Nate Archibald

At 75 years old, Nate Archibald has this physical status:

Nathaniel "Tiny" Archibald (born September 2, 1948) is an American retired professional basketball player.

He played in the NBA for 14 years, most notably with the Cincinnati Royals, Kansas City–Omaha Kings, and Boston Celtics.

He was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991. Archibald was a devoted passer and a good shooter from midrange.

However, it was his quickness and shiftiness that made him impossible to guard in the open court, as he would often go through defenders on his way to the basket.

Personal life

He obtained his bachelor's degree from University of Texas-El Paso in three years, the first three summers right before completing his NBA service. He then taught in the New York City school system and attended night classes at Fordham University. In 1990, he earned a master's degree and a professional diploma in leadership and administration, as well as a diploma in 1994. In 2000, he began correspondence correspondence with a doctorate from California Coast University, but canceled his studies due to "a lack of funds and the desire to complete a long-distance correspondence course." He has expressed aspire to complete the degree at Fordham.

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High school and college career

Archibald, a playground celebrity who grew up in a gritty suburb of New York City's south Bronx borough, played high school basketball for just one and a half seasons and was dropped from the varsity squad at DeWitt Clinton High School as a sophomore. As a youth, he rejoined the team as a member. Archibald briefly considered dropping out of school after being largely truant in previous years. Archibald turned it around with the help of two mentors, Floyd Layne and Pablo Robertson. Robertson, a former standout at Loyola of Chicago and a Harlem, New York playground impresario, had seen the nimble, mercurial Archibald marching around the playgrounds, and had convinced the boy's high school coach to re-instate him on the team.

Despite being drafted team captain and an All-City pick in 1966, the shy, quiet teen grew into a high-school superstar, despite playing only in blowouts as a junior. Archibald began attending school regularly and worked to improve his academic reputation, which discouraged most colleges from offering him a scholarship. Archibald, a student at Arizona Western College, moved to El Paso (UTEP) the following year to improve his odds of playing major college basketball. He spent three seasons at El Paso, from 1967 to 1970, under Hall of Fame coach Don Haskins.

Professional career

The Cincinnati Royals selected Archibald in the second round of the 1970 NBA draft (19th pick). He was also drafted by the Texas Chaparrals of the American Basketball Association. In a 128–104 loss to the New York Knicks, Archibald scored 17 points and 7 assists on his NBA debut. Archibald scored 47 points in a 136-127 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on March 13, 1971, setting a record-high.

In a 127-117 victory over the Houston Rockets on November 18, 1972, Archibald scored 51 points and 14 assists.

Archibald dominated the NBA in scoring and assists (with 34 points and 11.4 assists in 46 minutes per game), becoming the first player to win both categories in the same season. (In the 1967-68 season, Oscar Robertson led the NBA in points and assists per game, but did not win the championships because they were based on totals rather than averages at the time. His scoring average of 34.0 points a game beat the NBA record for a guard, but it is also a record for point guards as of 2020. His 910 assists (11.4 assists per game) was also an NBA record at the time, far surpassing Guy Rodgers' record of 908. He was named as the Sporting News NBA MVP of the season.

Archibald made the postseason for the first time in his career during the 1975 NBA Playoffs, defeating the then-Kansas City Kings 44-38. In a six game series loss to Bob Love and the Chicago Bulls in the first round, Archibald went on to average 20.2 points and 5.3 assists.

Archibald appeared on the Royals/Kings franchise from 1970 to 1976.

Despite being the Kings' most popular player, he was traded to the New York Nets for two first round draft picks (future all-star Otis Birdsong and rookie of the year Phil Ford), Jim Eakins, and Brian Taylor in 1976. In his 34 games with the Nets, Archibald would averaged 20.5 points per game.

He was traded by the Nets to the Buffalo Braves before the 1977–78 season, as well as George Johnson. Archibald strained his Achilles tendon and never appeared in a regular-season game for the Braves.

Before the next season, the Buffalo Bills were traded to the Boston Celtics as part of a 7-player contract. His time with the Celtics started poorly. He was 20 pounds overweight. However, he adjusted and helped the Celtics reach their best record in the NBA for three years (1979–1982). In the 1980–81 season, Archibald captured his first and only NBA championship with the Boston Celtics, as well as young NBA star Larry Bird. Archibald scored 13 points and 12 assists in Game 6 of the 1981 NBA Finals, as the Celtics closed out the series against the Houston Rockets.

Archibald defeated the Denver Nuggets 145-144 on February 15, 1982, recording a career-high 23 assists.

Archibald played his final season with the Bucks in 1983, after being suspended by the Celtics, starting as point guard for all 46 games he played in.

Coaching career

Archibald served as an assistant coach for one season at University of Georgia and two with Texas-El Paso (where he worked with Tim Hardaway). He has also coached the New Jersey Jammers of the USBL and a Boston recreational league. In 2001, Archibald began coaching in the National Basketball Development League. He resigned a year later to work with the NBA's community relations team. Archibald was also named the head coach for the Long Beach Jam in 2004 in the revived ABA, but he would resign from his position on January 17, 2005, during the ABA's second and final season.

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