Robert Pack

Robert Pack

Pack in 2011 as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers.
Point guard
Personal information
Born	February 3, 1969 (1969-02-03) New Orleans, Louisiana
Nationality	American
High school	Alfred Lawless
Listed height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight	180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
College	Tyler JC (1987–1989) USC (1989–1991)
NBA Draft	1991 / Undrafted
Pro career	1991–2005
Career history
As player:
1991–1992	Portland Trail Blazers
1992–1995	Denver Nuggets
1995–1996	Washington Bullets
1996–1997	New Jersey Nets
1997–2000	Dallas Mavericks
2000–2001	Denver Nuggets
2002	Minnesota Timberwolves
2003	New Orleans Hornets
2004	New Jersey Nets
2004-2005	Zalgiris Kaunas (Lithuania)
2005	Toronto Raptors (preseason only)
As coach:
2009–2010	New Orleans Hornets (assistant)
2010–present	Los Angeles Clippers (assistant)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Robert John Pack, Jr. (born February 3, 1969) is a retired American professional basketball player and current assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers. Nicknamed "Pac-Man", the 6 ft 2 in point guard had a thirteen season career in the NBA, most notably with the Denver Nuggets.

High school and college career

Pack attended high school in New Orleans. He was a high school team mate of future NBA player Eldridge Recasner and graduated from Alfred Lawless High School in 1987. He then attended Tyler Junior College for two years, transferred to the University of Southern California in 1989, and graduated with a degree in sociology in 1991.

Early career

Pack was not drafted by an NBA team, rather he began his career being signed as a free agent by the Portland Trail Blazers on September 16, 1991. He made the team beating out veteran Walter Davis and played 72 games for the Blazers as a rookie, averaging 4.6ppg in 12.4mpg as he was entrenched behind veterans Terry Porter and Danny Ainge. The Blazers went to the NBA Finals that year, before losing the series 4–2 to the Chicago Bulls. During the 1992 off-season, after the Blazers signed free agent point guard Rod Strickland, Pack was traded to the Nuggets for a 1993 second-round draft pick.

Mid career

Pack spent three seasons with the Nuggets from 1992–93 through until 1994–95, with his minutes and games started increasing each season. He was part of a young Nuggets team starring Dikembe Mutombo, LaPhonso Ellis and Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf that went on to become the first eighth-seeded team in NBA history to defeat the first-seeded team as the Nuggets defeated the Seattle SuperSonics in the first round of the 1994 Western Conference Playoffs. Pack was then traded to the Washington Bullets for Doug Overton and Don MacLean on October 30, 1995. Injuries slowed Pack during the prime years of his career, as he never managed to play a full 82-game season. In 31 games for the Bullets, Pack averaged 18.1ppg, 7.8apg, 4.3rpg and 2.00spg in what was his best season statistically. Prior to the 1996–97 season he was signed by the New Jersey Nets before being traded mid-season in a blockbuster trade to the Dallas Mavericks along with Shawn Bradley, Ed O'Bannon and Khalid Reeves for Sam Cassell, Chris Gatling, Jim Jackson, George McCloud and Eric Montross. Pack remained with the Mavericks through the end of the 1999–00 season, never playing more than the 54 games he played in 1996–97 as injuries slowed his career.

Late career

Pack returned to the Nuggets for the 2000–01 season after being traded by the Mavericks via the Boston Celtics. He played 74 games that season, starting 11 of them as a replacement for starting point guard Nick Van Exel. The Minnesota Timberwolves signed him in the off-season and he played 16 games for them in 2001–02. His final two seasons in the NBA were as a veteran backup point guard off the bench for the New Orleans Hornets (2002–03) and the New Jersey Nets (2003–04). On October 2, 2005, Pack signed a contract with the Toronto Raptors for a try out with the team. His stint with the Raptors was short-lived as he was cut by the team on October 22. He finished off his career in NBA. From 2004 to 2005 he played in Kauno "Zalgiris" in Lithuania.

In August 2009, Pack joined the New Orleans Hornets as an assistant coach. He became an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers the next season.

Other

Pack was known as one of the game's better dunkers during the first half of the 1990s and one of the more spectacular in-game dunkers of all time among smaller players, due largely to his outstanding vertical leap and lateral quickness. He finished second in the 1994 NBA Slam Dunk Contest during the NBA All-Star Weekend in Minneapolis, Minnesota, behind Isaiah Rider.

He achieved two triple-doubles in his career.

See also

• List of National Basketball Association players with most assists in a game

External links

• Robert Pack profile on NBA.com
• NBA historical playerfile
• Basketball-Reference.com: Robert Pack Statistics
• Remembering Robert Pack, a Bullet flash in the pan @ BulletsForever.com