Reggie Harding

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Reginald Harding (May 4, 1942–September 2, 1972) was an American professional basketball player.

A 7'0" native of Detroit, Michigan, Harding was selected by the Detroit Pistons in the fourth round of the 1962 NBA Draft. He became the first player drafted into the NBA without having played in college, [1] although he did not enter the NBA until the 1963-64 season. In four NBA seasons with the Pistons and Chicago Bulls, Harding averaged 9.0 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. Harding also spent part of the 1967-68 season with the ABA's Indiana Pacers, averaging 13.4 points and 13.4 rebounds in 25 games.

Harding's basketball career was cut short by a number of personal problems. As a player, he was rumored to carry a pistol in his gym bag, [2] and he often struggled with drug addictions. According to Peter Benjaminson's The Lost Supreme: The Life of Dreamgirl Florence Ballard, Harding raped Florence Ballard, a member of The Supremes, at knifepoint in 1960. [3]

Harding was shot dead at a Detroit intersection in 1972. [4]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Dupree, David. "Even Without College Experience Play of Dawkins May Someday Match His Ego and Personality". The Washington Post. 12 June 1977.
  2. ^ Sachare, Alex. The Chicago Bulls Encyclopedia. Chicago: Contemporary, 1999
  3. ^ Benjaminson, Peter. The Lost Supreme: the Life of Dreamgirl Florence Ballard. Chicago: Lawrence Hill Books, 2008. 22-23.
  4. ^ Reusse, Patrick. "And the winner for stupidity by an athlete is ...". Minneapolis Star-Tribune. 30 May 1998.

[edit] See also

List of prep-to-pro players

[edit] External links

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