Bobster's Trivia Corner

[Mori Chu]

Good trivia. I thought of 5 of the top 7, but didn’t get the guy at #1. More obscure than you’d really imagine.

I've long thought that a weekly (or daily, or whatever) Suns/NBA trivia challenge here on the site would be really fun. If I didn't have 4.5 kids running me ragged I'd try to add it to the site, but I can barely keep up on the Suns games and a few posts here every day or so. It'd be fun to try to think of some stat or player and have people cast votes and make guesses on it and see a leaderboard.

[The Bobster]

Paul is the Clippers' franchise leader in total assists and steals per game.

The ESPN article made me think, who is the Clippers' all-time leader in points scored? I'll put the answer in a spoiler tag.

Spoiler: show/hide

It's Randy Smith, who played for them in the 1970s when the team was called the Buffalo Braves, and one inaugural season in 1978-79 when they first moved to San Diego.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/te ... areer.html

Good trivia. I thought of 5 of the top 7, but didn’t get the guy at #1. More obscure than you’d really imagine.

If you're old enough you'll remember Smith as the league's iron man who held the consecutive game record before A.C. Green broke it. He was also the MVP of the 1978 All-Star Game in Atlanta. Smith was a great athlete and had been an All-American in basketball, track and soccer at Buffalo State before joining the Buffalo Braves and in 1975 had a tryout for the NASL's Tampa Bay team, but his contract with the Braves prevented him from signing.

[The Bobster]

Good trivia. I thought of 5 of the top 7, but didn’t get the guy at #1. More obscure than you’d really imagine.

I've long thought that a weekly (or daily, or whatever) Suns/NBA trivia challenge here on the site would be really fun. If I didn't have 4.5 kids running me ragged I'd try to add it to the site, but I can barely keep up on the Suns games and a few posts here every day or so. It'd be fun to try to think of some stat or player and have people cast votes and make guesses on it and see a leaderboard.

I think I'd actually have more fun writing questions for that than answering them.

For instance - Which was the first player drafted by the Suns who eventually made it to the Basketball Hall of Fame? How many Suns college draft choices are in the Hall of Fame?

[O_Gardino]

Good trivia. I thought of 5 of the top 7, but didn’t get the guy at #1. More obscure than you’d really imagine.

I've long thought that a weekly (or daily, or whatever) Suns/NBA trivia challenge here on the site would be really fun. If I didn't have 4.5 kids running me ragged I'd try to add it to the site, but I can barely keep up on the Suns games and a few posts here every day or so. It'd be fun to try to think of some stat or player and have people cast votes and make guesses on it and see a leaderboard.

I think I'd actually have more fun writing questions for that than answering them.

For instance - Which was the first player drafted by the Suns who eventually made it to the Basketball Hall of Fame? How many Suns college draft choices are in the Hall of Fame?

Do it Bobster! A thread like that would be fun.

[BKinSJC]

Good trivia. I thought of 5 of the top 7, but didn’t get the guy at #1. More obscure than you’d really imagine.

I've long thought that a weekly (or daily, or whatever) Suns/NBA trivia challenge here on the site would be really fun. If I didn't have 4.5 kids running me ragged I'd try to add it to the site, but I can barely keep up on the Suns games and a few posts here every day or so. It'd be fun to try to think of some stat or player and have people cast votes and make guesses on it and see a leaderboard.

I think I'd actually have more fun writing questions for that than answering them.

For instance - Which was the first player drafted by the Suns who eventually made it to the Basketball Hall of Fame? How many Suns college draft choices are in the Hall of Fame?

I think the answer to the first question is:

► Show Spoiler

Walter Davis, drafted by the Suns 5th overall in 1977

I believe the second question is:

► Show Spoiler

Davis, plus Steve Nash (drafted 15th by the Suns in 1996). There's a third Suns draftee who would seem to be a lock to get in eventually as a coach, rather than as a player, as well - Steve Kerr (1998, 50th overall pick). I'm not sure what the eligibility rules are for coaches, it seems like some have been inducted while they're still active. In any case, given his longevity and success, Kerr will be in eventually.

[The Bobster]

Davis was the second, Nash was the third. And I'm not counting Gail Goodrich, who they took in the expansion draft.

There's one more.

[BKinSJC]

Davis was the second, Nash was the third. And I'm not counting Gail Goodrich, who they took in the expansion draft.

There's one more.

► Show Spoiler

Looks like it's Iceman, George Gervin. Drafted in the third round in 1974, when he'd already been playing in the ABA for a couple of years. I assume the Suns did this to obtain his NBA rights, just in case, and I guess it might've paid off if the Spurs had folded prior to the merger. I did have to cheat and look.

