 Seals withVarese in 1979–80. | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1953-06-18)June 18, 1953 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Died | December 15, 2020(2020-12-15) (aged 67) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
| Listed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Booker T. Washington (New Orleans, Louisiana) |
| College | Xavier (Louisiana) (1971–1973) |
| NBA draft | 1975: 2nd round, 21st overall pick |
| Drafted by | Seattle SuperSonics |
| Playing career | 1973–1984 |
| Position | Power forward /small forward |
| Number | 10, 45 |
| Career history | |
| 1973–1975 | Utah Stars |
| 1975–1978 | Seattle SuperSonics |
| 1979–1980 | Pallacanestro Varese |
| 1981–1982 | Reyer Venezia |
| 1983–1984 | Alpe Bergamo |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Career ABA and NBA statistics | |
| Points | 3,107 (8.9 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 1,463 (4.2 rpg) |
| Blocks | 208 (0.6 bpg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Bruce A. Seals (June 18, 1953 – December 15, 2020) was an Americanbasketball player in theAmerican Basketball Association (ABA) and theNational Basketball Association (NBA).
Seals was drafted in the first round by theUtah Stars, playing two seasons in the ABA before being selected in the second round of the1975 NBA draft by theSeattle SuperSonics. He played three seasons in the NBA.[1]
Seals' career spanned five seasons, two leagues, primarily at thepower forward position. He retired from the NBA in1978 and went on to play in theItalian League.[2]
In his later years, Seals worked with theBoys and Girls Clubs of America, teaching inner city youth the power of the game. He had been withBoys and Girls Clubs of Dorchester since 1990.[3]
Born inNew Orleans, Louisiana, Seals attended high school at Booker T. Washington High School in New Orleans.[4] In 1971, Seals was named Louisiana's Most Valuable High School basketball player.[2]
Seals attendedXavier University of Louisiana, where he played basketball under coachBob Hopkins, and alongside his teammate and futureNBA starDonald "Slick" Watts.[4] For the 1972 season, Watts and Seals would lead the Gold Rush to its first NAIA District 30 Men's Basketball championship defeatingNicholls State University 85–83, but would lose toWestmont in the1972 NAIA basketball tournament semi-finals, 71–59. For his Junior, and final season, he and Watts would lead theXavier Gold Rush to their second consecutiveNAIA District 30 Championship, defeating Dillard University 101–80.[5] In the1973 NAIA basketball tournament they would upsetSam Houston State University, 67–60, in the second round. At the time, theBearkats were ranked first in the country in all college division polls and had gone 34 games, over a two-year period, without a loss. The Xavier Gold Rush would eventually lose in the semi-finals toMaryland-Eastern Shore 87–80. For his 1972–73 season, Seals would earn NAIA All American andAssociated Press All American honors. Seals would leave Xavier after his Junior year to sign with the Utah Stars.[6]
Seals was selected by theUtah Stars in the first round of the ABA draft. The Utah Stars had posted the best record in the ABA Western Division in the previous season (55–29 in the 1972–73 season).
In his first regular season with the Utah Stars, Seals played 78 games, averaging 17.4 minutes per game, with 7.0 points per game. The Utah Stars won the Western Division (51–33).
In thepost-season, the Utah Stars defeated theSan Diego Conquistadors to win the Western Division semifinals. Thereafter, they beat theIndiana Pacers in the Western Division finals. The Utah Stars lost the championship series, though, to theNew York Nets. Seals contributed 89 points in the post-season over 15 games, playing 260 minutes for the Utah Stars, with 5.9 points per game.[4]
In his second regular season with the Utah Stars, Seals played only 35 games, averaging 10.6 minutes per game, with 4.0 points per game. He was joined by a strong high school center the Stars drafted,Moses Malone. The Utah Stars finished in fourth place in the Western Division, an upset, with a record of 38–46.
