Wendell Larry Ladner (October 6, 1948 – June 24, 1975) was an American 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 most notable for his playing time in the

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) from 1970 to 1975. Ladner was born in Necaise Crossing,

Hancock County, Mississippi Hancock County is the southernmost county of the U.S. state of Mississippi and is named for Founding Father John Hancock. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,053. Its county seat is Bay St. Louis. Hancock County is part of the Gulfp ...

and played high-school basketball at Hancock North Central High School in

Kiln, Mississippi Kiln is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Hancock County, Mississippi, United States. The town is located about northeast of New Orleans, Louisiana. It is part of the Gulfport-Bil ...

. After attending the

University of Southern Mississippi The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bac ...

, Ladner was undrafted in the 1970

(ABA) draft but played

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People *Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Smal ...

for five seasons with four different teams (including Memphis twice) in the ABA from

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...

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. ...

. At and , Ladner was one of the more notorious enforcers of the ABA, protecting

Dan Issel Daniel Paul Issel (born October 25, 1948) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats, earning All-American twice en route to a school-record 25.7 points per game for his ...

of 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 ...

and

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 ...

of the

New York 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 ...

. Ladner regularly faced perhaps the fiercest player in the ABA, the

Pittsburgh Condors The Pittsburgh Condors were a professional basketball team in the original American Basketball Association (ABA). Originally called the Pittsburgh Pipers, they were a charter franchise of the ABA and captured the first league title. The team pla ...

John Brisker John Brisker (June 15, 1947 – declared dead May 29, 1985) was an American professional basketball player who disappeared on April 11, 1978, after allegedly visiting Uganda. He played college basketball for the Toledo Rockets until he left t ...

, once entering the Condors' locker room and yelling, "Hey, John, you wanna fight right now or wait for the game?" (It was not unusual for Brisker and Ladner to beat each other bloody on the court, only to hang out together at a local bar afterwards.) Ladner was named to the 1971

ABA All-Rookie Team The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a professional basketball league that operated from the until it ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976. The ABA presented a variety of annual awards and honors to recognize its players and ...

and was selected to the

ABA All-Star Game The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist after merging with the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1976. In total, the league held nine all-star game An a ...

in his rookie season. On January 24, 1971, he scored a career-high total of 34 points in a Memphis win over the

Miami Floridians The Miami Floridians, later in their history known simply as The Floridians, were a professional basketball franchise in the original, now-defunct American Basketball Association. The Miami Floridians played in the ABA from 1968 through 1970 when ...

. He was also an all-star the following season. Ladner was killed at the age of 26 in the June 24, 1975 crash of

Eastern Air Lines Flight 66 Eastern Air Lines Flight 66 was a regularly scheduled flight from New Orleans to New York City that crashed on June 24, 1975, while on approach to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, killing 113 of the 124 people on board. Copy at ...

. He was identified by medical examiners because he was wearing his ABA championship ring. He was only player in the nine-year history of the ABA to lose his life while an active player for one of the league's best teams. The Nets' website used to include his name and number in their list of retired numbers, although Ladner's #4 was not displayed in the rafters with the other retired numbers. His number was also given to

Rick Mahorn Derrick Allen Mahorn (born September 21, 1958) is an American former professional basketball player who played power forward and center for the Washington Bullets, Detroit Pistons, Philadelphia 76ers, and the New Jersey Nets of the National Ba ...

during his tenure with the Nets. In October 2013, a ''

New York Daily News The ''Daily News'' is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson in New York City as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in Tabloid (newspaper format ...

'' article explained that the number was never formally retired. However, as a tribute to Ladner, Nets trainer Fritz Massmann had not issued #4 to other players for 17 years after Ladner's death. Erving called Ladner his most unusual teammate because Ladner wanted to be

Burt Reynolds Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018) was an American actor most famous during the 1970s and 1980s. He became well known in television series such as ''Gunsmoke'' (1962–1965), '' Hawk'' (1966) and '' Dan Augus ...

with a basketball. (Indeed, Ladner posed for a poster in only his gym shorts and a red-white-and-blue ball.) ''

Semi-Pro ''Semi-Pro'' is a 2008 American sports comedy film. The film was directed by Kent Alterman in his directorial debut, written by Scot Armstrong, and produced by Jimmy Miller. It stars Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, André 3000 (credited as And ...

'', a basketball comedy set in the 1970s starring

Will Ferrell John William Ferrell (; born July 16, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is known for his leading man roles in comedy films and for his work as a television producer. Ferrell received various accolades, including ...

, spoofs Ladner's Reynolds persona in its trailer. A road in

Perkinston, Mississippi Perkinston is an unincorporated community in central Stone County, Mississippi, United States. It is situated along U.S. Highway 49, approximately five miles south of Wiggins. The community is part of the Gulfport–Biloxi, Mississippi M ...

has been named in Ladner's honor.

References

External links

*ABA statistics a
Basketball Reference
* * Jim O'Brien

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ladner, Wendell 1948 births 1975 deaths ABA All-Stars Accidental deaths in New York (state) American men's basketball players Basketball players from Mississippi Carolina Cougars players Kentucky Colonels players Memphis Pros draft picks Memphis Pros players Memphis Tams players New Orleans Buccaneers draft picks New York Nets players People from Hancock County, Mississippi Small forwards Southern Miss Golden Eagles basketball players Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1975 Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in the United States

See also

References

External links