- Reggie Harding
Reginald Harding (
May 4 ,1942 –September 2 ,1972 ) was an American professionalbasketball player.A 7'0" native of
Detroit, Michigan , Harding was selected by theDetroit Pistons in the fourth round of the1962 NBA Draft . He became the first player drafted into the NBA without having played in college, [Dupree, David. "Even Without College Experience Play of Dawkins May Someday Match His Ego and Personality". "The Washington Post". 12 June 1977. ] although he did not enter the NBA until the 1963-64 season. In four NBA seasons with the Pistons andChicago Bulls , Harding averaged 9.0 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. Harding also spent part of the 1967-68 season with the ABA'sIndiana 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, [Sachare, Alex. "The Chicago Bulls Encyclopedia". Chicago: Contemporary, 1999] and he often struggled with
drug addiction s. According to Peter Benjaminson's "The Lost Supreme: The Life of Dreamgirl Florence Ballard", Harding rapedFlorence Ballard , a member ofThe Supremes , at knifepoint in 1960. [Benjaminson, Peter. "The Lost Supreme: the Life of Dreamgirl Florence Ballard". Chicago: Lawrence Hill Books, 2008. 22-23.]Harding was shot dead at a Detroit intersection in 1972. [Reusse, Patrick. "And the winner for stupidity by an athlete is ...". "Minneapolis Star-Tribune". 30 May 1998.]
Notes
See also
List of prep-to-pro players External links
* [http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hardire01.html Career statistics]
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