| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1955-07-15)July 15, 1955 (age 70) Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
| Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Benson Polytechnic (Portland, Oregon) |
| College | UCLA (1973–1976) |
| NBA draft | 1976: 1st round, 3rd overall pick |
| Drafted by | Kansas City Kings |
| Playing career | 1976–1982 |
| Position | Power forward /center |
| Number | 31 |
| Career history | |
| 1976–1979 | Kansas City Kings |
| 1979–1980 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 1980 | Dallas Mavericks |
| 1980–1982 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 3,456 (9.8 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 2,204 (6.3 rpg) |
| Assists | 409 (1.2 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Richard Lee Washington (born July 15, 1955) is an American former professionalbasketball player in theNational Basketball Association (NBA). He playedcollege basketball for theUCLA Bruins, winning a national championship in 1975, when he was voted theNCAA tournament's Most Outstanding Player. After being named a consensus first-teamAll-American as ajunior in 1976, he was selected by theKansas City Kings with the third overall pick of the1976 NBA draft.
A 6'11"center born inPortland, Oregon, Washington played high school ball at Portland'sBenson Tech. An all-around athlete and agile big man, Washington was a three-time all-state and first-team all-tournament selection and led Benson to state championships in 1971 and 1973. Benson was a combined 77–6 those three seasons.[1] Washington was also a hurdler in track and, as a defensive end-receiver, was MVP on the Techmen football team his junior year (the last year he played football).[2]
Washington was highly recruited out of high school and seriously considered theUniversity of Hawaii, but he decided to play college basketball for perennial national championUCLA and legendary coachJohn Wooden.[2][3] He played three seasons at UCLA, with the Bruins going 26–4, 28–3 and 28–4. They won threePac-8 championships and advanced three Final Fours.[2]
In Washington's sophomore season of 1974–75, theBruins captured the NCAA title. The Bruins went 28–3 and, powered by the front line of future NBA players Washington,Dave Meyers andMarques Johnson, and defeatedKentucky 92–85 in the title game, which would also be coach Wooden's final game. Washington was namedNCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player following UCLA's 1975 championship.[2]
He earned first-team All-American honors as a junior in 1975–76.[4]
| 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 |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973–74 | UCLA | 24 | – | – | .513 | – | .500 | 2.8 | 0.5 | – | – | 4.1 |
| 1974–75 | UCLA | 31 | – | – | .576 | – | .724 | 7.8 | 2.2 | – | – | 15.9 |
| 1975–76 | UCLA | 32 | – | – | .513 | – | .736 | 8.6 | 3.1 | – | – | 20.1 |
| Career | 87 | – | – | .536 | – | .702 | 6.7 | 2.0 | – | – | 14.2 | |
Washington was declared eligible for the1976 NBA draft due to hardship status. He played six seasons in theNBA as a member of theKansas City Kings,Milwaukee Bucks,Dallas Mavericks andCleveland Cavaliers.[2] In his NBA career, he scored 3,456 points and grabbed 2,204 rebounds.
| 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 |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976–77 | Kansas City | 82 | – | 27.6 | .431 | – | .697 | 8.5 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 13.0 |
| 1977–78 | Kansas City | 78 | – | 28.6 | .477 | – | .754 | 8.4 | 1.5 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 12.8 |
| 1978–79 | Kansas City | 18 | – | 8.9 | .341 | – | .625 | 2.7 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 2.1 |
| 1979–80 | Milwaukee | 75 | – | 14.6 | .468 | .000 | .605 | 3.7 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 5.9 |
| 1980–81 | Dallas | 11 | – | 27.9 | .436 | .000 | .739 | 7.6 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 10.8 |
| 1980–81 | Cleveland | 69 | – | 21.8 | .459 | .500 | .750 | 5.3 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 9.9 |
| 1981–82 | Cleveland | 18 | 2 | 17.4 | .435 | .000 | .600 | 4.2 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 6.1 |
| Career | 351 | 2 | 22.4 | .453 | .250 | .711 | 6.3 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 9.8 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978–79 | Kansas City | 4 | – | 13.0 | .550 | – | 1.000 | 3.3 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 6.0 |
| 1979–80 | Milwaukee | 7 | – | 16.0 | .532 | .000 | .250 | 2.9 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 7.3 |
| Career | 11 | – | 14.9 | .537 | .000 | .500 | 3.0 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 6.8 | |
Washington and his wife, Leiko, reside inMilwaukie, Oregon. They have raised two daughters. Interested in building and construction since his youth, in 1993 he founded Richard Washington Construction, a general contracting company.[2][5]
In 1988, Washington was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame.[1]