 Cheeks in 2011 | |
| New York Knicks | |
|---|---|
| Title | Assistant coach |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1956-09-08)September 8, 1956 (age 69) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Listed weight | 180 lb (82 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | DuSable (Chicago, Illinois) |
| College | West Texas A&M (1974–1978) |
| NBA draft | 1978: 2nd round, 36th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Philadelphia 76ers |
| Playing career | 1978–1993 |
| Position | Point guard |
| Number | 10, 1 |
| Coaching career | 1993–present |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
| 1978–1989 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1989–1990 | San Antonio Spurs |
| 1990–1991 | New York Knicks |
| 1991–1992 | Atlanta Hawks |
| 1993 | New Jersey Nets |
Coaching | |
| 1993–1994 | Quad City Thunder (assistant) |
| 1994–2001 | Philadelphia 76ers (assistant) |
| 2001–2005 | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 2005–2008 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 2009–2013 | Oklahoma City Thunder (assistant) |
| 2013–2014 | Detroit Pistons |
| 2015–2020 | Oklahoma City Thunder (assistant) |
| 2020–2024 | Chicago Bulls (assistant) |
| 2024–present | New York Knicks (assistant) |
| Career highlights | |
As player:
| |
| Career statistics | |
| Points | 12,195 (11.1 ppg) |
| Assists | 7,392 (6.7 apg) |
| Steals | 2,310 (2.1 spg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
| Basketball Hall of Fame | |
Maurice Edward Cheeks (born September 8, 1956) is an American professionalbasketball coach and former player who serves as an assistant coach for theNew York Knicks of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). He has also served as head coach of thePortland Trail Blazers,Philadelphia 76ers, andDetroit Pistons. Cheeks was inducted into theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 2018.[1] He was the first player with 2,000 steals solely in the NBA.[2]
Cheeks was born inChicago on September 8, 1956, and grew up in theRobert Taylor Homes. He attendedDuSable High School.[1][3] He only had significant playing time on the basketball team in his senior year.[4] His high school teammate William Dise was heavily recruited by college basketball programs, and Dise told the schools that if they wanted him, they also had to offer Cheeks a scholarship to join him. Ron Ekker, head coach atWest Texas State University (now West Texas A&M) only agreed to accept both Dise and Cheeks after their high school coach, Bob Bonner, said Cheeks would eventually be the better player; and then watching Cheeks play in a local gympickup game.[3]
Cheeks attended West Texas from 1974 to 1978, and was a four-year starter under Ekker. He wanted to leave after his first year, but his mother convinced Cheeks to stay.[3] He was an All-Missouri Valley Conference player for three straight seasons (first team in 1975-1976 and 1977-1978, and second team in 1976-1977). He was selected team Most Valuable Player three times. As a senior, he averaged 16.8points per game, and shot nearly 57% for his collegiate career.[5][6]
As of 2024, Cheeks ranks 5th infield goal percentage in WTSU/WTAM history (56.8), 12th in points per game for a career (11.8) and totalfield goals, and had the fourth mostfree throws made in a single season (212).[7]
Cheeks was inducted into the West Texas A & M Hall of Champions in 1988.[8] He was inducted into theMissouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame in 2021.[5] He was selected to the Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball 50 Greatest Players.[7]
After college, Cheeks was selected as the 36th pick in the second round of the1978 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers.[5] He played 15 years as apoint guard in the NBA, including 11 with the Philadelphia 76ers.[9][10] As a 76er, he earned four trips to theNBA All-Star Game,[1][11] and he helped the 76ers to three trips to theNBA Finals in a four-year span in the early 1980s (1980, 1982, and 1983), including an NBA championship in 1983.[12]
