Ed Nealy
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Eddie Carl Nealy (born February 19, 1960 in Pittsburg, Kansas) is a retired American basketball player. At 6'7" and 238 pounds, he played as a forward.
Nealy attended Kansas State University and was selected by the Kansas City Kings in the eighth round of the 1982 NBA Draft. In 10 NBA seasons with the Kings (1982–1985), San Antonio Spurs (1986–1988), Chicago Bulls (1988–1990;1993), Phoenix Suns (1989;1990–1992) and Golden State Warriors (1992), Nealy averaged 2.7 points and 3.3 rebounds. He participated on the 1992-93 Bulls team which won the NBA Championship, although he did not appear on the playoff roster.
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[edit] Trivia
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- Nealy is the only Kansas State University player to register more than 1,000 points and rebounds.
- Nealy led Kansas State University to three NCAA appearances, including the 1980 Elite Eight and the 1981 Sweet Sixteen.
- Nealy was an honorable mention selection to the Big Eight Conference team of the 1980s.
- In 2003, Nealy was named to the Kansas State University All-Century Team.
- In 2006, Nealy was inducted into the Kansas State University Hall of Fame.
After Michael Jordan scored 69 points in a game, Ed Nealy called his mom and told her that he and Jordan combined for 72 points.
He was a member of the Chicago Bulls championship teams in 1991 and 1993.
The San Antonio Spurs use old videotapes of Nealy to demonstrate how to foul hard to new players.
During the Riverwalk celebration after the San Antonio Spurs won the 1999 NBA Championship, Steve Kerr spotted a group of former Spurs players floating nearby. On the microphone Kerr yelled, "Let's hear it for Ed Nealy." The crowd, perhaps forgetting that Nealy averaged 2.9 points in 128 games for the Spurs, fell quiet.
[edit] Quotes
Due his hustle, aggressiveness and court smarts, Nealy was uniformly praised for his unselfish praise and his willingness to be physical throughout his career.
"It's guys like Ed who make coaching a pleasure. If you give me a reason to put him into a game, he's going to find a way to contribute." --Phil Jackson[1]
In the book, The Jordan Rules, Phil Jackson labeled Nealy, "his favorite player, smartest player on the team."
With some players, a rebound hits their hand and bounces off. Nealy catches it. He has hands like Bobby Jones and Adrian Dantley. He is going to be a great pro some day. I truly mean that." --Dean Smith [2]
