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{{short description|American basketball player}}
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{{Infobox NBA biography
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
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{{Infobox basketball biography
| name = Bill Willoughby
| name = Bill Willoughby
| image =
| image =
⚫
| number = 32, 33, 34
| position = [[Center (basketball)|Center]] / [[Power forward (basketball)|Power forward]]
| height_ft = 6
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 8
| height_in = 8
| weight_lb = 205
| weight_lb = 205
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|mf=yes|1957|5|20}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|mf=yes|1957|5|20}}
| birth_place = [[Englewood, New Jersey]]
| birth_place = [[Englewood, New Jersey]], U.S.
| nationality = American
| high_school = [[Dwight Morrow High School|Dwight Morrow]]<br/>(Englewood, New Jersey)
| high_school = [[Dwight Morrow High School|Dwight Morrow]]<br/>(Englewood, New Jersey)
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| college =
| draft_year = 1975
| draft_year = 1975
| draft_round = 2
| draft_round = 2
Line 18: Line 16:
| career_start = 1975
| career_start = 1975
| career_end = 1984
| career_end = 1984
⚫
| career_number = 32, 33, 34
⚫
| years1 = {{NBA Year|1975|start}}–{{NBA Year|1976|end}}
| career_position = [[Small forward]]
⚫
| years1 = {{nbay|1975|start}}–{{nbay|1976|end}}
| team1 = [[Atlanta Hawks]]
| team1 = [[Atlanta Hawks]]
| years2 = {{NBA Year|1977|full=y}}
| years2 = {{nbay|1977|full=y}}
| team2 = [[Los Angeles Clippers|Buffalo Braves]]
| team2 = [[Buffalo Braves]]
| years3 = {{NBA Year|1979|full=y}}
| years3 = {{nbay|1979|full=y}}
| team3 = [[Cleveland Cavaliers]]
| team3 = [[Cleveland Cavaliers]]
| years4 = {{NBA Year|1980|start}}–{{NBA Year|1981|end}}
| years4 = {{nbay|1980|start}}–{{nbay|1981|end}}
| team4 = [[Houston Rockets]]
| team4 = [[Houston Rockets]]
| years5 = {{NBA Year|1982|full=y}}
| years5 = {{nbay|1982|full=y}}
| team5 = [[San Antonio Spurs]]
| team5 = [[San Antonio Spurs]]
| years6 = {{NBA Year|1982|end}}–{{NBA Year|1983|end}}
| years6 = {{nbay|1982|end}}–{{nbay|1983|end}}
| team6 = [[New Jersey Nets]]
| team6 = [[New Jersey Nets]]
⚫
| highlights =
* First-team [[Parade All-America Boys Basketball Team|''Parade'' All-American]] (1975)
| stat1label = [[Point (basketball)|Points]]
| stat1label = [[Point (basketball)|Points]]
| stat1value = 2,930 (6.0 ppg)
| stat1value = 2,930 (6.0 ppg)
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| stat3label = [[Assist (basketball)|Assists]]
| stat3label = [[Assist (basketball)|Assists]]
| stat3value = 413 (0.8 apg)
| stat3value = 413 (0.8 apg)
| letter = w
| bbr = willobi01
}}
}}

'''William Wesley Willoughby''' (born May 20, 1957) is a retired American professional [[basketball]] player born in [[Englewood, New Jersey]]. After graduating from [[Dwight Morrow High School]] in Englewood, he was selected by the [[Atlanta Hawks]] in the [[1975 NBA Draft]] as the first pick in the second round (19th overall), bypassing [[college basketball|college]] for a chance to play professionally.<ref name=NYT2003>{{cite news|last=Broussard|first=Chris|url= http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/16/sports/why-pros-spent-20-years-shunning-high-schoolers.html|title=Why Pros Spent 20 Years Shunning High Schoolers|newspaper=The New York Times|date=November 16, 2003|accessdate=November 19, 2007|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20140116155951/http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/16/sports/why-pros-spent-20-years-shunning-high-schoolers.html|archivedate=2014-01-16}}</ref> In the [[1975–76 NBA season]], he became [[List of oldest and youngest National Basketball Association players#Youngest players|the second youngest player ever to play an NBA game]].
'''William Wesley Willoughby''' (born May 20, 1957) is an American former professional [[basketball]] player born in [[Englewood, New Jersey]]. After graduating from [[Dwight Morrow High School]] in Englewood, he was selected by the [[Atlanta Hawks]] in the [[1975 NBA draft]] as the first pick in the second round (19th overall), bypassing [[college basketball|college]] for a chance to play professionally.<ref name=NYT2003>{{cite news|last=Broussard|first=Chris|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/16/sports/why-pros-spent-20-years-shunning-high-schoolers.html|title=Why Pros Spent 20 Years Shunning High Schoolers|newspaper=The New York Times|date=November 16, 2003|accessdate=November 19, 2007|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116155951/http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/16/sports/why-pros-spent-20-years-shunning-high-schoolers.html|archivedate=2014-01-16}}</ref> For his [[1975–76 NBA season]], he is [[List of oldest and youngest National Basketball Association players#Youngest players|the sixth youngest player ever to play an NBA game]]; he was the second youngest at the time, behind [[Stan Brown (basketball)|Stan Brown]].


