Bob Lanier St Bonaventure Jersey

Robert Jerry Lanier Jr. (Bob Lanier) was an American professional basketball player who played for the Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Bob was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992.

In Bob’s 14 NBA seasons, he averaged 20.1 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.5 bpg, and 1.1 spg while shooting a stellar 51.4% from the field.

Bob played in eight NBA All-Star Games, and was named Most Valuable Player of the 1974 game.

Bob had his No. 16 jersey retired by both the Pistons and the Bucks and his No. 31 jersey retired by St. Bonaventure University.

No one can mention the 1970 St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team without bringing up Bob as he scored 2,067 points in three seasons at Bona.

Bob was the No. 1 overall pick by the Detroit Pistons in the 1970 NBA draft, after a season in which he averaged 29.1 points a game.

Bob Lanier was born on September 10, 1948 and died on May 10, 2022, aged 73 after a short illness.

In a statement announcing Bob’s death, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said;

“Bob Lanier was a Hall of Fame player and among the most talented centers in the history of the NBA, but his impact on the league went far beyond what he accomplished on the court.”

“His enormous influence on the NBA was also seen during his time as President of the National Basketball Players Association, where he played a key role in the negotiation of a game-changing collective bargaining agreement.”

Bob also served as the league’s global ambassador for more than 30 years, “traveling the world to teach the game’s values and make a positive impact on young people everywhere.”