Bucks: Marking 40 years since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar trade changed 2 franchises
By Phil Watson
Dave Meyers, shown on a 1976 Topps basketball card.
Dave Meyers
The No. 2 overall pick in the 1975 NBA Draft out of UCLA, Dave Meyers was traded just a little more than two weeks later, sent to Milwaukee as part of the Kareem package.
But, much like Winters, Meyers was plagued by back trouble during a brief NBA career.
Meyers had a breakout season in 1977-78, averaging 14.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and three assists per game as the Bucks returned to the playoffs, but he missed the entire 1978-79 season because of his back.
Returning in 1979-80, Meyers was solid in a reduced role, but then abruptly retired at season’s end—just 27 years old—citing his family and his religious faith as the reasons for giving up the NBA.
Meyers told the Milwaukee Sentinel during a press conference announcing his retirement that he knew he was taking an unconventional route.
“People think I’m crazy, but that’s the way it is,” Meyers said at the time. “I know I’m only 27 and this goes against the system, but my family is very important to me. My wife and I did a pro and con thing with basketball. There weren’t many pros.”
Here are Meyers’ per-game numbers with the Bucks.
| Season | Tm | G | MP | FG% | 3P% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975-76 | MIL | 72 | 22.1 | .419 | .643 | 6.2 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 2.0 | 7.4 | ||
| 1976-77 | MIL | 50 | 25.2 | .467 | .661 | 6.8 | 1.7 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 3.0 | 9.7 | ||
| 1977-78 | MIL | 80 | 30.2 | .461 | .722 | 6.7 | 3.0 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 2.7 | 3.0 | 14.7 | |
| 1979-80 | MIL | 79 | 27.9 | .481 | .200 | .634 | 5.7 | 2.8 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 2.3 | 2.8 | 12.1 |
| Career | 281 | 26.6 | .461 | .200 | .676 | 6.3 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 2.5 | 2.7 | 11.2 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/16/2015.
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