Jim Petersen

Jim Petersen

No. 43
Power forward / Center
Personal information
Born	February 22, 1962 (1962-02-22) Minneapolis, Minnesota
Nationality	American
High school	Saint Louis Park (St. Louis Park, Minnesota)
Listed height	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight	235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
College	Minnesota (1980–1984)
NBA Draft	1984 / Round: 3 / Pick: 51st overall
Selected by the Houston Rockets
Pro career	1984–1992
Career history
1984–1988	Houston Rockets
1988–1989	Sacramento Kings
1989–1992	Golden State Warriors
Career NBA statistics
Points	3,397 (6.9 ppg)
Rebounds	2,354 (4.8 rpg)
Assists	487 (1.0 apg)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

James "Jim" Richard Petersen (born 22 February 1962 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is a retired American basketball player, and a current assistant coach with the Minnesota Lynx of the WNBA. He played as either a power forward or a center.

Basketball career

High school / College

Petersen, a St. Louis Park native, played high school basketball at St. Louis Park High School, being named Minnesota's Mr. Basketball in 1980, as well as being the first McDonalds All-American from the state of Minnesota.

He then went on the be a four-year letter winner at the University of Minnesota, and a member of the 1982 Big Ten Championship team that featured future NBA veterans Trent Tucker and Randy Breuer.

NBA

Petersen was selected by the Houston Rockets in the third round (51st overall) of the 1984 NBA Draft, alongside Akeem Olajuwon. In the following four seasons, he played with the Texas club, backing up both Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson, who were known as the Twin Towers. In reference to his very light complexion, Petersen was affectionately known as "The Ivory Tower" during his time in Houston. Petersen played in 20 post-season games (averaging six points and six rebounds) as the team reached the NBA Finals, losing 2–4 to the Boston Celtics.

In the 1986–87 season, as Sampson began to struggle with injuries, Petersen achieved career-best averages of 11 points and seven rebounds, playing in all 82 games and starting in 56. He retired in 1992 at the age of 30, after one season with the Sacramento Kings and three with the Golden State Warriors, with totals of 491 games and 3,397 points.

Post-retirement

After leaving the NBA, Petersen worked for the National Basketball Players Association in their player programs division, facilitating seminars in NBA locker rooms in topics such as HIV and AIDS, financial planning, substance abuse and career planning for life after basketball. He also coached junior high, high school and AAU basketball teams in La Jolla, California and Minneapolis.

In November 2008, Petersen was named assistant coach at the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx, a position he still holds. Subsequently, he worked as a television analyst with his hometown's Minnesota Timberwolves.

External links

• Stats at BasketballReference