[The Bobster]

The first four Hall of Famers who played for the Suns were not drafted by the Suns - Gail Goodrich (Lakers, 1965), Connie Hawkins (not drafted, 1964), Charlie Scott (Celtics, 1970), Gus Johnson (Bullets, 1963) and Paul Westphal (Celtics, 1972). Hawkins had played his freshman year at Iowa before getting banned by the NBA for contact with notorious fixer/gambler Jack Molinas.

Walter Davis was the first Hall of Fame player to play for the Suns who was drafted by them (1977).
Pat Riley was a Hall of Fame coach who played for the Suns after being drafted by the Rockets in 1967.

So there's still one player selected in the 1970s who never played for the Suns but is in the Hall of Fame.

I wouldn't mind posting a question every weekend if there are enough people who show interest in it. And I'll try to come up with questions that cover all 58 years of the team's existance rather than just the early days or recent teams.

[The Bobster]

Davis was the second, Nash was the third. And I'm not counting Gail Goodrich, who they took in the expansion draft.

There's one more.

► Show Spoiler

Looks like it's Iceman, George Gervin. Drafted in the third round in 1974, when he'd already been playing in the ABA for a couple of years. I assume the Suns did this to obtain his NBA rights, just in case, and I guess it might've paid off if the Spurs had folded prior to the merger. I did have to cheat and look.

Yes. It was Gervin. He was suspended during his sophomore season (1971-72) by Eastern Michigan after punching an opponent in a game, then played in 1972-73 with the Pontiac Chaparrals of the Continental Basketball Association (that's not the CBA you may be familiar with that started in 1977) and signed with the Virginia Squires of the ABA midway through the 1972-73 season after being noticed by former Suns coach John "Red" Kerr, who was the V.P. of Operations for the Squires.

[The Bobster]

Here's an easier one.

Kevin Johnson had a cup of coffee (2 games) as a minor league baseball player with the Modesto A's as a shortstop in 1986 before entering the NBA in 1987. Who is his teammate on the Suns who played Major League Baseball from 1979 to 1981? (A hint - he's also the only high schooler selected as an All-American in football, baseball and basketball).

[Split T]

Danny Ainge

[Charlie Smithy!]

Danny Ainge

Trent Plaisted

[The Bobster]

Danny Ainge

Yep, Ainge had made it to the majors with the Toronto Blue Jays while still playing college basketball at Brigham Young where he was a concesus All-American his senior year and won the Wooden Award and the NABC Player of the Year awards. When the 1981 NBA Draft came around Ainge was still under contract with the Blue Jays which prevented him from going high in the draft. Boston took him in the 2nd round with the 31st pick and suddenly Ainge becaume interested in playing basketball with Larry Bird, Robert Parish and Kevin McHale. Red Auerbach tried to sign Ainge away from the Blue Jays, but eventually had to compensate them in exchange for them allowing him out of his contract. Since he was a weak-hitting third baseman Boston was probably doing Totonto a favor. And if you think Grayson Allen and Dillon Brooks have reputations as villains, Ainge was on another level. The Bill Laimbeer/Rick Barry level. EVERYBODY hated him when he was with the Celtics.

[Superbone]

Hey, @The Bobster, I hope you don't mind I created a thread for you. I'd hate to have all that great trivia become buried. We can change the name to whatever you want.

[The Bobster]

I'll look at having at least one Suns question every weekend and maybe a general NBA one as well.

[The Bobster]

Here's a quick one to keep the seat warm until the weekend.

This former player is a member of the ASU Sun Devil Hall of Fame and was the first former Sun to die when he passed away after a motorcycle accident in San Diego at age 29. A second-round pick by the Lakers, he had a two-year career which ended due to a series of run-ins with the law (including the sale of cocaine, receiving stolen money, battery of a police officer and lewd and lucivious behavior) which resulted in prison time.

[BKinSJC]

Geez, that's a $2000-level clue.

I didn't know it, but was able to find the answer

► Show Spoiler

(Paul Stovall)

with a little searching. It might be more accurate, though, to say that he was the first Suns *player* to pass away - the first Sun to pass (thinking about someone closely associated with the franchise) would probably be the original Voice of the Suns, Bob Vache. Vache died in a car crash in 1970, at 45 years old.

[The Bobster]

Any idea who the only player on the Suns roster to serve alongside Al McCoy as color commentator for Suns games was? What were the circumstances?

Hint - He passed away in 2025.

[Mori Chu]

Any idea who the only player on the Suns roster to serve alongside Al McCoy as color commentator for Suns games was? What were the circumstances?

Hint - He passed away in 2025.

Is it ...

Spoiler: show/hide

Rodney Rogers?

[The Bobster]

Any idea who the only player on the Suns roster to serve alongside Al McCoy as color commentator for Suns games was? What were the circumstances?

Hint - He passed away in 2025.

Is it ...

Spoiler: show/hide

Rodney Rogers?

Nope!