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Ernie DiGregorio

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Ernie DiGregorio
DiGregorio playing for the Buffalo Braves
Personal information
Born (1951-01-15) January 15, 1951 (age 73)
North Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
High schoolNorth Providence
(North Providence, Rhode Island)
CollegeProvidence (1970–1973)
NBA draft1973: 1st round, 3rd overall pick
Selected by the Buffalo Braves
Playing career1973–1978
PositionPoint guard
Number15, 7
Career history
1973–1977Buffalo Braves
1977–1978Los Angeles Lakers
1978Boston Celtics
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points2,997 (9.6 ppg)
Rebounds610 (2.0 rpg)
Assists1,594 (5.1 apg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference
College Basketball Hall of Fame
Inducted in 2019

Ernest DiGregorio (born January 15, 1951), also known as "Ernie D.", is an American former professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Buffalo Braves, Los Angeles Lakers, and Boston Celtics from 1973 to 1978.

DiGregorio was named NBA Rookie of the Year in the 1973–74 season and shares the NBA rookie record for assists in a single game with 25. Due to a severe knee injury suffered early in DiGregorio's professional career, he played only five NBA seasons.

A 1973 NCAA All-American at Providence, DiGregorio was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.

Early life

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DiGregorio played on the 1968 Rhode Island (Class B) champions at North Providence High School.

College and NBA career

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He and Marvin Barnes led Coach Dave Gavitt's Providence team to a Final Four appearance in the 1973 NCAA Tournament in DiGregorio's senior season, where they eventually lost to Memphis State, but only after Barnes sustained a knee injury that forced an early exit. After playing for the Providence College Friars, DiGregorio played on a college all-star team, and along with Bill Walton, led the U.S. in defeating a Soviet team in an exhibition game, which helped heal the still-open wound of the United States' loss in the 1972 Summer Olympic finals.

Buffalo Braves (1973–1977)

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Ernie "D" was drafted by the Kentucky Colonels of the American Basketball Association but opted instead for the NBA.

He was selected third overall by the Buffalo Braves (a franchise now known as the Los Angeles Clippers) in the 1973 NBA draft out of Providence College, and won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 1973–74 after averaging 15.2 points and leading the league in both free throw percentage and assists per game.[1] DiGregorio still holds the NBA rookie record for assists in a single game with 25 (a record now shared with Nate McMillan).[2] He would never again come close to that level of production, but managed to have a decent NBA career, most of which he spent with the Braves.[citation needed]

During the 1976–77 season, DiGregorio led the league in free throw percentage a second time, with a then-NBA record 94.5%.[3] In 1977, he joined fellow NBA stars Julius Erving, Rick Barry, Wilt Chamberlain, and Pete Maravich, in endorsing Spalding's line of rubber basketballs, with a signature "Ernie D." ball making up part of the collection.[4]

Los Angeles Lakers (1977–1978)

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Before the 1977–78 season, DiGregorio was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, and played in a Lakers' uniform in only 25 games before being waived.

Boston Celtics (1978)

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The Boston Celtics signed him as a free agent but he played only sparingly for the rest of the season. He would not play in the NBA again, although he did not formally retire until 1981.[citation needed]

Honors

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NBA career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1973–74 Buffalo 81 — 35.9 .421 — .902* 2.7 8.2* 0.7 0.1 15.2
1974–75 Buffalo 31 — 23.0 .440 — .778 1.5 4.9 0.6 0.0 7.8
1975–76 Buffalo 67 — 20.4 .384 — .915 1.7 4.0 0.6 0.0 6.7
1976–77 Buffalo 81 — 28.0 .417 — .945* 2.3 4.7 0.7 0.0 10.7
1977–78 L.A. Lakers 25 — 13.3 .410 — .800 0.9 2.8 0.2 0.0 3.9
1977–78 Boston 27 — 10.1 .431 — .923 1.0 2.4 0.4 0.0 3.9
Career 312 — 25.2 .415 — .902 2.0 5.1 0.6 0.0 9.6

Playoffs

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1974 Buffalo 6 — 40.0 .430 — .889 2.7 8.7 0.2 0.0 13.7
1976 Buffalo 9 — 24.1 .484 — 1.000 1.4 5.0 0.6 0.2 7.6
Career 15 — 30.5 .453 — .941 1.9 6.5 0.4 0.1 10.0

College statistics

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1970–71 Providence 28 — 36.2 .481 — .830 4.0 6.5 — — 18.6
1971–72 Providence 27 — 38.0 .436 — .802 3.0 7.9 — — 17.7
1972–73 Providence 31 — 36.0 .478 — .802 3.2 8.6 — — 24.5
Career 86 — 36.7 .468 — .812 3.4 7.7 — — 20.5

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Rhoden, William C. (March 2, 1996). "Sports of The Times;Ernie D Has Found A New Game". The New York Times.
  2. ^ "NBA.com Coaches:Nate McMillan". Retrieved November 2, 2008.
  3. ^ "HickokSports.com NBA Annual Statistical Leaders: Free Throw Percentage". Archived from the original on March 14, 2014. Retrieved November 2, 2008.
  4. ^ "Spalding Presents Street Ball, with Rick Barry and Dr. J!" advertisements on the back of Marvel and DC comic books, 1977.
  5. ^ "Ernie DiGregorio". National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame website. Archived from the original on June 16, 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2010.
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