While starting at point guard for a Sixers team that at times included starsJulius Erving,Moses Malone,Andrew Toney, andCharles Barkley,[13][14] Cheeks was well regarded for his team play and defensive skills. He was named to four straight NBA All-Defensive squads from 1983 to 1986, and earned a spot on the second team in 1987.[15] When he retired in 1993, he was fifth in NBA history in total assists, and as of 2024, he is sixteenth on the combined ABA/NBA assist list.[2][16]
He had his best seasons with the 76ers. At the young age of 22 he gained a notable role on the 76ers, solidifying himself as the starting point guard and earning himself valuable minutes, starting all 82 games and playing nearly 30 minutes per game.[9] The 76ers were also in playoff contention for every year that he was on the team except for the1987–88 season.[12]
By his fifth year in the league, he was selected to his first All-Star appearance, starting the game,[17] and had averaged 12.5 points, 6.9 assists, and 2.3 steals for the1982–83 season.[9] The 76ers also had the best season in this 76ers era, having a 65–17 record. This is the second-best season record in the 76ers franchise history, the 1966-1967 team being 68-13; and the second-best record league-wide in the 1980s behind only the 1986Boston Celtics.[18]
They would go on to win the NBA championship that year, which was Cheeks' first and only championship.[19] He would be an integral part of the 76ers for the rest of his time in Philadelphia, however the 76ers failed to repeat the level of success that they reached in the 1982–83 season. He would be selected to three more All-Star appearances from 1986 to 1988.[20][21][22] In the 1986 playoffs he averaged a playoff career high 20.8 points throughout the whole postseason.[23]
In the1986–87 season he would average a career high 15.6 points.[9] However the 76ers were no longer elite title contenders and lost in the first round in the 1987 playoffs.[24] The following year they missed the playoffs in what was Cheeks' last all-star appearance. Cheeks played one more season for the 76ers; they were back in the playoffs but got swept in the first round by the New York Knicks.[25]
In the 1989 off-season the Philadelphia 76ers traded Maurice Cheeks,Chris Welp, andDavid Wingate to theSan Antonio Spurs forJohnny Dawkins andJay Vincent.[9] At 33 years old, Cheeks was aging and in the twilight of his career but he still played well for the Spurs and averaged 10.9 points for his time in San Antonio. He played 50 games for the club and was the starting point guard.[9] However he was not able to finish the1989–90 season for the Spurs as he was traded to the Knicks before the season ended.
On February 21, 1990, Cheeks was traded to the New York Knicks forRod Strickland.[9] Cheeks played the remainder of the season in New York, averaging 7.9 points in 31 games for the franchise.[26] The Knicks went 45–37 that year and made the 1990 playoffs, however they lost in the second round 1–4 to the Detroit Pistons.[27] The following season, Cheeks played in 76 games, averaging 7.8 points per game and 5.7 assists per game,[9] and the Knicks made the playoffs, but were swept by the Bulls in the first round.[28]
In the 1991 off-season the New York Knicks traded Cheeks to theAtlanta Hawks forTim McCormick and a 1994 first round draft pick (which later becameCharlie Ward).[9] Cheeks' points average dropped drastically to 4.6[9] and he was no longer a starting calibre player. He became an unrestricted free agent in the 1992 off-season and did not re-sign with the Hawks.[29]
In the second-to-last game of the 1991–92 season (April 15, 1992), while playing for the Hawks against the Knicks, Cheeks picked off four steals to surpass longtime Philadelphia teammate Julius Erving's steals record of 2,272 for combined ABA and NBA steals.[30]
On January 7, 1993, theNew Jersey Nets signed Cheeks as a free agent.[9][29] He averaged a career-low 3.6 points for the season and he only played 35 games for the franchise.[9] The Nets reached the playoffs but lost in the first round 2–3 to theCleveland Cavaliers.[31]
After the season ended Cheeks became a free agent but never played in the NBA again. At 36 years old he retired from the NBA.
