Willis Reed

At 81 years old, Willis Reed has this physical status:

Willis Reed Jr. (born June 25, 1942) is an American basketball player, mentor, and general manager.

He was with the New York Knicks throughout his entire career (1964-1974).

Reed was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982.

Reed played as an assistant and head coach with several franchises for almost a decade, then was promoted to general manager and vice president of basketball operations (1989 to 1996) for the New Jersey Nets, a selection of the "50 Greatest Players in NBA History."

In 2002 and 2003, he was the senior vice president of basketball operations, leading them to the NBA Finals.

Early life and education

Reed was born in Dubach, Louisiana, within Lincoln Parish, on June 25, 1942. He grew up on a farm in Bernice, Louisiana. Reed's parents were determined to ensure that he received an education in the segregated South. Reed demonstrated athletic ability at an early age and played basketball at West Side High School in Lillie, Louisiana.

Reed attended Grambling State University, a historically black college. Reed, a senior athlete for the Grambling State Tigers men's basketball team, has earned 2,280 career points, averaging 26.6 points per game and 21.3 rebounds per game. He led the Tigers to one NAIA championship and three Southwestern Athletic Conference championships. Reed has also been a member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity.

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Career

Reed was selected in the second round by the New York Knicks, who had the eighth overall pick in the 1964 NBA draft. Reed quickly established himself as a tenacious, dominant, and physical force on both ends of the floor. He scored 46 points against the Los Angeles Lakers in March 1965, the second-most single-game total ever by the Knicks' rookie. He ranked seventh in scoring (19.5 points per game) and fifth in rebounding (14.7 rebounds per game) in the 1964–65 season. He began his career with an All-Star appearance and won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, as well as being selected to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.

Reed continued to be a regular playoff performer throughout his career. He gave an early glimpse of this during the 1966–67 season, when he boosted his regular season averages to 20.9 points per game and averaged 27.5 points per game in the playoffs.

He was a center. Despite his relatively good average for a basketball player, he made up for his height by playing a physical sport, often ending seasons with respectable averages in blocking and rebounding. He was 6 feet 9 in (2.06 m), but shoes were also on display at 6'10," when contemporaries such as Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar stood 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) and 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m), respectively, during their playing careers.

The team continued to fail for a few years, but they did succeed in the trades and the draft, and they kept adding good players. Dick McGuire was hired as a mentor with Red Holzman midway through the 1967–68 season. Under McGuire, the Knicks had gone 15-22; Holzman guided them to a 28–17 finish. New York's record was 43–39 in 1968, the city's first winning record since the 1958-1959 season.

Reed continued to appear in the NBA All-Star Game on a regular basis. By this time, he was playing power forward, to make room for Walt Bellamy. Reed averaged 11.6 rebounds in 1965–66 and 14.6 in 1966–67, both top ten records in the league. He had adjusted to the nuances of his new position by the second season, averaging 20.9 points to rank eighth in the NBA.

New York held opponents to a league-low 105.2 points per game from 1968-1969. With Reed clogging the middle and Walt Frazier pounding the ball, the Knicks will be the best defensive team in the league for five seasons.

Reed averaged 21.1 points per game in 1968–69 and collected a franchise-record 1,191 rebounds, as well as a total of 14.5 rebounds per game.

The Knicks won a franchise-record 60 games and set a single-season NBA record with an 18-game win streak in the 1969–70 season. Reed was both the first NBA All-Star Game MVP and the NBA Finals MVP in 1970, making him the first NBA player to be voted both the NBA regular season MVP and the NBA Finals MVP in the same season. He was named to the All-NBA First Team and NBA All-Defensive First Team in the same year, as well as being named as ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year and Sporting News NBA MVP.

Reed's most memorable appearance took place on May 8, 1970, against the Los Angeles Lakers in Madison Square Garden. He was unlikely to play in game seven due to a serious thigh injury and a torn muscle that had previously held him out of game six. However, Reed shocked the viewers by walking onto the court during warm-ups, sparking widespread applause. He scored the Knicks' first two field goals on his first two shots attempts, his first two field goals of the season, and his only point of the game. "You exemplify the very best that the human spirit can offer" following the game in the winner's locker room, a movable Howard Cosell told Reed on national television.

In the 1970–71 season, the Knicks hit a 52-30 record, but they were still strong enough to finish first in the Atlantic Division; and in mid-season, Reed tied Harry Gallatin's all-time club record by grabbing 33 rebounds against the Cincinnati Royals. Reed got off to a good time in the All-Star Game once more. He averaged 20.9 points and 13.7 rebounds per game during the season, but the Knicks were eliminated by the Baltimore Bullets in the Eastern Conference Finals. Reed suffered from tendinitis in his left knee, limiting his mobility from 1971–72. He returned two weeks early in the season and recovered, but shortly thereafter, the injured knee prevented him from playing, and he totaled 11 games for the year. The Knicks were still able to make the NBA Finals without Reed, but the Los Angeles Lakers defeated them in five games.

The 1972–73 Knicks ended the season with a 57–25 record and went on to win their second NBA title. Reed was less active in his role as he was two seasons ago. He averaged 11.0 points in 69 regular season games. The Knicks defeated the Bullets and upset the Boston Celtics in the playoffs, and they met the Lakers in the NBA Finals for the second time. The Knicks won their second NBA title after losing the first two games in a row, with a 102–93 victory in game five. Reed was named NBA Finals MVP.

Reed's career was cut short by injuries, and he resigned in 1973–74. Reed played 650 games and averaged 18.7 points and 12.9 rebounds per game during his career. He appeared in seven All-Star Games.

Post-playing career

Reed spent several years as a tutor before transitioning to general management. He coached the Knicks from 1977 to 1979, and the team lost 14 games in the first season (49–47 record). He served as the head coach at Creighton University from 1981 to 1985, as a volunteer assistant coach for St. John's University. Reed has also worked as an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks and Sacramento Kings.

Reed debuted as the head coach of the New Jersey Nets on March 1, 1988, just weeks after the Nets' star forward (and Reed's cousin) Orlando Woolridge was suspended by the league and was scheduled to undergo opioid therapy. He held a 33–77 record with the Nets. He was hired as the Nets' general manager and vice president of basketball operations in 1989. He drafted Derrick Coleman and Kenny Anderson, bought Draen Petrovi, and made the Nets a playoff contender during the 1990s. Chuck Daly was hired by Reed to direct the Nets in the 1992-1993 and 1993–94 seasons. Reed assumed the role of senior vice president of basketball operations in 1996, with the primary aim of turning the Nets into a championship contender. In 2002 and 2003, the Nets reached the NBA Finals.

Reed took over as vice president of basketball operations with the New Orleans Hornets in 2004. In 2007, he resigned from that position.

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