Darrell Griffith

Lore & Background

Griffith starred at Louisville Male High School and was heavily recruited by colleges all across the country. Male defeated Lexington Henry Clay 74–59 in the 1975 Kentucky State Championship game. He decided to attend his hometown school, the University of Louisville. He delivered the school's first-ever NCAA men's basketball championship in 1980, scoring 23 points in the Cardinals' 59–54 victory over UCLA in the championship game. He was named Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four. Griffith totaled 825 points in his senior season, setting a school record. He was named First Team All-American by the Associated Press and was given the Wooden Award as the best college basketball player in the nation. He left college as Louisville's all-time leading scorer with 2,333 points. His jersey number, 35, was retired during ceremonies after the 1980 season. In November 2014, Griffith was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame.

Reader's Guide

Utah selected Griffith with the second overall pick in the 1980 NBA draft. He averaged 20.6 points per game in his first season and earned the NBA's Rookie of the Year award. For the next four seasons, Griffith teamed with small forward Adrian Dantley to form one of the highest-scoring duos in the league. With defensive support from center Mark Eaton and point guard Rickey Green, the Jazz improved dramatically, winning the Midwest Division title in 1983–84 and qualifying for the NBA playoffs for the first time ever. He led the league in three-point shooting (36.1 percent) and set an NBA record for most three-pointers made in a single season (91). The following season (1984–85) was the best of his career, averaging a career-high 22.6 points per game, and broke his own league record by sinking 92 three-point shots. During the year, he passed Joey Hassett as the all-time NBA leader for most career three-pointers. He represented the Jazz in the 1984 and 1985 NBA Slam Dunk Contests. John Stockton and Karl Malone emerged as Utah's next top offensive weapons; Dantley was traded away; and Griffith began to suffer from a string of injuries. He missed the entire 1985–86 season due to a stress fracture in his foot, and lost his starting position when he returned. He needed an operation on his left knee in March 1988, missing the remainder of that season. He managed to reclaim his starting spot for most of the 1988–89 season, but lost it permanently the following year. His playing time gradually decreased until his retirement in 1991. He scored 12,391 total points over the course of his 10-year professional career – all with the Jazz. The franchise retired his jersey number 35 on December 4, 1993.

Did You Know?

• He won the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player in 1980.
• He set an NBA record for most three-pointers in a single season with 91 in 1983–84, then broke his own record with 92 in 1984–85.