Steve Patterson (basketball)
Encyclopedia
Steven J. Patterson of Santa Maria, California, was an American
professional basketball
player who played in the National Basketball Association
for five seasons. A 6'9"/2.06 m center
from UCLA
, Patterson spent his first year of athletic eligibility (1968-69
, the third of the Bruins'
unprecedented string of seven consecutive national titles
) as the backup to Lew Alcindor, later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
. He then was the starting center for the Bruins' 1970
and 1971
championship teams.
Patterson was the UCLA center between Lew Alcindor and Bill Walton, and so was part of a string of seven straight NCAA championships the college won. Sidney Wicks and Curtis Rowe were the forwards on the star-studded team, and Patterson had his biggest game, 29 points, against Villanova in the 1971 NCAA Final.
Passing up a chance to play for the Phoenix Suns, who drafted him early in 1970, Patterson re-entered the draft. Patterson was the second rookie, after Austin Carr, selected by the expansion Cleveland Cavaliers. He was also drafted by the Texas Chaparrals of the American Basketball Association
in the 1970 ABA Draft.
Patterson showed ability as an inside defender and rebounder, but also battled knee problems and never reached his potential as a NBA player. He played five years in Cleveland and then one year as a Chicago Bull.
Patterson then went into coaching, eventually becoming the head men's basketball coach at Arizona State
from 1985 through 1989.
He was also the chairman of Phoenix's organizing committee for Super Bowl XXX
(1996) and commissioner of the Continental Basketball Association
in 1997.
Patterson spent the last years of his life organizing youth and community sports programs in Arizona until his death from lung cancer
. A life-long Christian, Patterson made faith the core of his post-NBA activities. He died in 2004 and is remembered at TheGoal.com. The Goal had been his central organization to church-sports activities.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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 who played 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...
for five seasons. A 6'9"/2.06 m center
Center (basketball)
The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...
from UCLA
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
, Patterson spent his first year of athletic eligibility (1968-69
1969 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1969 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 8, 1969, and ended with the championship game on March 22 in Louisville, Kentucky...
, the third of the Bruins'
UCLA Bruins men's basketball
The UCLA Bruins men's basketball program, established in 1920, owns a record 11 Division I NCAA championships. UCLA teams coached by John Wooden won 10 national titles in 12 seasons from 1964 to 1975, including 7 straight from 1967 to 1973. UCLA went undefeated a record 4 times, in 1964, 1967,...
unprecedented string of seven consecutive national titles
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
) as the backup to Lew Alcindor, later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a retired American professional basketball player. He is the NBA's all-time leading scorer, with 38,387 points. During his career with the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers from 1969 to 1989, Abdul-Jabbar won six NBA championships and a record six regular season...
. He then was the starting center for the Bruins' 1970
1970 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1970 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 7, 1970, and ended with the championship game on March 21 in College Park, Maryland...
and 1971
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...
championship teams.
Patterson was the UCLA center between Lew Alcindor and Bill Walton, and so was part of a string of seven straight NCAA championships the college won. Sidney Wicks and Curtis Rowe were the forwards on the star-studded team, and Patterson had his biggest game, 29 points, against Villanova in the 1971 NCAA Final.
Passing up a chance to play for the Phoenix Suns, who drafted him early in 1970, Patterson re-entered the draft. Patterson was the second rookie, after Austin Carr, selected by the expansion Cleveland Cavaliers. He was also drafted by the Texas Chaparrals of the American Basketball Association
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:...
in the 1970 ABA Draft.
Patterson showed ability as an inside defender and rebounder, but also battled knee problems and never reached his potential as a NBA player. He played five years in Cleveland and then one year as a Chicago Bull.
Patterson then went into coaching, eventually becoming the head men's basketball coach at Arizona State
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
from 1985 through 1989.
He was also the chairman of Phoenix's organizing committee for Super Bowl XXX
Super Bowl XXX
Super Bowl XXX was an American football game played on January 28, 1996 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona to decide the National Football League champion following the 1995 regular season...
(1996) and commissioner of the Continental Basketball Association
Continental Basketball Association
The Continental Basketball Association was a professional men's basketball league in the United States, which has been on hiatus since the 2009 season.- History :...
in 1997.
Patterson spent the last years of his life organizing youth and community sports programs in Arizona until his death from lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
. A life-long Christian, Patterson made faith the core of his post-NBA activities. He died in 2004 and is remembered at TheGoal.com. The Goal had been his central organization to church-sports activities.