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- Aug 4, 2004
Was watching the piece about this dude LaRue Martin on Real Sports. Dude was drafted #1 by Portland in 1972 and didn't know it until his coach told him. The entire time I was thinking about Greg Oden. Dude played 4 seasons then fizzled out. Went to work for UPS and finished his degree. Looks like he's eating well from those UPS checks though.
From Wiki:
LaRue Martin (born March 30, 1950 in Chicago, Illinois) is a retired American professional basketball player. Martin was taken first overall by the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Portland Trail Blazers in 1972, drafted ahead of future Hall of Famers Bob McAdoo and Julius Erving.[sup][1][/sup] Martin has been cited as the worst first overall draft pick in NBA history.[sup][1][/sup]
A 6-foot-11 center out of Loyola University Chicago, LaRue Martin entered the NBA with much fanfare in 1972. Martin set the basketball world abuzz when he outplayed Bill Walton in a game between Loyola and UCLA, in the midst of their storied title runs, in 1971–72. The Portland Trail Blazers were so impressed with Martin that they made him the first overall pick in the 1972 NBA Draft.
However, Martin never caught on in the NBA, and after the Blazers drafted Walton in 1974, he never had the chance. In four seasons Martin averaged 7.0 points per game and shot .452 from the field. He notched both of those numbers during the 1974–75 season, when Walton missed most of the year with injuries.
Martin prematurely retired at the end of the 1975-76 season, one year before the Blazers won their first NBA championship (1977). In four seasons he averaged 5.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.[sup][1][/sup]
Martin received a B.A. in sociology with a minor in education from Loyola.[sup][2][/sup] Since August 2005, he has worked as the Community Services Manager for UPS.[sup][2][/sup]
Clip:
<a href="http://www.joost.com/3cp1ysjd">HBO Real Sports: La Rue Martin</a>
What is it with Portland and #1 big men?
From Wiki:
LaRue Martin (born March 30, 1950 in Chicago, Illinois) is a retired American professional basketball player. Martin was taken first overall by the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Portland Trail Blazers in 1972, drafted ahead of future Hall of Famers Bob McAdoo and Julius Erving.[sup][1][/sup] Martin has been cited as the worst first overall draft pick in NBA history.[sup][1][/sup]
A 6-foot-11 center out of Loyola University Chicago, LaRue Martin entered the NBA with much fanfare in 1972. Martin set the basketball world abuzz when he outplayed Bill Walton in a game between Loyola and UCLA, in the midst of their storied title runs, in 1971–72. The Portland Trail Blazers were so impressed with Martin that they made him the first overall pick in the 1972 NBA Draft.
However, Martin never caught on in the NBA, and after the Blazers drafted Walton in 1974, he never had the chance. In four seasons Martin averaged 7.0 points per game and shot .452 from the field. He notched both of those numbers during the 1974–75 season, when Walton missed most of the year with injuries.
Martin prematurely retired at the end of the 1975-76 season, one year before the Blazers won their first NBA championship (1977). In four seasons he averaged 5.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.[sup][1][/sup]
Martin received a B.A. in sociology with a minor in education from Loyola.[sup][2][/sup] Since August 2005, he has worked as the Community Services Manager for UPS.[sup][2][/sup]
Clip:
<a href="http://www.joost.com/3cp1ysjd">HBO Real Sports: La Rue Martin</a>
What is it with Portland and #1 big men?
