George Trapp, Jr. was an American professional basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 player.

A 6'8" forward/center from Detroit, Trapp played college basketball at Long Beach State

California State University, Long Beach

California State University, Long Beach is the second largest campus of the California State University system and the third largest university in the state of California by enrollment...

, where he was coached by Jerry Tarkanian

Jerry Tarkanian

Jerry Tarkanian , also known as "Tark the Shark", is a retired college basketball coach known as one of the winningest coaches in college basketball history...

 and won two Pacific Coast Athletic Association MVP Awards. In 1971, Trapp led Long Beach State to the Elite Eight of the 1971 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

1971 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

The 1971 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 13, 1971, and ended with the championship game on March 27 in Houston, Texas...

, but the team lost to UCLA, the eventual winner of the tournament.

After his college career ended, Trapp was selected by the Atlanta Hawks

Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...

 with the fifth pick of the 1971 NBA Draft

1971 NBA Draft

The 1971 NBA Draft was the 25th annual draft of the National Basketball Association . The draft was held on March 29, 1971 before the 1971–72 season. In this draft, 17 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players...

. He played six seasons in the NBA with the Hawks (1971–1973) and Detroit Pistons

Detroit Pistons

The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...

(1973–77), and averaged 8.8 points per game over his career. He was nicknamed "Instant Heat" for his shooting ability.

On January 9, 2002, Trapp was stabbed in the stomach during a fight with another man in Detroit. He died twelve days later.