 Lamar as a junior at USL | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1951-04-07)April 7, 1951 (age 73) Columbus, Ohio, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Listed weight | 180 lb (82 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | East (Columbus, Ohio) |
| College | Louisiana (1969–1973) |
| NBA draft | 1973: 3rd round, 44th overall pick |
| Selected by theDetroit Pistons | |
| Playing career | 1973–1977 |
| Position | Point guard |
| Number | 10, 1, 11 |
| Career history | |
| 1973–1975 | San Diego Conquistadors / Sails |
| 1975–1976 | Indiana Pacers |
| 1976–1977 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career ABA and NBA statistics | |
| Points | 4,478 (16.4 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 739 (2.7 rpg) |
| Assists | 1,063 (3.9 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Dwight "Bo" Lamar (born April 7, 1951) is a former professional Americanbasketball player.[1] Born and raised inColumbus, Ohio, he graduated from theUniversity of Southwestern Louisiana, now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Lamar was a leading NCAA scorer and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1973American Basketball Association Draft.
A graduate ofEast High School inColumbus, Ohio, Lamar attended Southwestern Louisiana, who transitioned to Division I in 1971–1972. Lamar didn’t even average 20 points per game as a senior in high school, playing alongside friend and teammateEd Ratleff, but Southwestern Louisiana coachBeryl Shipley made him the focus of the SLA offense, with free rein to shoot. averaging 22.8 to earn “Freshman of the Year” in the Gulf States Conference. Eventually, the basketball program was given a two year death penalty by the NCAA during Lamar's senior season, that went into effect the next season.[2][3][4]
Lamar was a three-time collegiate All-American between 1969–1973, and was named First team All-America in 1972 and 1973 along withBill Walton,David Thompson andErnie DiGregorio. During his college career he averaged 31.2 points a game, a point total of 3,493 points, which remains among the top ranks ofNCAA basketball. He is known for his extremely high long-range shot that some coaches say dusted the rafters.[5]
“Bo Lamar is the purest shooter I’ve ever seen,” said Hall of Fame CoachJerry Tarkanian.[2]
“If there had been a three-point shot in those days, he would’ve averaged 50 points a game,” Coach Beryl Shipley said.[4]
Lamar led the Ragin’ Cajuns to a 90–23 record in his four seasons. Their record his last three seasons was 74–13, bettered only by UCLA during that span.[4]
Lamar was a third-round pick by theDetroit Pistons in the1973 NBA draft.[1] He was the top overall pick in the 1973American Basketball Association Draft by theSan Diego Conquistadors and signed with them.
As a rookie in 1973–1974, Lamar averaged 20.4 points per game for San Diego and made theABA All-Rookie team, playing for CoachWilt Chamberlain. He also set the franchise record, scoring 50 points in one game.[6][7]
Lamar averaged 20.9 points per game in 1974–1975, being reunited with his college coach Beryl Shipley, during the season.[7] After averaging 16.0 in his third season, he ended up playing sparingly for the Lakers in 1976–1977, the final year of his career. Lamar was released by the Lakers after the season.[8][9]
He played for threeAmerican Basketball Association teams: theSan Diego Conquistadors (1973–1975), the rebrandedSan Diego Sails (1975) (who folded after 11 games)[10] and theIndiana Pacers (1975–1976) before moving to theNBA after theABA–NBA merger. In 1976–1977 Lamar played 71 games for theLos Angeles Lakers.[8]Overall, Lamar averaged 16.4 points and 3.9 assists in 273 career games. His ABA averages were 19.7 points and 4.4 assists in 202 games.[8][11]
Lamar was the Louisiana-Lafayette basketball color analyst on radio, before retiring to his native Ohio.[12]