| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1959-02-16)February 16, 1959 (age 66) Glen Ridge, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Bloomfield (Bloomfield, New Jersey) |
| College | Notre Dame (1977–1981) |
| NBA draft | 1981: 1st round, 12th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Detroit Pistons |
| Playing career | 1981–1992 |
| Position | Small forward |
| Number | 7, 4 |
| Career history | |
| 1981–1986 | Detroit Pistons |
| 1986–1988 | Utah Jazz |
| 1988–1991 | Charlotte Hornets |
| 1991–1992 | CSP Limoges |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 12,142 (17.2 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 2,703 (3.8 rpg) |
| Assists | 2,090 (3.0 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Peter Kelly Tripucka (born February 16, 1959) is an American former professionalbasketball player who played in theNational Basketball Association (NBA) from 1981 to 1991. He was a two-time NBA All Star and averaged over twenty points a game in five of the ten seasons that he played in. Tripucka played for theDetroit Pistons,Utah Jazz and was a member of theCharlotte Hornets during their inaugural season in the NBA. The son ofNFL Pro-Bowl (andCFL)quarterbackFrank Tripucka, Kelly was acolor analyst for theNew York Knicks for four years, ending with the2011–12 season.[1]
Tripucka grew up inBloomfield, New Jersey,[2] and was a three-year starter from 1974 to 1977 for theBloomfield High School boys' basketball team.[3] In three varsity seasons he scored 2,278 points, including 1,045 during his senior campaign, and his jersey (#42) was retired by Bloomfield High School. Tripucka also was a four-year starter atNotre Dame, and led the Irish in scoring each year. His senior year, he averaged 18.2 points per game on 55.1% shooting, with 5.8 rebounds per game.[1] He also helped lead Notre Dame to theNCAA Tournament in each of his four years, with the Irish earning their first, and to this point, their only Final Four appearance in 1978.
Tripucka was selected 12th overall by theDetroit Pistons in the1981 NBA draft. He proved to be a prolific scorer, averaging 21.6 points per game, and he made the All-Star team in his rookie year. The following season Tripucka had his best season as a professional, averaging a career-best 26.5 points and 4.1 assists per game. He played in only 58 games, however. In his third season with the Pistons, Tripucka continued to play well, averaging 21.3 points per game, and qualified for the All-Star team a second time in three seasons. He helped lead the Pistons to their first playoff appearance since the 1976–77 season, but they were eliminated in five games in the first round. The following season, Tripucka played in only 55 games and averaged 19.1 points per game. He did start all nine playoff games, however, and helped the Pistons advance to the second round. The 1985–86 season, Tripucka's fifth, was another successful one. He missed only one game during the regular season, averaged 20 points per game, and helped lead the Pistons to a third straight post-season appearance. In the playoffs, however, the Pistons were eliminated in the first round.
After five successful seasons in Detroit, the Pistons traded Tripucka and teammateKent Benson to theUtah Jazz forAdrian Dantley and future draft picks. Tripucka and Jazz coachFrank Layden did not get along with each other; at the time, Layden was beginning to build the team around the talents ofJohn Stockton andKarl Malone, and Tripucka was upset at his lack of involvement in the offense. He had two lackluster seasons with the franchise, averaging only 9.1 points per game during his two seasons with the team. The Jazz qualified for the playoffs during both of those seasons, but Tripucka made little impression. During the 1988 NBA playoffs, he would only appear in two games.
After two frustrating seasons with the Jazz, Tripucka was traded to theCharlotte Hornets (a new expansion team at the time) forMike Brown. In his first season with the Hornets, he returned to his All-Star form, leading the Hornets with 22.6 points per game. In a game between the Hornets and the Jazz in 1989, shortly after Layden resigned as the Jazz's coach,Karl Malone expressed his devotion to Layden by writing "FRANK" on the heels of his sneakers. In a mock gesture, Tripucka responded by writing "DICK" on the back of his shoes (for then-Hornets coachDick Harter). The move was seen as a jab at Layden and Malone, whom Tripucka felt ran him out of Utah. In Tripucka's second season with the Hornets, he averaged 15.6 points per game, but the team struggled, finishing one game behind their inaugural season's record. The1990–91 season, Tripucka's third with the Hornets and tenth overall, saw him average career lows with only 7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, as he came off the bench.
