Sam Lacey

Lacey was born on March 8, 1948, in Indianola, Mississippi.^[1] He attended Gentry High School in Indianola. He was MVP of the Mississippi High School All Star Game.^[2]

Lacey attended New Mexico State University, and played college basketball there as its 6-foot-10-inch (2.08 m) center.^[3] He was recruited by Ed Murphy, an assistant to head coach Lou Henson.^[1] The Aggies had a combined record of 74–14 during the three seasons he played varsity basketball there (1967-1970), and were in the NCAA tournament all three years.^[4][5] In 1968, he was the MVP of the Evansville Classic.^[5]

In the 1969–70 post-season, he and All-American star guard Jimmy Collins (24.3 points per game) led the Aggies to their first and only Final Four appearance. Lacey averaged 17.7 points and 15.9 rebounds per game that season.^[6] The Aggies defeated Rice University, Kansas State University and Drake University before falling to eventual national champion UCLA and legendary coach John Wooden at the Final Four.^[7][2]

Lacey suffered a foot injury early in the game, and the Aggies were not competitive in the second half.^[1][2] UCLA had won five of the previous six NCAA titles, and would go on to win the next three.^[8] However, the Aggies won the third-place game over St. Bonaventure to finish 27–3, and ended the year ranked fifth in the nation.^[7][9] Lacey earned first-team All-American honors from Basketball Weekly.^[5]

While at New Mexico State, Lacey set team rebounding records for a career, season and single game.^[5] As of 2024, Lacey's 1969-1970 average of 15.9 rebounds per game remains the school record, and his 493 total rebounds that season is still the record as well.^[10] In 1975, he was inducted into the New Mexico State Athletics Hall of Fame.^[5] In February 2008, Lacey was among the first inductees into the Aggies Ring of Honor, along with his coach Lou Henson, and Billy Joe Price.^[11] In 2015, he became the first New Mexico State basketball player to be inducted into the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame.^[12]

Lacey was drafted in the first round (fifth overall) of the 1970 NBA draft by the Cincinnati Royals,^[5] playing over ten years for that franchise. In total, he played 13 seasons (1970–1983) in the National Basketball Association. He started as a member of the Royals in Cincinnati. The team (which had moved from Rochester to Cincinnati in 1957) moved in 1972, becoming the Kansas City-Omaha Kings and then became the Kansas City Kings before the 1975-1976 season.^[13] Lacey played for both Kansas City incarnations (the same franchise now being the Sacramento Kings).^[14] At the end of his career, he played for the New Jersey Nets and Cleveland Cavaliers.^[5][14]

He averaged a double-double in points and rebounds over his first six seasons.^[14][1] Lacey had the NBA's third leading rebound average in the 1974–75 season (behind only hall of famers Wes Unseld and Dave Cowens), and the second-most total rebounds (behind only hall of famer Bob McAdoo).^[15] Lacey's most productive NBA season came in 1973–74 when he averaged 14.2 points and 13.4 rebounds per game.^[14] That year, on November 25, 1973, Lacey grabbed a career best 26 rebounds, including 10 offensive rebounds, along with scoring 20 points and recording 6 assists, in a 104–99 loss to the Seattle SuperSonics.^[16][17] He was named an All-Star in 1975,^[18] and finished the season averaging 11.5 points, 14.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game.^[14] That season, on February 5, 1975, Lacey recorded a career high 8 steals during a 90–82 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.^[19][20]

During the 1981 NBA Playoffs, Lacey was the team captain and leader^[1] and played a key role in the 40–42 five seed Kings making it to the Western Conference Finals before being eliminated by Moses Malone and the Houston Rockets.^[21] He averaged 10 points, 8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.9 steals,^[14] for a Kansas City team missing starting guards Phil Ford and Otis Birdsong due to injuries for most of the playoffs.^[22] During the following season, Lacey was traded to the Nets for Mike Woodson and a future first round draft pick.^[23]

Lacey is one of only five NBA players (along with Hakeem Olajuwon, Julius Erving, David Robinson and Ben Wallace) to have registered 100 blocks and 100 steals in six consecutive seasons.^[24] His jersey no. 44 is retired by the Sacramento Kings.^[5][1] He is also one of three NBA players (along with Wes Unseld and Reggie Evans) to total at least 30 rebounds and fewer than 10 points in the first two games of the season.^[25]

When Lacey retired in 1983, he had accumulated 9,687 rebounds and a total of 10,303 points.^[14] As of 2024, Lacey ranks 45th overall for total rebounds in NBA history, and 49th on combined ABA/NBA total rebounds.^[26]

Lacey died in his home in Kansas City, Missouri on March 14, 2014, at age 65.^[1]

• List of NBA career rebounding leaders
• List of NBA career personal fouls leaders