Maurice Lucas

Nickname: "Luke"
Ht. 6-9
Wt. 215
College - Marquette
ABA Teams: St. Louis (1974-75 to 1975-76), Kentucky (1975-76)

Signed with the ABA Spirits of St. Louis after his sophomore year with Marquette; Along with Marvin Barnes and Gus Gerard, part of the Spirits' famous 1974-75 "all-rookie" front line; Named to 1974-75 ABA All-Rookie 2nd team after averaging 13.2 ppg and 10.2 rpg; Played next to Artis Gilmore on the Colonels' front line for most of 1975-76 season after the Spirits traded him to Kentucky for Caldwell Jones; Member of 1975-76 ABA All-Star Team; Tenacious rebounder; Famed "Enforcer" known for his aggressive, bruising style of play; Portland Trailblazers traded guard Geoff Petrie and forward Steve Hawes to the Atlanta Hawks for the 2nd overall pick in the 1976 ABA Dispersal Draft, which the Blazers used to select Lucas (at a price of $300,000); Helped the Trailblazers to the 1976-77 NBA Championship; Went on to play for the New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks, Phoenix Suns, L.A. Lakers, and Seattle SuperSonics; Played his final NBA season (1987-88) back with the Blazers; Known for carrying vitamins, tuna, peanuts and fruit on all road trips; Mild-mannered off the court.

GP Min FGM FGA FG% 3PM 3PA 3P% FTM FTA FT% TReb AST PF Stl Blk Pnts RPG APG
PPG
Career ABA Totals 166 5325 1058 2283 .463 5 27 .185 397 512 .775 1786 511 633 164 121 2518 10.8 3.1 15.2
ABA Playoff Totals 20 705 143 305 .469 0 1 .000 42 60 .700 255 72 92 20 20 328 12.8 3.6 16.4
ABA All-Star Totals 1 14 2 5 .400 0 0 .000 1 1 1.000 5 3 1 0 0 5 5.0 3.0 5.0

MEMORIES OF GEORGE RORRER: "I covered the Kentucky Colonels for the Louisville Times and they're as much a part of my happiest days as my family. One memory that stands out: One night at Freedom Hall, Maurice Lucas of the Spirits got under Artis Gilmore's skin. Artis, normally the most gentle of giants, started trying to punch Lucas. Artis had superhuman strength, but he wasn't much of a boxer. His blows were almost slaps. Lucas, one of the league's most feared fighters, backpedaled the length of the court. When he got to the baseline, he planted his feet and hit Artis with a straight right to the jaw. Artis went down in sections. First his knees crumpled, then his waist folded, then his arms flailed and then his trunk and head found the floor. By then, teammates had broken up the fight. Those who knew Artis were shocked and saddened, not that Artis had lost a fight but that he had even been in one. His agent, Herb Rudoy, flew in from Chicago to soothe the big guy's psyche. You know the rest. The Big A got over it and Lucas eventually became a Colonel, too. "

The Maurice Lucas photos above are copyright © Albert Hall and used with permission. Interested in obtaining an 8x10 print of these or other ABA photos? and let him know of your interest.

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