Tom Owens

Tom Owens
Personal information
Born	June 28, 1949 (age 75); The Bronx, New York
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight	215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school	La Salle Academy; (New York City, New York)
College	South Carolina (1968–1971)
NBA draft	1971: 4th round, 58th overall pick
	Selected by the San Diego Rockets
Playing career	1971–1985
Position	Center / Power forward
Number	24, 52, 14, 25, 42, 26, 44
Career history
1971–1972	Memphis Pros (ABA)
1972–1974	Carolina Cougars (ABA)
1974	Spirits of St. Louis (ABA)
1974–1975	Memphis Sounds (ABA)
1975	Kentucky Colonels (ABA)
1975–1976	Indiana Pacers (ABA)
1976	San Antonio Spurs (ABA)
1976–1977	Houston Rockets
1977–1981	Portland Trail Blazers
1981–1982	Indiana Pacers
1982–1983	Detroit Pistons
1983–1985	Fabriano Basket (Italy)
Career ABA and NBA statistics
Points	9,898 (11.3 ppg)
Rebounds	5,985 (6.8 rpg)
Assists	1,533 (1.7 apg)
	Stats at NBA.com
	Stats at Basketball Reference

Thomas William Owens (born June 28, 1949) is a retired American professional basketball player.

A 6'10" center born in the Bronx, New York and from the University of South Carolina, Owens played five seasons (1971–1976) in the American Basketball Association and seven seasons (1976–1983) in the National Basketball Association as a member of the Carolina Cougars, Memphis Pros, Memphis Sounds, Spirits of St. Louis, Indiana Pacers, Kentucky Colonels, San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers, and Detroit Pistons. He scored 9,898 points and grabbed 5,985 rebounds in his ABA/NBA career. He has one son, Thomas William Owens Jr., born October 21, 1972.

Late in his career, Owens was involved in one of the most one-sided trades in NBA history. After the 1980-81 season, the Blazers traded him to the Pacers and got the Pacers' 1984 draft pick in return. Owens was traded to the Pistons after the season and retired a year later. Four years later, the Pacers finished with the worst record in the Eastern Conference. However, because of the trade, the Pacers were left as bystanders in one of the deepest drafts ever, featuring such future stars as Michael Jordan, Sam Bowie, Hakeem Olajuwon, Sam Perkins, Charles Barkley and John Stockton. The pick acquired from Indiana turned out to be the one the Blazers famously used to select Bowie while Jordan was still available.

Owens was inducted into the University of South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004. He led the ACC in rebounding for all three years of his eligibility. At that time, freshmen were not allowed to play on the varsity squad. He scored the winning basket to give the Gamecocks their one and only ACC Tournament Championship in 1971.

External links

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