In NBA history, as of 2024, Cheeks ranks sixth in steals[9] and sixteenth in assists among ABA/NBA combined rankings.[32][16] Upon his retirement from the NBA in 1993, he was the NBA all-time leader in steals, third all-time in playoff steals, and fifth in assists.[2] He averaged 11.7 points and over 2 steals per game for his career.[9] In his rookie year, Cheeks averaged 4.1 steals per game in the1979 NBA Playoffs (37 steals in nine games),[9] an NBA record for one playoff run (as of 2024).[19][33] As of 2024, he is second all-time in playoff steals per game average, behind onlyBaron Davis.[34]
After retirement, Cheeks spent one year coaching for theContinental Basketball Association’sQuad City Thunder,[35] before becoming the 76ers assistant coach in 1994 through 2001.[11][36][19] He coached under head coachesJohn Lucas (1994–96),Johnny Davis (1996–97), andLarry Brown,[37] and he was an instrumental part[citation needed] of the Philadelphia team that reached the2001 NBA Finals. In 2001, he was hired as Portland Trail Blazers head coach. He led the team to two playoff berths in four years as coach, but could not get past the first round. He was fired after a poor start to the 2004–05 campaign.[38]
On April 25, 2003, during a game between the Trail Blazers and theDallas Mavericks, Cheeks famously aided 13-year-old Natalie Gilbert in singing theAmerican national anthem. After Gilbert forgot the words at "At the twilight's last gleaming," Cheeks rushed over to help her, and they finished it together as the entire Rose Garden Arena crowd sang with them. Cheeks and Gilbert received a standing ovation after the song was over.[39][40] Cheeks actions were used byHarvard Business School Professor Thomas J. DeLong as an example of true leadership in times of crisis.[41] Former 76ers general managerPat Williams called it "'just a beautiful moment of ... humanity.'"[42]
In 2005, Cheeks was named as head coach of the 76ers.[10] Cheeks was popular among 76ers fans because of his eleven-year tenure with the 76ers, during which he helped guide the 76ers to the 1983 NBA championship. The move was also praised by 76ers starAllen Iverson, who worked with Cheeks during his run as 76ers' Assistant Head Coach.[43]
However, he missed the playoffs in each of his first two seasons.[12] Frustrations began to grow with 76ers veterans Allen Iverson andChris Webber, who were not happy with the team's direction.[44] Toward the end of the 2006 season, the two were fined for tardiness coming to a game, but soon apologized profusely to Cheeks.[45][46] During the 2006–07 season, Iverson would be traded to the Nuggets and Webber would be released,[47] leaving Cheeks with one of the youngest teams in the NBA.[48] On February 20, 2007, the 76ers extended Cheeks' contract one year despite his losing record as coach.[49]
At the beginning of the 2007–08 season, expectations were low and the 76ers were picked to finish last in the Conference by many prognosticators.[50] However, the Sixers clinched a playoff berth with a win over the Atlanta Hawks on April 4, 2008.[51] It was their first postseason appearance since 2005, as well as the first in the post-Iverson era. However, they were eliminated by theDetroit Pistons, 4–2. Even with this elimination, many fans considered this to be a successful season, considering that the 76ers were 12 games under .500 in early February and went on to have a 21–7 run that led them to the playoffs.[52]
The 76ers extended Cheeks' contract before the 2008-2009 season to 2010.[53] They started out the 2008–09 NBA season 9–14 despite their signing ofElton Brand and re-signing ofAndre Iguodala during the off-season. Due to their slow start, the 76ers fired Cheeks on December 13, 2008.[54][10]
On August 14, 2009, he was hired as an assistant coach for theOklahoma City Thunder.[55]
On June 10, 2013, Cheeks agreed to become the head coach of the Detroit Pistons.[56] On February 9, 2014, the Detroit Pistons relieved him of his head coaching duties and replaced him withJohn Loyer on an interim basis for the remainder of the season.[57] The move came after ownerTom Gores suggested that the Pistons were "better than our record" and weren't playing "at their maximum"—a veiled criticism of Cheeks.[58]
On June 29, 2015, Cheeks returned to the Thunder as an assistant coach.[59]
On November 14, 2020, Cheeks was hired by the Chicago Bulls as an assistant coach following the team's hiring ofBilly Donovan.[60]
On June 13, 2024, it was reported thatTom Thibodeau was hiring Cheeks to be an assistant coach for theNew York Knicks,[61] and Cheeks joined the Knicks coaching staff for the 2024-2025 season.[62]
On September 7, 2018, Cheeks was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player.[63] In 2008, he was inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame.[64] In 1995, the 76ers retired Cheeks No. 10 jersey.[65] He was inducted into the West Texas A & M Hall of Champions (1988), and the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame (2021), and was named one of the MVC's 50 greatest players.