==Playing career==
==Playing career==
While [[Moses Malone]] (drafted into the [[American Basketball Association]] out of high school in 1974, prior to the 1976 [[ABA-NBA merger]]) and [[Darryl Dawkins]] enjoyed more successful professional careers, Willoughby had a career that was undistinguished. Nicknamed "Poodle," he was a journeyman who played for six different NBA teams in eight years, before his career ended with the [[New Jersey Nets]] in 1984, at the age of 26. Willoughby was tremendously athletic, having a 47&nbsp;inch vertical leap. He had played center throughout his high school career, and was forced to play forward in the pros. Willoughby gained some brief fame in the 1981 NBA postseason while with the [[Houston Rockets]] by becoming one of the few players ever to block [[Kareem Abdul-Jabbar]]'s "skyhook" at its apex.<ref name="ESPN">{{cite web|url=http://espn.go.com/page2/tvlistings/show61transcript.html|title=Outside the Lines: Making The Leap|date=May 27, 2001|accessdate=2009-09-21|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20121025204232/http://espn.go.com/page2/tvlistings/show61transcript.html|archivedate=2012-10-25}}</ref>
While fellow notably young draftees [[Moses Malone]] (drafted into the [[American Basketball Association]] out of high school in 1974, prior to the 1976 [[ABA–NBA merger]]) and [[Darryl Dawkins]] enjoyed more successful professional careers, Willoughby had a career that was less distinguished. Nicknamed "Poodle" and “Son of Flubber”, he was a journeyman who played for six different NBA teams in eight years. Willoughby was tremendously athletic, having a 47-inch vertical leap. He had played center throughout his high school career, and was forced to play forward in the pros. On February 4, 1981, Willoughby scored a career high 21 points in a win against Dallas.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bill Willoughby Career High 21 Points |url=https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/bill-willoughby-highest-scoring-games-regular-season-and-playoffs |website=Statmuse}}</ref> After that season, Willoughby gained some fame in the 1981 NBA postseason by becoming one of the few players ever to block [[Kareem Abdul-Jabbar]]'s "skyhook" at its apex.<ref name="ESPN">{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/page2/tvlistings/show61transcript.html|title=Outside the Lines: Making The Leap|date=May 27, 2001|access-date=2009-09-21|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025204232/http://espn.go.com/page2/tvlistings/show61transcript.html|archive-date=2012-10-25}}</ref> Willoughby and the Rockets later advanced to that year's [[1981 NBA Finals]], where he would play a key role in Houston's Game 2 92–90 win by scoring 14 points off the bench.<ref>{{cite web |title=Rockets Beat Celtics, Tie Series |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/05/08/sports/rockets-beat-celtics-tie-series.html |website=The New York Times}}</ref> Houston would go on to lose the series in six games. His professional playing career ended with the [[New Jersey Nets]] in 1984, at the age of 26.


==Post playing career==
==Post playing career==
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==External links==
==External links==
* {{cite web| url= http://basketball-reference.com/players/enwiki/w/willobi01.html | title = Bill Willoughby NBA &amp; ABA Stats &#124; Basketball-Reference.com | archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20140409123109/http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/enwiki/w/willobi01.html | archivedate= 2014-04-09 }}
* {{cite web| url= https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/enwiki/w/willobi01.html | title = Bill Willoughby NBA & ABA Stats &#124; Basketball-Reference.com | archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20140409123109/http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/enwiki/w/willobi01.html | archivedate= 2014-04-09 }}
* {{cite web| url= http://www.databasebasketball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=WILLOBI01 | title = Bill Willoughby Past Stats, Playoff Stats, Statistics, History, and Awards | archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20130525000941/http://databasebasketball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=WILLOBI01 | archivedate= 2013-05-25 }}
* {{cite web| url= http://www.databasebasketball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=WILLOBI01 | title = Bill Willoughby Past Stats, Playoff Stats, Statistics, History, and Awards | archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20130525000941/http://databasebasketball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=WILLOBI01 | archivedate= 2013-05-25 }}
* http://www.cleveland.com/nba/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/sports/116332455998560.xml&coll=2
* https://web.archive.org/web/20151105203859/http://www.cleveland.com/nba/plaindealer/index.ssf?%2Fbase%2Fsports%2F116332455998560.xml&coll=2


