Norm Van Lier

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Norman Allen Van Lier III (born April 1, 1947, in East Liverpool, Ohio) is a former NBA basketball player who spent the majority of his career with the Chicago Bulls.

A star player at Saint Francis University, Van Lier was selected by the Bulls in the third round of the 1969 NBA Draft. The 6’1” guard was immediately traded to the Cincinnati Royals, and led the NBA in assists in 1971 while with the Royals. Van Lier was reacquired by the Bulls during the 1971-1972 season. Van Lier remained with the Bulls until 1978, appearing in three All-Star games (1974, 1976, 1977) during that tenure. Nicknamed "Stormin' Norman" because of his tenacity and aggressiveness, Van Lier was one of the most popular Bulls players of the 1970s. During his ten year career, Van Lier was named to three NBA All-Defense First Teams and five NBA All-Defense Second Teams. He was named to the All-NBA Second Team in 1974. Van Lier retired in January 1979 with career totals of 8,770 points and 5,217 assists.

Norm held the record for the longest field goal in NBA history (84 feet) for 24 years until Baron Davis broke the record on November 17, 2001 (89 feet). After retirement, Norm became a popular Chicago area broadcaster and had a supporting role in the 2002 movie Barbershop.

Van Lier is a huge fan of the Rolling Stones. In the past, he has served as a special disc jockey on the Chicago rock music station 97.9 WLUP ^{[citation needed]}.