In thepost-season, the Utah Stars were defeated in the first round by theDenver Nuggets in a five-game series. While Seals played very little, he produced over a point per minute. He racked up 24 points in the post-season over 3 games, playing 41 minutes, with 8 ppg for the Utah Stars.[4]
Seals was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics in the second round of the1975 NBA draft and played 81 games for the Sonics the1975–76 season. He averaged 30.1 minutes per game, with 11.8 points per game (ppg) and contributed a total of 957 points to the Seattle SuperSonics. Seals performed well in thepost-season, playing 6 games, racking up 181 minutes on the court, and supplying 78 points, with 13 ppg for the Seattle SuperSonics.[4]
The 1975–76 season saw the Seattle SuperSonics finishing the season at second-place in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference, with a record of 43–39 (.524) behind theGolden State Warriors who led the division and conference with a record of 59–23 (.720). The SuperSonics’ record placed them in the second place spot across the entire Western Conference, which consisted of nine teams, still only being led by the Golden State Warriors.[7] Seals finished the season tied for the fourth highest number ofpersonal fouls in the league, with 314.[4]
Seals played 81 games for the Seattle SuperSonics in the1976–77 season. He averaged 24.4 minutes per game, with 11.0 points per game and contributed a total of 894 points to the Sonics in the season.[4] The 1976–77 season saw the Seattle SuperSonics finishing the season near the bottom of the division and conference with a 40–42 record (.488), among eleven teams that comprised the Western Conference.[8]
Seals played 73 games for the Seattle SuperSonics in the1977–78 season. He averaged 18.1 minutes per game, with 7.8 points per game. He contributed a total of 571 points to the Seattle SuperSonics this season.
Seals played very little in thepost-season, playing in 9 games, but only racking up 92 minutes on the court. He contributed a total of 27 points for the Seattle SuperSonics in the post-season.[4]
The 1977–78 season saw the Seattle SuperSonics finishing the season fourth in the eleven-team Western Conference, third in the Pacific Division with a record of 47–35 (.573). Seattle managed to win the Western Conference, and led theWashington Bullets before losing the series in theNBA Finals.[9]
While Seattle boasted the third highest ranked defense in the NBA at the close of the season, they also represented the second worst offensive ranking among twenty-two teams.[9]
In his two years with the Utah Stars in the American Basketball Association, Seals played 113 games, averaging 15.3 minutes per game, with 6.1 points per game. He contributed a total of 685 points to the Utah Stars.[1]
In his two years in the post-season, he played 18 games, playing 301 minutes on the court, sinking 113 points for the Utah Stars. This is 16.7 minutes per game and 6.3 points per game in the post-season.[1][4]
Bruce Seals had the forty-third highest careerblocks in the American Basketball Association, with 73, but his 73 blocks occurred over only two years.[1] Additionally, Seals holds the ninety-fifth highest careersteals record in the ABA, with 72 steals.[1]
In his three seasons in the NBA, Bruce Seals played in 235 games, averaging 24.4 minutes per game, and averaging 10.3 points. He contributed a total of 2422 points to the Seattle SuperSonics over his three years in the NBA.[1][4]
In speaking of his basketball experiences, Seals said "the game was good to me... I saw the world."[2] After leaving the Seattle SuperSonics, Seals did just that with a stint in theItalian leagues.[2] Years later, Bruce married and had two children.[2] In 1990, Seals and his family moved to Boston. Seals came toBoys and Girls Clubs of Dorchester as Assistant Athletic Director. One year later, in 1991, Seals assumed the position of Director. He was known to suspend kids without bias and loved meets with the youth. At the time of his death, Seals worked for theBoys and Girls Clubs of America, teaching inner city youth that basketball is more powerful than violence.[2]
Along with his responsibilities working with the youth of inner city Boston, and being a family man, Seals was also supportive of his niece, formerNCAA athlete,Joy Hollingsworth.[10] Hollingsworth, a point guard, played women's basketball for the Division I-AArizona Wildcats in thePacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) through the 2006–07 season.[11]
Seals continued to be involved in basketball as an assistant coach atEmerson College inBoston, Massachusetts, under head coach Hank Smith after the 1994–95 season.
Seals died on December 15, 2020, at the age of 67.[12]