Ernie DiGregorio
Ernie DiGregorio was born in North Providence, Rhode Island, United States on January 15th, 1951 and is the Basketball Player. At the age of 73, Ernie DiGregorio biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.
At 73 years old, Ernie DiGregorio has this physical status:
Ernest DiGregorio (born January 15, 1951), also known as "Ernie D." He is an American former National Basketball Association player.
He was the 1973–74 NBA Rookie of the Year and held the NBA rookie record for assists in a single game with 25 points.
He appeared in only five NBA seasons after suffering from a serious knee injury early in DiGregorio's professional career.
Early life
DiGregorio was one of the 1968 Rhode Island (Class B) champions at North Providence High School.
College and NBA career
He and Marvin Barnes led Coach Dave Gavitt's Providence team to a Final Four appearance in the 1973 NCAA Tournament in DiGregorio's senior season, where they eventually lost to Memphis State, but only after Barnes sustained a knee injury that forced an early exit. After playing for the Providence College Friars, DiGregorio played on a college all-star team, and along with Bill Walton, led the U.S. in defeating a Soviet team in an exhibition game, which helped heal the still-open wound of the United States' loss in the 1972 Summer Olympic finals.
Ernie "D" was drafted by the Kentucky Colonels of the American Basketball Association but opted instead for the NBA.
He was selected third overall by the Buffalo Braves in the 1973 NBA draft out of Providence College, and won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 1973–74 after averaging 15.2 points and leading the league in both free throw percentage and assists per game. DiGregorio still holds the NBA rookie record for assists in a single game with 25 (a record now shared with Nate McMillan). He would never again come close to that level of production, but managed to have a decent NBA career, most of which he spent with the Braves.
During the 1976–77 season, DiGregorio led the league in free throw percentage a second time, with a then-NBA record 94.5%. In 1977, he joined fellow NBA stars Julius Erving, Rick Barry, Wilt Chamberlain, and Pete Maravich, in endorsing Spalding's line of rubber basketballs, with a signature "Ernie D." ball making up part of the collection.
Before the 1977–78 season, DiGregorio was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, and played in a Lakers' uniform in only 25 games before being waived.
The Boston Celtics signed him as a free agent but he played only sparingly for the rest of the season. He would not play in the NBA again, although he did not formally retire until 1981.