Norm Nixon

Stormin' Norman: Two-time NBA champion and All-Star point guard for the Showtime Lakers.

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Norman Ellard Nixon (born October 11, 1955) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Diego/Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also played with Scavolini Pesaro in Italy. Nicknamed "Stormin' Norman", he is a two-time NBA All-Star. He won two NBA championships with the Lakers in 1980 and 1982, at the beginning of their Showtime era.

Quick Facts

Born: 11 October 1955
Birthplace: Macon, Georgia, U.S.
High school: Southwest (Macon, Georgia)
College: Duquesne (1973–1977)
Draft round: 1
Draft pick: 22
Drafted by: Los Angeles Lakers
Career position: Point guard

Lore & Background

Nixon was selected in the first round of the 1977 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 22nd overall pick. He played for the Lakers for six successful seasons. For the 1978–79 season, Nixon tied Eddie Jordan of the New Jersey Nets for the NBA lead in steals with 201. The next season (1979–80), he led the league in minutes played (3,226), minutes-per-game (39.3), and was third in assists with 642.

In 1979–80, Lakers coach Jack McKinney had the 6 ft rookie Magic Johnson, who some analysts thought should play forward, be a point guard, even though Nixon was already one of the best in the league. In his four years sharing play-making responsibilities with Johnson, Nixon averaged at least seven assists each season. Nixon helped the Showtime Lakers win NBA championships in 1980 (4–2) and 1982 (4–2), both against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Lakers lost in the 1983 NBA Finals, in which Philadelphia swept 4–0.

In game one of the 1983 finals, Nixon had a violent collision with Andrew Toney of the 76ers early in the first quarter. He continued to play in games one and two despite a separated shoulder. Prior to the start of the 1983–84 season, Nixon was traded to the San Diego Clippers in exchange for the draft rights to guard Byron Scott and backup center Swen Nater. In his first year with the Clippers, Nixon led the league in total assists with 914, and regular season games played (82).

He made the All-Star team for the second time in the 1984–85 season. After the 1985–86 season, he spent much of his later career on the injured list, spending more than two full seasons on the injured list before retiring for good at the end of the 1988–89 season. During his time with the Clippers, the team never made the playoffs. Nixon missed the 1986–87 season after stepping into a hole during a softball game in Central Park on July 23, 1986.

He suffered severe damage to the tendon just above his left knee. Nixon ruptured his right Achilles tendon during a pre-season practice on November 4, 1987; the injury caused him to miss the entire 1987–88 season. Before his injuries, he played in 715 of 725 games available in his first nine seasons. After leaving the NBA in March 1989, Nixon played for Scavolini Pesaro of the Italian Serie A in April and May.

Reader's Guide

Nixon was a two-time NBA All-Star and two-time NBA champion with the Lakers. He led the league in steals in 1978–79, minutes played in 1979–80, and total assists in 1983–84. He averaged 15.7 points and 8.3 assists per game over his NBA career.