| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1939-01-31)January 31, 1939 Hartford, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Died | July 21, 2022(2022-07-21) (aged 83) Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Listed weight | 180 lb (82 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Weaver (Hartford, Connecticut) |
| College | Providence (1958–1961) |
| NBA draft | 1961: 2nd round, 12th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Detroit Pistons |
| Playing career | 1961–1972 |
| Position | Point guard |
| Number | 25, 15, 11, 21 |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
| 1961–1963 | Detroit Pistons |
| 1963–1965 | New York Knicks |
| 1965–1968 | Baltimore Bullets |
| 1968–1970 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1970 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 1970–1972 | San Diego / Houston Rockets |
Coaching | |
| 1973–1976 | Houston Rockets |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 5,521 (7.8 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 1,284 (1.8 rpg) |
| Assists | 2,102 (3.0 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
John Francis Egan (January 31, 1939 – July 21, 2022) was an American professionalbasketball player and coach. He played for theDetroit Pistons,New York Knicks,Baltimore Bullets,Los Angeles Lakers,Cleveland Cavaliers, andSan Diego / Houston Rockets of theNational Basketball Association from 1961 to 1972. He coached the Rockets from 1973 to 1976.
Egan was born on January 31, 1939, inHartford, Connecticut.[1] Playing for the basketball team atWeaver High School, which won the New England high school basketball championship in 1956 and 1957, he was named to theParade All-America Boys Basketball Team.[2] He was known as "Space", a nickname which alluded to "his ability to stay in the air during drives to the basket or to the length of his long-distance shots".[3] Egan attendedProvidence College, where he playedcollege basketball for theProvidence Friars, and won the1961 National Invitation Tournament.[2]
TheDetroit Pistons of theNational Basketball Association (NBA) selected Egan in the second round of the1961 NBA draft.[4] TheNew York Knicks acquired Egan from the Pistons in a three-team trade on December 16, 1963.[5] He was traded along withJohnny Green,Jim "Bad News" Barnes and cash from theKnicks to theBaltimore Bullets forWalt Bellamy on November 1, 1965.[6] TheMilwaukee Bucks selected Egan from the Bullets in the1968 NBA expansion draft.[7] Before the 1968–69 NBA season, the Bucks traded Egan to theLos Angeles Lakers for a future draft pick.[8] He became a key rotation player for the Lakers, who reached the1969 NBA Finals but were beaten by the Boston Celtics in Game 7.[9] Egan was not as effective in the following season,[10] as the Lakers again reachedthe Finals but were beaten by the Knicks in Game 7.[11]
TheCleveland Cavaliers selected Egan in the1970 NBA expansion draft.[12] He was acquired by theSan Diego Rockets from the Cavaliers for a third‐round pick in the1971 NBA draft (41st overall–Jackie Ridgle) and cash on December 8, 1970.[13][14] Egan became one of the originalHouston Rockets when the team left San Diego in 1971.[9] His playing career ended after the1971–72 season. He averaged 7.8points per game and 3.0assists per game in his NBA career.[15] He was the shortest player in the NBA for most of his 11-year career.[16]
In January 1972, RocketscoachTex Winter named Egan an assistant coach, and he continued as aplayer-coach for the remainder of the season.[17] He retired as a player after the season, and was promoted to become head coach, succeeding Winter on January 21, 1973.[18] At one point, he was the youngest and shortest coach in the NBA.[19] During his3+1⁄2 years as head coach, the Rockets were 129–152, withone playoff appearance in 1975,[19] when they defeated the New York Knicks in the first round to earn the franchise's first playoff series win.[9] He was fired and replaced byTom Nissalke on April 20, 1976, after the team failed to qualify for the postseason with a40–42 record.[19]
Egan married Joan (née Grimaldi), his high school sweetheart. They had two children (Kimberly and John Egan Jr.), and five grandchildren (Alexandra Egan Gonzalez, Briana Egan Gonzalez, Nicolas Egan Gonzalez, John "Jet" Egan III, Elizabeth Egan). Joan died in 1998 fromovarian cancer.[2][16]
After his basketball career, Egan remained in Houston, where he founded and operated an insurance business.[16] He continued to live in Houston in his later life.[2] After suffering a head injury in a fall in his home in May 2022, he died on July 21, 2022, at age 83.[20][9]
| Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win–loss % |
| Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PW–L % | Playoff win–loss % |
| Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | 1972–73 | 35 | 16 | 19 | .457 | 3rd in Central | – | – | – | – | Missed playoffs |
| Houston | 1973–74 | 82 | 32 | 50 | .390 | 3rd in Central | – | – | – | – | Missed playoffs |
| Houston | 1974–75 | 82 | 41 | 41 | .500 | 2nd in Central | 8 | 3 | 5 | .375 | Lost inConf. Semi-finals |
| Houston | 1975–76 | 82 | 40 | 42 | .488 | 3rd in Central | – | – | – | – | Missed playoffs |
| Career | 281 | 129 | 152 | .459 | 8 | 3 | 5 | .375 | |||
| Source:[21] | |||||||||||
The Lakers returned to the NBA Finals in 1970, but Egan was not as effective. He played in 10 fewer games during the regular season, and his scoring average dipped to 7.3.