{{1975 NBA Draft}}
{{1975 NBA draft}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Willoughby, Bill}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Willoughby, Bill}}
[[Category:1957 births]]
[[Category:1957 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:African-American basketball players]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American sportsmen]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American sportsmen]]
[[Category:American men's basketball players]]
[[Category:American men's basketball players]]
[[Category:Atlanta Hawks draft picks]]
[[Category:Atlanta Hawks draft picks]]
[[Category:Basketball players from New Jersey]]
[[Category:Basketball players from Bergen County, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Buffalo Braves players]]
[[Category:Buffalo Braves players]]
[[Category:Centers (basketball)]]
[[Category:Centers (basketball)]]
[[Category:Cleveland Cavaliers players]]
[[Category:Cleveland Cavaliers players]]
[[Category:Dwight Morrow High School alumni]]
[[Category:Fairleigh Dickinson University alumni]]
[[Category:Fairleigh Dickinson University alumni]]
[[Category:Houston Rockets players]]
[[Category:Houston Rockets players]]
[[Category:National Basketball Association high school draftees]]
[[Category:NBA high school draftees]]
[[Category:New Jersey Nets players]]
[[Category:New Jersey Nets players]]
[[Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)]]
[[Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)]]
[[Category:People from Englewood, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Power forwards]]
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[[Category:People from Hackensack, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Power forwards (basketball)]]
[[Category:San Antonio Spurs players]]
[[Category:San Antonio Spurs players]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Bergen County, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Englewood, New Jersey]]
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[[Category:Sportspeople from Hackensack, New Jersey]]

Latest revision as of 23:18, 6 November 2024

Bill Willoughby
Personal information
Born (1957-05-20) May 20, 1957 (age 67)
Englewood, New Jersey, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High schoolDwight Morrow
(Englewood, New Jersey)
NBA draft1975: 2nd round, 19th overall pick
Selected by the Atlanta Hawks
Playing career1975–1984
PositionSmall forward
Number32, 33, 34
Career history
1975–1977Atlanta Hawks
1977–1978Buffalo Braves
1979–1980Cleveland Cavaliers
1980–1982Houston Rockets
1982–1983San Antonio Spurs
1983–1984New Jersey Nets
Career highlights and awards
Career statistics
Points2,930 (6.0 ppg)
Rebounds1,891 (3.9 rpg)
Assists413 (0.8 apg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

William Wesley Willoughby (born May 20, 1957) is an American former professional basketball player born in Englewood, New Jersey. After graduating from Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood, he was selected by the Atlanta Hawks in the 1975 NBA draft as the first pick in the second round (19th overall), bypassing college for a chance to play professionally.[1] For his 1975–76 NBA season, he is the sixth youngest player ever to play an NBA game; he was the second youngest at the time, behind Stan Brown.

Playing career

[edit]

While fellow notably young draftees Moses Malone (drafted into the American Basketball Association out of high school in 1974, prior to the 1976 ABA–NBA merger) and Darryl Dawkins enjoyed more successful professional careers, Willoughby had a career that was less distinguished. Nicknamed "Poodle" and “Son of Flubber”, he was a journeyman who played for six different NBA teams in eight years. Willoughby was tremendously athletic, having a 47-inch vertical leap. He had played center throughout his high school career, and was forced to play forward in the pros. On February 4, 1981, Willoughby scored a career high 21 points in a win against Dallas.[2] After that season, Willoughby gained some fame in the 1981 NBA postseason by becoming one of the few players ever to block Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's "skyhook" at its apex.[3] Willoughby and the Rockets later advanced to that year's 1981 NBA Finals, where he would play a key role in Houston's Game 2 92–90 win by scoring 14 points off the bench.[4] Houston would go on to lose the series in six games. His professional playing career ended with the New Jersey Nets in 1984, at the age of 26.

Post playing career

[edit]

Though he later regretted skipping college, Willoughby eventually received his degree in communications from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 2001, at the age of 44. The NBA fully paid all of his college expenses, and, in return, Willoughby is a special advisor to the NBA who counsels high school players considering forsaking college basketball for the NBA.[3]

Willoughby currently resides in Hackensack, New Jersey.[1]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Broussard, Chris (November 16, 2003). "Why Pros Spent 20 Years Shunning High Schoolers". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 16, 2014. Retrieved November 19, 2007.
  2. ^ "Bill Willoughby Career High 21 Points". Statmuse.
  3. ^ a b "Outside the Lines: Making The Leap". May 27, 2001. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved September 21, 2009.
  4. ^ "Rockets Beat Celtics, Tie Series". The New York Times.
[edit]
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