sport.wikisort.org - Athlete

Ernest DiGregorio (born January 15, 1951), also known as "Ernie D.", is an American former professional basketball player. He was named NBA Rookie of the Year in the 1973–74 season and shares the NBA rookie record for assists in a single game with 25. Due to a severe knee injury suffered early in DiGregorio's professional career, he played only five NBA seasons.

Ernie DiGregorio

DiGregorio playing for the Buffalo Braves
Personal information
Born	(1951-01-15) January 15, 1951 (age 71) North Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight	180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
High school	North Providence (North Providence, Rhode Island)
College	Providence (1970–1973)
NBA draft	1973 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3rd overall
Selected by the Buffalo Braves
Playing career	1973–1978
Position	Point guard
Number	15, 7
Career history
1973–1977	Buffalo Braves
1977–1978	Los Angeles Lakers
1978	Boston Celtics
Career highlights and awards
NBA Rookie of the Year (1974) NBA All-Rookie First Team (1974) NBA assists leader (1974) Consensus first-team All-American (1973)
Career NBA statistics
Points	2,997 (9.6 ppg)
Rebounds	610 (2.0 rpg)
Assists	1,594 (5.1 apg)
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2019

A 1973 NCAA All-American at Providence, DiGregorio was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.

Early life

DiGregorio played on the 1968 Rhode Island (Class B) champions at North Providence High School.

College and NBA career

He and Marvin Barnes led Coach Dave Gavitt's Providence team to a Final Four appearance in the 1973 NCAA Tournament in DiGregorio's senior season, where they eventually lost to Memphis State, but only after Barnes sustained a knee injury that forced an early exit. After playing for the Providence College Friars, DiGregorio played on a college all-star team, and along with Bill Walton, led the U.S. in defeating a Soviet team in an exhibition game, which helped heal the still-open wound of the United States' loss in the 1972 Summer Olympic finals.

Buffalo Braves (1973–1977)

Ernie "D" was drafted by the Kentucky Colonels of the American Basketball Association but opted instead for the NBA.

He was selected third overall by the Buffalo Braves in the 1973 NBA draft out of Providence College, and won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 1973–74 after averaging 15.2 points and leading the league in both free throw percentage and assists per game.[1] DiGregorio still holds the NBA rookie record for assists in a single game with 25 (a record now shared with Nate McMillan).[2] He would never again come close to that level of production, but managed to have a decent NBA career, most of which he spent with the Braves.^{[citation needed]}

During the 1976–77 season, DiGregorio led the league in free throw percentage a second time, with a then-NBA record 94.5%.[3] In 1977, he joined fellow NBA stars Julius Erving, Rick Barry, Wilt Chamberlain, and Pete Maravich, in endorsing Spalding's line of rubber basketballs, with a signature "Ernie D." ball making up part of the collection.[4]

Los Angeles Lakers (1977–1978)

Before the 1977–78 season, DiGregorio was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, and played in a Lakers' uniform in only 25 games before being waived.

Boston Celtics (1978)

The Boston Celtics signed him as a free agent but he played only sparingly for the rest of the season. He would not play in the NBA again, although he did not formally retire until 1981.^{[citation needed]}

Honors

• In 1999, DiGregorio was elected to the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame.[5]
• DiGregorio was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.

NBA career statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1973–74	Buffalo	81	—	35.9	.421	—	.902*	2.7	8.2*	0.7	0.1	15.2
1974–75	Buffalo	31	—	23.0	.440	—	.778	1.5	4.9	0.6	0.0	7.8
1975–76	Buffalo	67	—	20.4	.384	—	.915	1.7	4.0	0.6	0.0	6.7
1976–77	Buffalo	81	—	28.0	.417	—	.945*	2.3	4.7	0.7	0.0	10.7
1977–78	L.A. Lakers	25	—	13.3	.410	—	.800	0.9	2.8	0.2	0.0	3.9
1977–78	Boston	27	—	10.1	.431	—	.923	1.0	2.4	0.4	0.0	3.9
Career		312	—	25.2	.415	—	.902	2.0	5.1	0.6	0.0	9.6

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1974	Buffalo	6	—	40.0	.430	—	.889	2.7	8.7	0.2	0.0	13.7
1976	Buffalo	9	—	24.1	.484	—	1.000	1.4	5.0	0.6	0.2	7.6
Career		15	—	30.5	.453	—	.941	1.9	6.5	0.4	0.1	10.0

College statistics

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1970–71	Providence	28	—	36.2	.481	—	.830	4.0	6.5	—	—	18.6
1971–72	Providence	27	—	38.0	.436	—	.802	3.0	7.9	—	—	17.7
1972–73	Providence	31	—	36.0	.478	—	.802	3.2	8.6	—	—	24.5
Career		86	—	36.7	.468	—	.812	3.4	7.7	—	—	20.5

See also

• List of National Basketball Association players with most assists in a game

References

External links

• Career statistics and player information from NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com

На других языках

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- [en] Ernie DiGregorio

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[ru] Дигрегорио, Эрни

Эрнест А. Дигрегорио — младший (англ. Ernest A. DiGregorio, Jr.; родился 15 января 1951 года в Провиденсе, Род-Айленд, США) — американский профессиональный баскетболист, выступавший в Национальной баскетбольной ассоциации за команды «Баффало Брейвз», «Лос-Анджелес Лейкерс» и «Бостон Селтикс». Известный под прозвищем Эрни Ди, Дигрегорио играл на позиции разыгрывающего защитника, был известен высоким мастерством при обращении с мячом и умением отдавать передачи. В родном Провиденсе он был местной знаменитостью, прославившись выступлениями за баскетбольные команды старшей школы Северного Провиденса и колледжа Провиденса. С последней он в 1973 году дошёл до Финала четырёх турнира NCAA и был удостоен нескольких наград в студенческом баскетболе. На драфте НБА 1973 года он был выбран под третьим номером клубом «Баффало Брейвз», в дебютном сезоне был признан лучшим новичком, а также стал лидером лиги по передачам в среднем за игру. Карьера Дигрегорио продлилась недолго, уже во втором сезоне после травмы колена у него начался серьёзный спад, а в возрасте 27 лет, после пяти сезонов в НБА, он и вовсе ушёл из профессионального спорта.

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