 Shumate with theNotre Dame Fighting Irish in 1973 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1952-04-06)April 6, 1952 |
| Died | February 3, 2025(2025-02-03) (aged 72) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Listed weight | 235 lb (107 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Thomas Jefferson (Elizabeth, New Jersey) |
| College | Notre Dame (1971–1974) |
| NBA draft | 1974: 1st round, 4th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Phoenix Suns |
| Playing career | 1975–1980 |
| Position | Power forward /center |
| Number | 34 |
| Coaching career | 1983–2010 |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
| 1975–1976 | Phoenix Suns |
| 1976–1977 | Buffalo Braves |
| 1977–1979 | Detroit Pistons |
| 1979–1980 | Houston Rockets |
| 1980 | San Antonio Spurs |
| 1981 | Seattle SuperSonics |
Coaching | |
| 1983–1986 | Grand Canyon |
| 1988–1995 | SMU |
| 1995–1998 | Toronto Raptors (assistant) |
| 2003 | Phoenix Mercury |
| 2009–2010 | Phoenix Suns (assistant) |
| Career highlights | |
As player:
As head coach:
| |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 3,920 (12.3 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 2,388 (7.5 rpg) |
| Assists | 574 (1.8 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
John Henry Shumate (April 6, 1952 – February 3, 2025) was an American professionalbasketball player and coach. He played in theNational Basketball Association (NBA) for thePhoenix Suns,Buffalo Braves,Detroit Pistons,Houston Rockets,San Antonio Spurs, andSeattle SuperSonics from 1975 to 1981. His playing career was cut short by recurring issues with blood clots. Shumate was the head coach for theGrand Canyon Antelopes andSMU Mustangs and an assistant coach for theToronto Raptors of the NBA andPhoenix Mercury of theWNBA.
Shumate, the son of minister Eugene and Margaret Shumate, was born on April 6, 1952, inGreenville, South Carolina. He grew up inElizabeth, New Jersey. He and his four sisters were raised in a religious household. Shumate's parents were his inspiration in basketball and in life.[1][2][3]
Shumate played high school basketball at the all-maleThomas Jefferson High School, scoring over 1,000 points in his career. He only started playing basketball as a high school sophomore, after he had grown to 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) and coach Ron Kelly convinced him to try out for the team. Under Kelly's training and tutelage, he was on the varsity team by the second half of the season. Shumate went on to become a high schoolAll-American in his senior year. He starred in theSonny Hill League in Philadelphia.[4][1][5][6][2][3]
Shumate received a scholarship to attend theUniversity of Notre Dame, graduating in 1974 with aBachelors of Arts degree insociology. Shumate had an excellent year for the Fighting Irish men’s basketball team in his freshman season, but missed his sophomore season due to problems with blood clots in his leg and a viral infection near his heart. He spent nine days in intensive care, losing 45 pounds. The clotting problem would plague him into his future basketball career.[1][5]
He returned to play as a junior, averaging 21 points and 12.2rebounds per game, and 24.2 points and 11 rebounds per game as a senior, under coachDigger Phelps.[7][8]
After a 6–20 record the previous year, the team had an 18–12 record his junior year, and went to the 1973National Invitation Tournament (NIT). He was the NIT's Most Valuable Player, at one point in the tournament scoring 20 consecutive field goals over two games. He was twice the Fighting Irish team captain, a two-time All-American, including aconsensus All-American as a senior selected to both theAssociated Press (AP) andUnited Press International (UPI) All-America teams.[9][10][7][5]
Shumate was the center on theNotre Dame team that ended the University of California at Los Angeles' (UCLA) NCAA-record 88-game winning streak on January 19, 1974; UCLA's first loss in 1,092 days. Shumate starred on offense and defense, and led all players in rebounding that day.[11] The Fighting Irish ended the year with at 26–3 record, ranked 5th in the nation, and went to theNCAA tournament.[12][5]
On March 5, 2005, Shumate was named to Notre Dame's All-Century Team.[8] In 2022, Shumate was inducted into Notre Dame's Ring of Honor.[5] He ranks first in Notre Dame history with a .610 field goal percentage.[5]
The Phoenix Suns drafted Shumate in the first round of the1974 NBA draft, fourth overall.[13] A 6 ft 9 inforward/center, Shumate played five seasons (1975–1978; 1979–1981) in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of thePhoenix Suns,Buffalo Braves,Detroit Pistons,Houston Rockets,San Antonio Spurs andSeattle SuperSonics. He did not play in the 1974-75 season, after a blood clot was found in his lung, and did not play in the 1978-1979 season after the blood clotting recurred during the off-season.[1][14]