After failing to find suitors in the NBA, Tripucka signed with FrenchNationale 1A clubCSP Limoges for the 1991–1992 season.[4][5] In February 1992, he was replaced withTim Legler.[6] In 7 league games, he averaged 17.6 points per game.[7]
Tripucka was acolor commentator for Detroit Pistons television for eight seasons, from 1993 to 2001. After 2001 he leftFSN Detroit andWKBD before leaving to take a full-time radio job with theNew Jersey Nets following the2000–01 season. From 2003 to 2005, he served as the color commentator for New Jersey Nets telecasts on theYES Network. Tripucka joined the New York Knicks MSG broadcast team on November 7, 2008, placing him alongsideWalt "Clyde" Frazier,Gus Johnson andMike Breen. He remained with the broadcast team until 2012. Tripucka has also called college basketball forWestwood One radio.
Tripucka resided in 2013 inBoonton Township, New Jersey with his family.[8] He is the son of former football quarterbackFrank Tripucka, and father of professionalfootball playerTravis Tripucka.
In 2000, Tripucka was named to theNational Polish-American Hall of Fame,[9] and theStar-Ledger named Tripucka the "New Jersey Boys' Basketball Player of the Century". In 2008, he was named to the "50 Greatest Pistons" team. Tripucka shares the record for most points scored in his first road playoff game, with 40. He is one of six Pistons to have scored 40 or more in a playoff game, along withDave Bing,Isiah Thomas,Jerry Stackhouse,Chauncey Billups andRichard (Rip) Hamilton.
| 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 |
| * | Led the league |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981–82 | Detroit | 82 | 82 | 37.5 | .496 | .227 | .797 | 5.4 | 3.3 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 21.6 |
| 1982–83 | Detroit | 58 | 58 | 38.8* | .489 | .378 | .845 | 4.6 | 4.1 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 26.5 |
| 1983–84 | Detroit | 76 | 75 | 32.8 | .459 | .118 | .815 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 21.3 |
| 1984–85 | Detroit | 55 | 43 | 30.5 | .477 | .400 | .885 | 4.0 | 2.5 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 19.1 |
| 1985–86 | Detroit | 81 | 81 | 32.4 | .498 | .480 | .856 | 4.3 | 3.3 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 20.0 |
| 1986–87 | Utah | 79 | 76 | 23.6 | .469 | .365 | .872 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 10.1 |
| 1987–88 | Utah | 49 | 21 | 19.9 | .459 | .419 | .868 | 2.4 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 7.5 |
| 1988–89 | Charlotte | 71 | 65 | 32.4 | .467 | .357 | .866 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 22.6 |
| 1989–90 | Charlotte | 79 | 73 | 30.4 | .430 | .365 | .883 | 4.1 | 2.8 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 15.6 |
| 1990–91 | Charlotte | 71 | 1 | 16.7 | .454 | .333 | .910 | 2.3 | 2.1 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 7.0 |
| Career | 707 | 575 | 29.6 | .473 | .361 | .849 | 3.8 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 17.2 | |
| All-Star | 2 | 0 | 10.5 | .429 | – | .500 | 0.5 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 3.5 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Detroit | 5 | – | 41.6 | .471 | .000 | .804 | 4.6 | 3.0 | 2.2 | 0.0 | 27.4 |
| 1985 | Detroit | 9 | 9 | 32.0 | .415 | .000 | .875 | 4.3 | 3.2 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 14.8 |
| 1986 | Detroit | 4 | 4 | 43.8 | .465 | – | .913 | 5.8 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 21.8 |
| 1987 | Utah | 5 | 5 | 14.0 | .700 | .000 | 1.000 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 6.4 |
| 1988 | Utah | 2 | 0 | 4.5 | .333 | – | – | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
| Career | 25 | 18 | 30.0 | .462 | .000 | .856 | 3.7 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 15.6 | |
He is the son of formerNotre Dame Quarterback andDenver Broncos Hall of Fame QBFrank Tripucka. He is also the uncle of football players Shane Tripucka[10] and father ofTravis Tripucka[11] and professional lacrosse player Jake Tripucka.[12]