 , , 7.3 , , 1.1 , , 0.1 , , 12.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 4 , , 22.6 , , .411 , , .273 , , .752 , , 1.9 , , 3.9 , , 1.2 , , 0.2 , , 12.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 3 , , 20.3 , , .406 , , .301 , , .794 , , 1.8 , , 2.9 , , 0.7 , , 0.3 , , 9.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 52 , , 10 , , 16.7 , , .407 , , .286 , , .794 , , 1.7 , , 2.5 , , 0.6 , , 0.1 , , 6.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

, 53 , , 2 , , 13.9 , , .335 , , .222 , , .667 , , 1.3 , , 1.9 , , 0.2 , , 0.2 , , 3.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 48 , , 1 , , 17.3 , , .335 , , .284 , , .698 , , 1.1 , , 2.6 , , 0.3 , , 0.1 , , 4.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 957 , , 584 , , 27.6 , , .444 , , .324 , , .815 , , 2.6 , , 5.4 , , 1.2 , , 0.2 , , 12.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 1 , , 0 , , 19.0 , , .571 , , .333 , , .714 , , 5.0 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 14.0

Playoffs

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

, style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 10, , 10, , 41.4, , .507, , .464, , .922, , 3.0, , 10.2, , 1.8, , 0.2, , 21.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1988 , style="text-align:left;",

, 4, , 4, , 38.5, , .426, , .500, , .864, , 1.8, , 8.5, , 2.0, , 0.0, , 18.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

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

, 4, , 4, , 40.0, , .478, , .533, , .714, , 4.5, , 6.5, , 2.0, , 0.3, , 15.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

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

, 4, , 4, , 43.0, , .469, , .250, , .647, , 3.8, , 10.3, , 1.3, , 0.3, , 18.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

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

, 3, , 0, , 13.7, , .333, , .000, , –, , 0.7, , 2.3, , 0.7, , 0.3, , 5.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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

, 7, , 0, , 8.6, , .316, , .333, , .700, , 0.6, , 1.1, , 0.3, , 0.0, , 2.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

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

, 4, , 0, , 9.3, , .250, , –, , .500, , 0.3, , 0.3, , 0.0, , 0.0, , 1.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 36 , , 22 , , 28.8 , , .457 , , .414 , , .814 , , 2.1 , , 6.1 , , 1.2 , , 0.1 , , 13.0

References

External links

Career stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Floyd, Sleepy 1960 births Living people All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball players Golden State Warriors players Houston Rockets players NBA All-Stars New Jersey Nets draft picks New Jersey Nets players Basketball players from Gastonia, North Carolina Point guards San Antonio Spurs players 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen

Early life, family and education

Collegiate career

Professional career

Post career

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

See also

References

External links