Bucks: Marking 40 years since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar trade changed 2 franchises
By Phil Watson
Brian Winters scored 42 points on a record-breaking night in March 1982. (US PRESSWIRE)
Brian Winters
Brian Winters had just finished up his rookie season with the Lakers, averaging 11.7 points a game as a reserve guard, when he was sent to the Midwest as part of the package the Bucks got for Kareem.
Winters, who had been the 12th overall pick out of South Carolina in the 1974 NBA Draft, became the breakout player in the trade, earning All-Star honors in both 1976 and 1978 and going on to be one of the best guards in the history of the franchise.
Winters spent eight seasons in Milwaukee, averaging 16.7 points, 4.3 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 31.7 minutes a game, shooting .478/.363/.843.
His No. 32 hangs in the rafters of the BMO Harris Bradley Center alongside that of Kareem’s No. 33 and he ranks among the franchise’s all-time leaders in points (eighth), assists (third), steals (fifth), games played (fifth) and minutes played (sixth).
Winters was forced to retire just before the start of the 1983-84 season because of back problems, only 31 years old at the time.
He entered coaching in 1984 as an assistant to Pete Carril at Princeton and later had stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks before landing the job as the first head coach of the expansion Vancouver Grizzlies in 1995. He lasted just 1½ seasons, fired with a 23-102 record.
He returned to the NBA as an assistant with the Denver Nuggets in 1997, spent three seasons as an assistant with the Golden State Warriors, including a 13-46 stint as interim coach in 2001-02, and was an assistant with the WNBA’s Indiana Fever for four seasons (2004-07).
His last coaching gig was as an assistant with the Charlotte Bobcats in 2012-13.
Here are Winters’ per-game numbers with both the Lakers before the trade and the Bucks afterward.
| Season | Tm | G | MP | FG% | 3P% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-75 | LAL | 68 | 22.3 | .443 | .826 | 2.0 | 2.9 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 2.5 | 11.7 | ||
| 1975-76 ★ | MIL | 78 | 35.8 | .464 | .829 | 3.2 | 4.7 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 3.1 | 18.2 | ||
| 1976-77 | MIL | 78 | 34.8 | .498 | .847 | 3.0 | 4.3 | 1.5 | 0.4 | 2.9 | 19.3 | ||
| 1977-78 ★ | MIL | 80 | 34.4 | .463 | .840 | 3.1 | 4.9 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 19.9 | |
| 1978-79 | MIL | 79 | 32.6 | .493 | .856 | 2.2 | 4.8 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 19.8 | |
| 1979-80 | MIL | 80 | 32.8 | .479 | .373 | .860 | 2.8 | 4.5 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 2.3 | 2.6 | 16.2 |
| 1980-81 | MIL | 69 | 25.7 | .475 | .353 | .869 | 2.0 | 3.3 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 2.0 | 2.7 | 11.6 |
| 1981-82 | MIL | 61 | 30.0 | .501 | .387 | .788 | 2.8 | 4.1 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 1.9 | 3.1 | 15.9 |
| 1982-83 | MIL | 57 | 23.9 | .434 | .324 | .859 | 1.9 | 2.7 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 2.3 | 10.6 |
| Career | 650 | 30.7 | .475 | .363 | .842 | 2.6 | 4.1 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 2.4 | 2.8 | 16.2 | |
| 8 seasons | MIL | 582 | 31.7 | .478 | .363 | .843 | 2.7 | 4.3 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 2.4 | 2.9 | 16.7 |
| 1 season | LAL | 68 | 22.3 | .443 | .826 | 2.0 | 2.9 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 2.5 | 11.7 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/16/2015.
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