Tom Owens
Encyclopedia
Thomas William Owens is a retired American
professional basketball
player.
A 6'10" center
from the University of South Carolina
, Owens played five seasons (1971–1976) in the American Basketball Association
and seven seasons (1976–1983) in the National Basketball Association
as a member of the Carolina Cougars
, Memphis Pros
, Memphis Sounds
, Spirits of St. Louis
, Indiana Pacers
, Kentucky Colonels
, San Antonio Spurs
, Houston Rockets
, Portland Trail Blazers
, and Detroit Pistons
. He scored 9,898 points and grabbed 5,985 rebounds
in his ABA/NBA career. He has one son, Thomas William Owens Jr., born October 21, 1972.
Late in his career, Owens was involved in one of the most one-sided trades in NBA history. After the 1980-81 season, the Blazers traded him to the Pacers and got the Pacers' 1984 draft pick in return. Owens was traded to the Pistons after the season and retired a year later. Four years later, the Pacers finished with the worst record in the Eastern Conference. However, because of the trade, the Pacers were left as bystanders in one of the deepest drafts ever, featuring such future stars as Michael Jordan
, Sam Bowie
, Hakeem Olajuwon
, Sam Perkins
, Charles Barkley
and John Stockton
. The pick acquired from Indiana turned out to be the one the Blazers famously used to select Bowie while Jordan was still available.
He was inducted into the University of South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004. He led the ACC in rebounding for all three years of his eligibility. At that time, freshmen were not allowed to play on the varsity squad. He scored the winning basket to give the Gamecocks their one and only ACC Tournament Championship in 1971.
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.
A 6'10" 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 the University of South Carolina
University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
, Owens played five seasons (1971–1976) in 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:...
and seven seasons (1976–1983) 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...
as a member of the 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...
, Memphis Pros
Memphis Pros
Memphis Pros were an American Basketball Association team during the 1970-1971 and 1971-1972 seasons.-Origins:The New Orleans Buccaneers were a charter member of the ABA and played for three seasons, 1967-1970, winning the Western Division championship in 1969...
, Memphis Sounds
Memphis Sounds
Memphis Sounds was the final name of a franchise in the American Basketball Association. The team had begun as the New Orleans Buccaneers, and after three seasons in New Orleans, Louisiana moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where it had occasionally played some home games in the past to reasonable crowds...
, Spirits of St. Louis
Spirits of St. Louis
The Spirits of St. Louis were one of two teams still in existence at the end of the American Basketball Association that did not survive the ABA-NBA merger. They were a member of the ABA in its last two seasons, 1974–75 and 1975–76, while playing their home games at the St...
, Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
, Kentucky Colonels
Kentucky Colonels
The Kentucky Colonels were a member of the American Basketball Association for all of the league's nine years. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky colonels. The Colonels won the most games and had the highest winning percentage of any franchise in the league's history, but the team did...
, 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 ....
, Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
, Portland Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
, 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...
. He scored 9,898 points and grabbed 5,985 rebounds
Rebound (basketball)
A rebound in basketball is the act of successfully gaining possession of the basketball after a missed field goal or free throw. Rebounds in basketball are a routine part in the game, as all possessions change after a shot is successfully made...
in his ABA/NBA career. He has one son, Thomas William Owens Jr., born October 21, 1972.
Late in his career, Owens was involved in one of the most one-sided trades in NBA history. After the 1980-81 season, the Blazers traded him to the Pacers and got the Pacers' 1984 draft pick in return. Owens was traded to the Pistons after the season and retired a year later. Four years later, the Pacers finished with the worst record in the Eastern Conference. However, because of the trade, the Pacers were left as bystanders in one of the deepest drafts ever, featuring such future stars as Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
, Sam Bowie
Sam Bowie
Samuel Paul "Sam" Bowie is a retired American basketball player. A national sensation in high school and outstanding collegian, Bowie's professional promise was undermined by repeated injury...
, Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon is a retired Nigerian-American professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played the center position in the National Basketball Association for the Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors. He led the Rockets to back-to-back NBA championships in 1994 and 1995. In 2008,...
, Sam Perkins
Sam Perkins
Samuel Perkins is a retired American professional basketball player, also known by the nicknames "Sleepy Sam" and "Big Smooth." He attended Samuel J. Tilden High School, Shaker High School and the University of North Carolina, where he was a teammate of Michael Jordan...
, Charles Barkley
Charles Barkley
Charles Wade Barkley is a former American professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Sir Charles" and "The Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley established himself as one of the National Basketball Association's most dominating power forwards...
and John Stockton
John Stockton
John Houston Stockton is a retired American professional basketball player who spent his entire career as a point guard for the Utah Jazz of the NBA from 1984 to 2003. Stockton is regarded as one of the best point guards of all time, holding the NBA records for most career assists and steals by...
. The pick acquired from Indiana turned out to be the one the Blazers famously used to select Bowie while Jordan was still available.
He was inducted into the University of South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004. He led the ACC in rebounding for all three years of his eligibility. At that time, freshmen were not allowed to play on the varsity squad. He scored the winning basket to give the Gamecocks their one and only ACC Tournament Championship in 1971.