Calvin Murphy
Hall of Fame guard and shortest NBA All-Star.
Calvin Jerome Murphy (born May 9, 1948) is an American former professional basketball player who played as a guard for the San Diego/Houston Rockets from 1970 to 1983. He is the shortest NBA player inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the shortest to play in an NBA All-Star Game.
Quick Facts
- Born
- 9 May 1948
- Birthplace
- Norwalk, Connecticut, U.S.
- High school
- Norwalk (Norwalk, Connecticut)
- College
- Niagara (1967–1970)
- Draft round
- 2
- Draft pick
- 18
- Drafted by
- San Diego Rockets
- Career number
- 23
Facts from the source article.
Early years
Before basketball, Calvin Murphy was a world-class baton twirler, having won a national championship in the eighth grade in 1963. He performed at major sporting events and the 1964 New York World's Fair. In 1977, while playing for the Rockets, he won the Texas State Men's Twirling Championship. He played at Norwalk High School, earning All-State honors three times and All-America twice.
College career
Murphy attended Niagara University, where he was a three-time All-American and scored 2,548 points in 77 games, averaging 33.1 points per game. He once scored 68 points against Syracuse University. In 1970, he led Niagara to the NCAA tournament, advancing to the second round. He was one of "The Three M's" alongside Pete Maravich and Rick Mount.
Professional career
Murphy was drafted 18th overall by the San Diego Rockets in the 1970 NBA draft and made the All-Rookie team. In the 1975 playoffs, he averaged 24.4 points and 5.6 assists per game as the Rockets reached the semifinals. On March 18, 1978, he scored a career-high 57 points. He earned his only All-Star selection the following year. During the 1980-81 season, he helped the Rockets reach the NBA Finals, scoring a postseason career-high 42 points in a Game 7 win over the San Antonio Spurs. The Rockets lost the Finals to the Boston Celtics. Murphy set NBA records for consecutive free throws made and highest single-season free-throw percentage (1980-1981), both since broken. He held the Rockets' all-time scoring record until 1994. He retired in 1983.
Post-playing career
After retiring, Murphy worked for the Rockets organization as a television analyst, currently serving as halftime and post-game analyst on Space City Home Network. In 2004, he was tried in Houston for sexually abusing five of his daughters and was acquitted in December of that year. He hosted The Calvin Murphy Show on ESPN Radio's Houston affiliate from 2007 until its cancellation in January 2010.
More in Stadiums & Venues
Elsewhere in Philadelphia 76ers
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced