 Nater shooting withUCLA in 1972–73 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1950-01-14)January 14, 1950 (age 76) Den Helder, Netherlands |
| Listed height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
| Listed weight | 240 lb (109 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Wilson (Long Beach, California) |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 1973: 1st round, 16th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Milwaukee Bucks |
| Playing career | 1973–1985 |
| Position | Center |
| Number | 31, 10, 35, 41 |
| Career history | |
| 1973 | Virginia Squires |
| 1973–1975 | San Antonio Spurs |
| 1975–1976 | New York Nets |
| 1976 | Virginia Squires |
| 1976–1977 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 1977–1983 | Buffalo Braves /San Diego Clippers |
| 1983–1984 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1984–1985 | Australian Udine |
| Career highlights | |
| Career ABA and NBA statistics | |
| Points | 8,980 (12.4 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 8,340 (11.6 rpg) |
| Assists | 1,235 (1.7 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Swen Erick Nater (born January 14, 1950) is a Dutch former professionalbasketball player. He played primarily in theAmerican Basketball Association (ABA) andNational Basketball Association (NBA), and is the only player to have led both the NBA and ABA inrebounding. Nater was a two-timeABA All-Star and was the 1974ABA Rookie of the Year. He playedcollege basketball for theUCLA Bruins, winning twoNational Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) titles.
Nater was born in the Netherlands inDen Helder.[1] His parents divorced when he was three years old. When his mother remarried and the family's economic situation deteriorated, she, her husband, and Nater's younger brother moved to the United States, leaving Nater and his sister in an orphanage. After three years it appeared they would remain in the Netherlands until a television show,It Could Be You (a forerunner toThis Is Your Life), discovered the situation and brought the two siblings to America to be reunited—on TV—with the rest of the family. At age nine, he was in a new country and did not speak a word of English.[2][3] He took his stepfather's name and was known asSwen Langeberg.[4][5]
Nater did not get along with his stepfather, who did not want him to play basketball.[5] Nater graduated fromLong Beach Wilson High School inLong Beach, California. He tried out for their basketball team as a junior, but he was cut.[3][1] He had arrived at the first practice barefoot but was told by the coach he needed shoes. His family unable to afford them, Nater returned to practice with shoes stolen from a teammate. The coach told Nater to leave. He did not try out as a senior.[1]
Nater attended and played basketball atCypress College, a junior college inCypress, California (where he met his wife, Marlene). Under Chargers head coachDon Johnson,[3] he played little as a freshman, but was a Community College All-American as a sophomore.[2] He earned a scholarship toUCLA.[2] After leaving Cypress, he changed back to his father's name, Nater.[5] He had already moved out from his stepfather's home after he forbade Nater from playing at Cypress.[4]
Naterredshirted his first year with theUCLA Bruins.[1] He helpedJohn Wooden's squads win twoNCAA titles. He was a backup toBill Walton, and averaged just 3.2 points and 3.3rebounds per game as a senior. He never started a collegiate game—his primary role was helping to develop Walton in practice.[6][7] Hoping to impress pro scouts,[8] Nater played in the 1973Pizza Hut All-Star Basketball Classic, and logged 34 points with 23 rebounds to earnmost valuable player honors.[9]
Nater was drafted byThe Floridians in the 1972 ABA Draft, and then by theVirginia Squires in the June 1972 ABA dispersal draft after the Floridians' demise.[10][11] Nater was also drafted in the first round of the1973 NBA draft with the 16th overall pick by theMilwaukee Bucks;[1] he was the first NBA first-round pick to have played in the NCAA without ever starting a college game.[3] Milwaukee offered him $50,000.[12] In August 1973, he opted to sign a three-year, $300,000 contract with the Squires, who spread the payments over seven years.[11][12] On November 21, 1973, the Squires traded Nater to theSan Antonio Spurs for a draft pick and $300,000.[11]
With the Spurs, Nater was theABA Rookie of the Year after averaging 14.1 points and 12.6 rebounds for the season.[7][12] He led the ABA in field goal percentage in 1974 and led the league in rebounding in 1975. He was named to theAll-ABA Second Team in 1974 and 1975 and participated in theABA All-Star Game both seasons.[10] During his three seasons in the ABA, Nater played for the Spurs, Squires, and theNew York Nets.