In 2022, a group of present and former Philadelphia Inquirer sports writers ranked Cheeks as the seventh greatest Sixer of all-time, only behind fellow hall of fame playersWilt Chamberlain, Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Allen Iverson, Charles Barkley andHal Greer.[11] In one NBA ranking of the greatest backcourt duos in league history, Cheeks and Andrew Toney were ranked eleventh out of seventy pairs.[66] In 2017, the 76ers unveiled a statue of Cheeks outside their training facility inCamden, New Jersey, joining the statues of Hal Greer,Billy Cunningham (Cheeks' former coach) and Wilt Chamberlain. On the same day, Cheeks, then an assistant coach with the Thunder, was in Philadelphia for the Thunder-Sixers game and was honored with a video montage during the game. He received a standing ovation from the Philadelphia fans, while his team stood and cheered along.[65]
| 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 |
| † | Won anNBA championship |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978–79 | Philadelphia | 82 | – | 29.4 | .510 | – | .721 | 3.1 | 5.3 | 2.1 | .1 | 8.4 |
| 1979–80 | Philadelphia | 79 | – | 33.2 | .540 | .444 | .779 | 3.5 | 7.0 | 2.3 | .4 | 11.4 |
| 1980–81 | Philadelphia | 81 | – | 29.8 | .534 | .375 | .787 | 3.0 | 6.9 | 2.4 | .5 | 9.4 |
| 1981–82 | Philadelphia | 79 | 79 | 31.6 | .521 | .273 | .777 | 3.1 | 8.4 | 2.6 | .4 | 11.2 |
| 1982–83† | Philadelphia | 79 | 79 | 31.2 | .542 | .167 | .754 | 2.6 | 6.9 | 2.3 | .4 | 12.5 |
| 1983–84 | Philadelphia | 75 | 75 | 33.3 | .550 | .400 | .733 | 2.7 | 6.4 | 2.3 | .3 | 12.7 |
| 1984–85 | Philadelphia | 78 | 78 | 33.5 | .570 | .231 | .879 | 2.8 | 6.4 | 2.2 | .3 | 13.1 |
| 1985–86 | Philadelphia | 82 | 82 | 39.9 | .537 | .235 | .842 | 2.9 | 9.2 | 2.5 | .3 | 15.4 |
| 1986–87 | Philadelphia | 68 | 68 | 38.6 | .527 | .235 | .777 | 3.2 | 7.9 | 2.6 | .2 | 15.6 |
| 1987–88 | Philadelphia | 79 | 79 | 36.3 | .495 | .136 | .825 | 3.2 | 8.0 | 2.1 | .3 | 13.7 |
| 1988–89 | Philadelphia | 71 | 70 | 32.4 | .483 | .077 | .774 | 2.6 | 7.8 | 1.5 | .2 | 11.6 |
| 1989–90 | San Antonio | 50 | 49 | 35.3 | .478 | .111 | .832 | 3.3 | 6.0 | 1.6 | .1 | 10.9 |
| 1989–90 | New York | 31 | 13 | 24.3 | .579 | .429 | .877 | 2.4 | 4.9 | 1.4 | .2 | 7.9 |
| 1990–91 | New York | 76 | 64 | 28.3 | .499 | .250 | .814 | 2.3 | 5.7 | 1.7 | .1 | 7.8 |
| 1991–92 | Atlanta | 56 | 0 | 19.4 | .462 | .500 | .605 | 1.7 | 3.3 | 1.5 | .0 | 4.6 |
| 1992–93 | New Jersey | 35 | 0 | 14.6 | .548 | .000 | .889 | 1.2 | 3.1 | .9 | .1 | 3.6 |