He earnedNBA All-Rookie Team honors in his first season[10] after averaging 11.3points per game and 5.6rebounds per game, and virtually tyingWes Unseld for the league lead in field goal percentage at .561.[15][14] He was traded in February 1976, during his rookie year, to the Buffalo Braves for five-year veteranGar Heard and a second round draft pick, as part of the Suns' pursuit of an NBA title that year.[1][14][16][17] The Suns did make it to the NBA Finals, but lost to the Boston Celtics 4–2.[18] Shumate was fifth in Rookie of the Year voting, with the Suns' centerAlvan Adams winning the award.[19]
In the 1976-77 season for the Buffalo Braves, Shumate had his best year, averaging 15.1 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. Early the next season, Buffalo traded Shumate, Gus Gerard and a 1979 first round draft pick to the Detroit Pistons forMarvin Barnes, a 1978 second round pick and fourth round pick. He averaged 15.5 points and 8.9 rebounds per game in 62 games for the Pistons.[14] Barnes had been a first-team All-American selection in 1974 with Shumate (along withBill Walton,David Thompson, andJamaal Wilkes).[20]
Shumate lost the following season (1978–79) to blood clots, and was never a full-time player again. He returned to play for the 1979-80 season, but was waived by the San Antonio Spurs in December 1980 of his final season, and did not play in the NBA again. Over the course of his career, Shumate averaged 12.3 points and 7.5 rebounds.[14]
Shumate was a volunteer assistant coach to Notre Dame's Digger Phelps for 2½ years after retiring from the NBA, before becoming head coach at Grand Canyon College (nowGrand Canyon University). He coached Grand Canyon from 1983-1986, with a 58–33 record. In the 1984-85 season, the team made it to the finals of theNAIA District VIII Playoffs.[10]
Shumate later coached for theSouthern Methodist University Mustangs for seven seasons (1988–95). His best season was 1992-93, when the Mustangs went 20–8, won theSouthwest Conference title, and went to theNCAA tournament (losing in the first round).[21][22] He was an assistant coach for theToronto Raptors for three seasons (1995–98), and head coach of theWNBA'sPhoenix Mercury in 2003.[23] He was an assistant coach for thePhoenix Suns in 2009-10,[24][25] having previously served as a college scout for the Suns.[23] He continued as a Suns' scout after his assistant coaching ended.[26]
Shumate appeared as a member of the Detroit team in the cult classic basketball filmThe Fish That Saved Pittsburgh in 1979, alongside Pistons teammatesBob Lanier,Eric Money,Chris Ford,Kevin Porter,[citation needed] andLeon Douglas.[27][28][29]
Shumate also appeared in a series of basketball training videos.[30]
He died on February 3, 2025, at the age of 72.[31]
| 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 |
Source[14]
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975–76 | Phoenix | 43 | 21.6 | .550 | .628 | 5.6 | 1.4 | 1.0 | .4 | 11.3 | |
| 1975–76 | Buffalo | 32 | 32.7 | .575 | .678 | 9.8 | 2.0 | 1.2 | .6 | 12.2 | |
| 1976–77 | Buffalo | 74 | 35.1 | .502 | .671 | 9.5 | 2.1 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 15.1 | |
| 1977–78 | Buffalo | 18 | 32.8 | .497 | .747 | 7.1 | 3.2 | .8 | .5 | 12.4 | |
| 1977–78 | Detroit | 62 | 35.0 | .508 | .797 | 8.9 | 2.0 | 1.2 | .7 | 15.5 | |
| 1979–80 | Detroit | 9 | 25.3 | .538 | – | .680 | 7.8 | 1.0 | 1.0 | .6 | 9.7 |
| 1979–80 | Houston | 29 | 11.4 | .531 | – | .750 | 2.7 | .8 | .3 | .3 | 3.5 |
| 1979–80 | San Antonio | 27 | 28.8 | .525 | .000 | .782 | 7.9 | 1.9 | .9 | 1.1 | 14.5 |
| 1980–81 | San Antonio | 22 | 23.6 | .438 | – | .726 | 4.0 | 1.1 | 1.0 | .4 | 7.5 |
| 1980–81 | Seattle | 2 | 4.0 | .000 | – | .667 | .5 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 1.0 |
| Career | 318 | 28.9 | .516 | .000 | .720 | 7.5 | 1.8 | 1.0 | .7 | 12.3 | |
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Buffalo | 9 | 40.2 | .587 | .500 | 8.6 | 2.8 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 14.1 | |
| 1980 | San Antonio | 3 | 26.0 | 450 | – | 1.000 | 4.3 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 7.0 |
| Career | 12 | 36.7 | .563 | – | .537 | 7.5 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 12.3 | |
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| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Canyon Antelopes[32](NAIA District VII)(1983–1986) | |||||||||
| 1983–84 | Grand Canyon | 21–9 | |||||||
| 1984–85 | Grand Canyon | 18–16 | |||||||
| 1985–86 | Grand Canyon | 18–9 | |||||||
| Grand Canyon: | 57–34 | ||||||||
| SMU Mustangs(Southwest Conference)(1988–1995) | |||||||||
| 1988–89 | SMU | 13–16 | 7–9 | 7th | |||||
| 1989–90 | SMU | 10–18 | 5–11 | T–7th | |||||
| 1990–91 | SMU | 12–17 | 6–10 | 6th | |||||
| 1991–92 | SMU | 10–18 | 4–10 | 7th | |||||
| 1992–93 | SMU | 20–8 | 12–2 | 1st | NCAA Division I First Round | ||||
| 1993–94 | SMU | 6–21 | 3–11 | T–7th | |||||
| 1994–95 | SMU | 7–20 | 3–11 | T–7th | |||||
| SMU: | 78–118 | 40–64 | |||||||
| Total: | 135–152 | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix | 2003 | 34 | 8 | 26 | .235 | 7th in Western | – | – | – | – | |
| Career | 34 | 8 | 26 | .235 | – | – | – | ||||