Nater's NBA career began with theMilwaukee Bucks. During the1976-77 NBA season, Nater amassed three games where he had at least 20 rebounds and 20 points, including a 30-point and 33 rebound performance in a 126–109 win over theAtlanta Hawks on December 19, 1976.[13][14] After the season ended, Milwaukee traded Nater to theBuffalo Braves for Buffalo's first round draft pick, which Milwaukee used to selectMarques Johnson. When the Braves moved toSan Diego and became the Clippers a year later, Nater became a local favorite. Nater led the NBA in rebounding average during the1979–80 season, making him the only player ever to lead both the NBA and ABA in rebounding.[7] On January 12, 1982, he had surgery to remove bone chips from his right knee. The injury limited him to just 14 games in1981–82 and seven in1982–83.[15]
Before the1983–84 season, Nater was traded by the Clippers along with a just-draftedByron Scott to theLos Angeles Lakers forNorm Nixon,Eddie Jordan, and a 1986 second-round draft pick (which would eventually be dealt to thePhoenix Suns and becomeJeff Hornacek). The Lakers acquired him to backupKareem Abdul Jabbar.[16] Nater and Scott helped lead the Lakers to the NBA Finals that year, but the next season the team did not offer him a guaranteed contract.
Nater played for Australian Udine in the Italian League, where he was the best paid player and led the league in rebounding even though the team ended up being relegated. The next season, he initially accepted an offer from Barcelona in the Spanish League, but ultimately he changed his mind and decided to retire.
| 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 |
| * | Led the league |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973–74 (ABA) | Virginia | 17 | - | 22.0 | .556* | .000 | .630 | 9.1 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 12.6 |
| 1973–74 (ABA) | San Antonio | 62 | - | 32.3 | .551* | .000 | .740 | 13.6 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 14.5 |
| 1974–75 (ABA) | San Antonio | 78 | - | 34.8 | .542 | .000 | .752 | 16.4* | 1.2 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 15.1 |
| 1975–76 (ABA) | New York | 43 | - | 23.6 | .485 | .000 | .718 | 10.3 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 8.7 |
| 1975–76 (ABA) | Virginia | 33 | - | 23.5 | .498 | .000 | .675 | 9.8 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 11.3 |
| 1976–77 | Milwaukee | 72 | - | 27.2 | .528 | - | .754 | 12.0 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 13.0 |
| 1977–78 | Buffalo | 78 | - | 35.6 | .504 | - | .765 | 13.2 | 2.8 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 15.5 |
| 1978–79 | San Diego | 79 | - | 25.4 | .569 | - | .800 | 8.9 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 10.7 |
| 1979–80 | San Diego | 81 | - | 35.3 | .554 | .000 | .718 | 15.0* | 2.9 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 13.4 |
| 1980–81 | San Diego | 82 | - | 34.3 | .553 | .000 | .795 | 12.4 | 2.4 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 15.6 |
| 1981–82 | San Diego | 21 | 7 | 27.4 | .577 | 1.000 | .747 | 9.1 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 12.5 |
| 1982–83 | San Diego | 7 | 0 | 7.3 | .300 | .000 | 1.000 | 1.9 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 2.3 |
| 1983–84 | Los Angeles | 69 | 0 | 12.0 | .490 | .000 | .692 | 3.8 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 4.5 |
| Career | 722 | 7 | 28.7 | .535 | .100 | .748 | 11.6 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 12.4 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973–74 (ABA) | San Antonio | 7 | - | 30.1 | .553 | .000 | .714 | 11.7 | 2.1 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 14.9 |
| 1974–75 (ABA) | San Antonio | 6 | - | 39.0 | .476 | .000 | .429 | 16.5 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 14.8 |
| 1983–84 | Los Angeles | 17 | - | 8.6 | .500 | .000 | .769 | 2.4 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 3.4 |
| Career | 30 | - | 19.7 | .512 | .000 | .639 | 7.4 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 8.4 | |
He built the basketball program atChristian Heritage College inSan Diego, California, and coached the team from 1985 to 1995.[17] He left the position because it "was high on work and low on pay.” He was living inEl Cajon, California, where his two daughters were born and raised.[18]
Nater later lived inEnumclaw, Washington,[19] where he went to work forCostco, for whom he was a sporting goods assistant buyer.[6][17] and then inDes Moines, Washington overlookingPuget Sound, with his wife Dr. Wendy Ghiora.
Nater has also co-authored books with basketball coaches Wooden andPete Newell.
Media related toSwen Nater at Wikimedia Commons · Basketball Reference| International | |
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| National | |