| Career | 1101 | 736 | 31.6 | .523 | .255 | .793 | 2.8 | 6.7 | 2.1 | .3 | 11.1 | |
| All-Star | 4 | 1 | 11.0 | .438 | — | 1.000 | .8 | 1.0 | .8 | .0 | 4.0 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Philadelphia | 9 | – | 36.7 | .545 | – | .661 | 3.9 | 7.0 | 4.1 | .4 | 18.8 |
| 1980 | Philadelphia | 18 | – | 37.5 | .511 | .200 | .707 | 4.1 | 6.2 | 2.5 | .2 | 11.6 |
| 1981 | Philadelphia | 16 | – | 32.1 | .544 | .000 | .762 | 3.2 | 7.3 | 2.5 | .8 | 10.5 |
| 1982 | Philadelphia | 21 | – | 36.4 | .472 | .111 | .769 | 3.0 | 8.2 | 2.3 | .3 | 14.3 |
| 1983† | Philadelphia | 13 | – | 37.2 | .503 | .500 | .703 | 3.0 | 7.0 | 2.0 | .2 | 16.3 |
| 1984 | Philadelphia | 5 | – | 34.2 | .522 | .000 | .867 | 2.4 | 3.8 | 2.6 | .0 | 16.6 |
| 1985 | Philadelphia | 13 | 13 | 37.2 | .529 | .000 | .857 | 3.5 | 5.2 | 2.4 | .4 | 15.2 |
| 1986 | Philadelphia | 12 | 12 | 43.3 | .516 | .000 | .849 | 4.7 | 7.1 | 1.1 | .3 | 20.8 |
| 1987 | Philadelphia | 5 | 5 | 42.0 | .530 | .000 | .857 | 2.6 | 8.8 | 1.8 | .8 | 17.6 |
| 1989 | Philadelphia | 3 | 3 | 42.7 | .512 | .000 | .846 | 3.7 | 13.0 | 2.3 | .3 | 17.7 |
| 1990 | New York | 10 | 10 | 38.8 | .481 | .000 | .903 | 3.9 | 8.5 | 1.7 | .2 | 12.8 |
| 1991 | New York | 3 | 3 | 33.7 | .609 | .333 | .500 | 3.0 | 5.3 | 1.0 | .3 | 10.0 |
| 1993 | New Jersey | 5 | 0 | 16.4 | .478 | – | .000 | 1.2 | 2.8 | 1.2 | .2 | 4.4 |
| Career | 133 | 46 | 36.5 | .512 | .098 | .777 | 3.4 | 6.9 | 2.2 | .3 | 14.4 | |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portland | 2001–02 | 82 | 49 | 33 | .598 | 3rd in Pacific | 3 | 0 | 3 | .000 | Lost inFirst round |
| Portland | 2002–03 | 82 | 50 | 32 | .610 | 3rd in Pacific | 7 | 3 | 4 | .429 | Lost inFirst round |
| Portland | 2003–04 | 82 | 41 | 41 | .500 | 3rd in Pacific | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| Portland | 2004–05 | 55 | 22 | 33 | .400 | (fired) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Philadelphia | 2005–06 | 82 | 38 | 44 | .463 | 2nd in Atlantic | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| Philadelphia | 2006–07 | 82 | 35 | 47 | .427 | 3rd in Atlantic | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| Philadelphia | 2007–08 | 82 | 40 | 42 | .488 | 3rd in Atlantic | 6 | 2 | 4 | .333 | Lost inFirst round |
| Philadelphia | 2008–09 | 23 | 9 | 14 | .391 | (fired) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Detroit | 2013–14 | 50 | 21 | 29 | .420 | (fired) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Career | 620 | 305 | 315 | .492 | 16 | 5 | 11 | .313 |
· Basketball Reference
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