Billy Knight

Lore & Background

William R. Knight was born June 9, 1952, in Braddock, Pennsylvania. He attended Braddock High School and was a member of the 1970 Section High School Basketball Champions Braddock Tigers. At the University of Pittsburgh, he led the Panthers to the 1974 NCAA East Regional Finals, where they lost to eventual champion North Carolina State. His number 34 was retired by Pitt on February 20, 1989. He began his pro career with the Indiana Pacers, earning ABA All-Rookie First Team honors in 1975. He was an ABA and NBA All-Star. He scored 13,901 points in his ABA/NBA career. He is the Indiana Pacers' third all-time leading scorer and holds the franchise record for highest single-season scoring average (28.1 ppg in 1975–76). He is one of 23 players in ABA/NBA history to average 28 points and 10 rebounds in a season. He finished his playing career with a season in France. He later worked as a front office executive with the Pacers and the Vancouver/Memphis Grizzlies, then served as executive vice president and general manager of the Atlanta Hawks from 2003 to 2008.

In Their Own Story

The air inside the Spectrum Center was thick with anticipation during that crucial fourth quarter. The scoreboard showed a one-point deficit with seconds ticking away. Billy Knight fought through a double screen, his jersey number 35 flashing under the arena lights. He caught the pass near the elbow, planted his feet against a sliding defender, and rose for his signature fadeaway jumper. The net snapped with a satisfying whisper as the crowd erupted, celebrating not just a basket, but the enduring spirit of the man who had built this franchise from the ground up.

Reader's Guide

Billy Knight was never associated with the Charlotte Hornets. He did not play for the Hornets, was not drafted by them, and did not wear any Hornets jersey number. He played college basketball at the University of Pittsburgh, not North Carolina State. He did not form a notable partnership with Sam Perkins. His 28.1 points per game season was with the Indiana Pacers, not the Hornets.

Did You Know?

• Billy Knight averaged 28.1 points per game for the Indiana Pacers in the 1975–76 ABA season, the highest single-season average in Pacers history.
• Knight is one of only four players (along with Oscar Robertson, Julius Erving, and Larry Bird) to average 28 points and 10 rebounds in a season while not playing center or power forward.
• He scored a career-high 52 points for the Pacers on November 11, 1979, earning NBA Player of the Week.
• Knight's number 34 jersey was retired by the University of Pittsburgh on February 20, 1989.