Mack Calvin
Encyclopedia
Mack Calvin is an American
former basketball
player.
from Long Beach City College
and the University of Southern California
, Calvin was a 14th-round draft pick of the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers
in 1969.
In his final college season, Calvin and his Trojans defeated the UCLA Bruins
, 46–44, in Pauley Pavilion
, ending the Bruins' 41 consecutive game winning streak, 45 in a row in Pacific 8 Conference play wins, and 17 in a row over USC. The victory also ended UCLA's 51 victories in Pauley Pavilion.
(ABA) and four seasons in the National Basketball Association
(NBA).
Calvin began his professional career with the ABA's Los Angeles Stars, averaging 16.8 points per game in his first season to make the ABA All-Rookie Team. The following season, he averaged a career-high 27.2 points for The Floridians, in the process setting the ABA records for most free throw
s made (696) and most free throws attempted (805) in one season. Calvin also played for the ABA's Carolina Cougars
, Denver Nuggets
, and Virginia Squires
before the ABA-NBA merger
in 1976. He also briefly coached the Squires during the 1975–1976 season. During his ABA career, he tallied 10,620 points and 3,067 assists (second in ABA history behind only Louie Dampier
's 4,044) and appeared in 5 All-Star game
s.
Calvin joined the Lakers for the 1976–77 NBA season but he was never able to match the same level of production he reached while in the ABA. He spent his four seasons in the NBA with five teams—the Lakers, the San Antonio Spurs
, the Denver Nuggets (which had joined the NBA in 1976), the Utah Jazz
, and the Cleveland Cavaliers
—before retiring in 1981 with an NBA career scoring-average of 7.0 points per game.
in the ABA
(1975–76) for 6 games and Los Angeles Clippers
in the NBA
(1991–92, as an interim head coach in February 1992 for 2 games).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
former 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.
College career
A 6'0" point guardPoint guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
from Long Beach City College
Long Beach City College
Long Beach City College, established in 1927, is a community college located in Long Beach, California. It is divided into two campuses. The Liberal Arts Campus, known as LAC, is located in the residential community of the Lakewood Village section of Long Beach, on Carson Street west of Clark Avenue...
and the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, Calvin was a 14th-round draft pick of the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
in 1969.
In his final college season, Calvin and his Trojans defeated the UCLA Bruins
UCLA Bruins
The UCLA Bruins are the sports teams for University of California, Los Angeles . The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pacific-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation . For football, they are in the Football Bowl Subdivision of Division I...
, 46–44, in Pauley Pavilion
Pauley Pavilion
Edwin W. Pauley Pavilion, commonly known as Pauley Pavilion, is an indoor arena located in the Westwood Village district of Los Angeles, California, on the campus of UCLA. It is home to the UCLA Bruins men's and women's basketball teams...
, ending the Bruins' 41 consecutive game winning streak, 45 in a row in Pacific 8 Conference play wins, and 17 in a row over USC. The victory also ended UCLA's 51 victories in Pauley Pavilion.
Pro career
He played seven seasons (1969–1976) in the now-defunct American Basketball AssociationAmerican Basketball Association
The American Basketball Association was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.-League history:...
(ABA) and four seasons in the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
(NBA).
Calvin began his professional career with the ABA's Los Angeles Stars, averaging 16.8 points per game in his first season to make the ABA All-Rookie Team. The following season, he averaged a career-high 27.2 points for The Floridians, in the process setting the ABA records for most free throw
Free throw
In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points from a restricted area on the court , and are generally awarded after a foul on the shooter by the opposing team...
s made (696) and most free throws attempted (805) in one season. Calvin also played for the ABA's Carolina Cougars
Carolina Cougars
Carolina Cougars was a basketball franchise in the former American Basketball Association that existed from late 1969 through 1974. The Cougars were originally a charter member of the ABA as the Houston Mavericks in 1967. The Mavericks moved to North Carolina in late 1969 after two unsuccessful...
, Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...
, and Virginia Squires
Virginia Squires
The Virginia Squires were a basketball franchise in the former American Basketball Association from 1970 until just before the ABA-NBA merger in 1976.-In Oakland :...
before the ABA-NBA merger
ABA-NBA merger
The ABA–NBA merger was the merger of the American Basketball Association with the National Basketball Association, which after multiple attempts over several years finally occurred in 1976.- Origins of ABA-NBA competition :...
in 1976. He also briefly coached the Squires during the 1975–1976 season. During his ABA career, he tallied 10,620 points and 3,067 assists (second in ABA history behind only Louie Dampier
Louie Dampier
Louis "Louie" Dampier is a retired American professional basketball player.A 6-foot-tall guard, Dampier is one of only a handful of men to play all nine seasons in the American Basketball Association , all with the Kentucky Colonels...
's 4,044) and appeared in 5 All-Star game
National Basketball Association All-Star Game
The National Basketball Association staged its first All-Star Game in the Boston Garden on March 2, 1951. From that year on, the game has matched the best players in the Eastern Conference with the best players in the Western Conference....
s.
Calvin joined the Lakers for the 1976–77 NBA season but he was never able to match the same level of production he reached while in the ABA. He spent his four seasons in the NBA with five teams—the Lakers, the San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....
, the Denver Nuggets (which had joined the NBA in 1976), the Utah Jazz
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz is a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are currently a part of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
, and the Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...
—before retiring in 1981 with an NBA career scoring-average of 7.0 points per game.
Coaching career
He coached Virginia SquiresVirginia Squires
The Virginia Squires were a basketball franchise in the former American Basketball Association from 1970 until just before the ABA-NBA merger in 1976.-In Oakland :...
in the ABA
American Basketball Association
The American Basketball Association was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.-League history:...
(1975–76) for 6 games and Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
in the NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
(1991–92, as an interim head coach in February 1992 for 2 games).
External links
- Mack Calvin @ Remember the ABA