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 court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

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. Originally, 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 Gastonia is the largest city in and county seat of Gaston County, North Carolina, United States. It is the second-largest satellite city of the Charlotte area, behind Concord. The population was 80,411 at the 2020 census, up from 71,741 in 2 ...

. He received the nickname "Sleepy" playing baseball in the

fourth grade Fourth grade (also called grade four, equivalent to Year 5 in England and Wales, and Year 4 in Australia) is a year of Elementary education in some countries. In North America, the fourth grade is the fifth school year of elementary school. St ...

, 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 research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

(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 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 state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...

. Floyd holds the

Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball The Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball program represents Georgetown University in NCAA Division I men's intercollegiate basketball and the Big East Conference. Georgetown has competed in men's college basketball since 1907. The current head co ...

record for career points — 2,304.

Professional career

Floyd was drafted by the

New Jersey Nets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

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 Lindblom High School and playing colleg ...

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 league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

for Micheal Ray Richardson. 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, 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 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airpor ...

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 Western Conference Southwest Division. The ...

. During the 1987 NBA Playoffs, 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 league's Western Conference, Northwest Division. Since the 1991–92 season, ...

. The following round, however, the Warriors were eliminated by the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers. 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 team of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Divisio ...

for Ralph Sampson and

Steve Harris Steve Harris may refer to: * Steve Harris (musician) (born 1956), founder member and bassist of the band Iron Maiden * Steve Harris (actor) (born 1965), American film and TV actor * Steve Harris (basketball) (1963–2016), American basketball playe ...

. 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 league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

. 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 league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

, 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 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake strike ...

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 Gaston is a masculine given name of French origin and a surname. The name "Gaston" may refer to: People First name *Gaston I, Count of Foix (1287–1315) *Gaston II, Count of Foix (1308–1343) *Gaston III, Count of Foix (1331–1391) *Gaston I ...

, located in

, 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 Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and ...

in January 2014 for an exhibition game honoring that nation's leader Kim Jong Un as " basketball diplomacy". Less than a half day after his arrival, Floyd regretted the trip, feeling "misled".

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...

, 43 , , 6 , , 11.5 , , .426 , , .286 , , .844 , , 1.0 , , 1.6 , , 0.4 , , 0.2 , , 5.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , 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;", , 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;", , style="text-align:left;",

Houston Houston (; ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in Texas, the Southern United States#Major cities, most populous city in the Southern United States, the List of United States cities by population, fourth-most pop ...

, 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 ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

, 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 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker ru ...

, 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 , 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 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the ...

, 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 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson Ma ...

, 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 African-American basketball players All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from North Carolina Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball players Golden State Warriors players Houston Rockets players National Basketball Association All-Stars New Jersey Nets draft picks New Jersey Nets players People from Gastonia, North Carolina Point guards San Antonio Spurs players 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople

Early life, family and education

Collegiate career

Professional career

Post career

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

See also

References

External links