Bob Lanier - The Dobber

Robert "Bob" Jerry Lanier, Jr. (born September 10, 1948, in Buffalo, New York), is a retired American professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks of the NBA. He played competitively at Buffalo's Bennett High School where he graduated in 1966, and collegiately at St. Bonaventure University, in Olean, New York.

Lanier was drafted number one overall by the National Basketball Association's Detroit Pistons and was named to the All-Rookie Team following the 1970-71 season. He starred for Detroit until being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in 1980. In his five seasons with the Bucks, they won the division championship each year. The same year he retired, in 1984, he was awarded the Oscar Robertson Leadership Award.

In his 14 NBA seasons, Lanier averaged 20.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per game while shooting a respectable 51.4 percent from the field. He played in eight NBA All-Star Games, and was named Most Valuable Player of the 1974 game. Lanier was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame and had his #16 jersey retired by both the Pistons and the Bucks.

In 1994-95, he became interim head coach of the Golden State Warriors for 37 games after Don Nelson stood down, in which he compiled a 12-25 win-loss record.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• basketball

[opt10opt]

Oh yea Man Lanier had a sweet hook shot . Would have loved to see how Shaq would have done against guys like Lanier, Gilmore, Unseld , Walton, Jabbar and others.I dont think he would have been as dominant as he was.

[radovlasic12]

ok, lets be honest to ourselves 70's weren't great times for the NBA. viewer interest was low until bird and magic came along, but that does not, by any means, mean there weren't great players bacl then. I actually kinda think it was bliss for people who like watching dominant big men : jabbar, chamberlain(tho he was in his twilight), willis reed, bill walton, mcadoo... yeah, laimbeer was one of 'em. his fundamentals excelled for his era, and that left-hand is just irresistable...

[Ariamaluum]

@radovlasic12. What I mean to be on TV on a Saturday or Sunday, you really had to have marquee players or teams. You look at the WNBA today, that is what the NBA had to go through. The man who started this for the NBA was Ted Turner. He was the one who started to show regular season games or Tuesday's and Thursday's of first Larry Bird and a bit of Isiah Thomas but he broke the mold by showing games of Michael Jordan who didn't win a championship, yet on weekdays. Jordan could handle it. Others?

[radovlasic12]

@Ariamaluum

i would think that after a while you would get used to it. fair point tho, never really thought about that one, but still, pro hoops is intended as a show business of sorts, and whats he point if noone were watching, right?

[Ariamaluum]

@radovlasic12. I think lack of viewership made better players because sometimes playing when the camera is on is harder. Many of them strived to get on camera. Look at the WNBA.

[keithmoon29]

More than any athlete EVER, I wonder what BIG BOB would have been, had he had health on his side. He had something like 6 or 7 MAJOR operations on EACH knee in 12 years. They claimed he was basically playing at about half the speed and agility he had in college prior to his first huge injury in the NCAA tourney. St. Bony was expected by many to win it all with a healthy Lanier. Everyone wanted to see Bob vs Walton and Jabbar. He did just fine, but we'll never really know what COULD HAVE BEEN?

[DJDStebb716]

Even though I am a Bonaventure student and love Lanier, Shaq would've dominated any of the big men back then.

[bertmustin]

Is battles with Roger Murdock were epic.

[elfirrepins]

The MUSIC!

[rmartin232]

ok what exactly does dobber mean in america? because its not a particularly flattering word here in scotland lmao (basically means wanker lol)

[warheart999]

Big Bad Bob Lanier!

i didn't know he writes with his right hand!

but myself being a lefty who shoots with his right it's pretty cool!