Maurice Lucas life and biography

Maurice Lucas was an American professional basketball player and assistant coach with the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Portland Trail Blazers.

COLLEGE

Lucas played college basketball at Marquette University for two years, leading it to the NCAA championship game in 1974. Although Marquette did not win the title, Lucas played the full 40 minutes of the game, leading his team with 21 points and 13 rebounds.

In 1974 Lucas was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the 14th pick of that year's NBA Draft. Instead, he joined the American Basketball Association's (ABA) Spirits of St. Louis where he was named to the 1974-75 ABA All-Rookie 2nd team. Part way through his second season with the Spirits, he was traded to the Kentucky Colonels and remained with them until the ABA-NBA merger in 1976. Lucas was an ABA All-Star for the 1975-76 season.

NBA

After the ABA folded, Lucas would be selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in the subsequent dispersal draft. They had traded Geoff Petrie and Steve Hawes to the Atlanta Hawks for the 2nd overall pick, which they used to select Lucas. In the 1976-77 NBA season, Lucas led the Trail Blazers in scoring, minutes played, field goals, free throws, and offensive rebounds. Not only did the team qualify for their first trip to the playoffs that season, but Lucas and teammate Bill Walton led the Trail Blazers past the favored Los Angeles Lakers, sweeping them 4-0 in the Western Conference Finals, and stunning the league in a come-from-behind 4-2 upset victory over the Philadelphia 76ers for the championship.

In that NBA Finals series, Lucas asserted his "enforcer" role in Game 2. With the 76ers comfortably ahead late in the game, the Blazers streaked down the floor on a fast break. Lionel Hollins missed the shot, both Bob Gross and Darryl Dawkins went up and wrestled for the rebound, and both came crashing to the floor. The two appeared ready to come to punches before Lucas slapped Dawkins from behind and challenged him to fight him instead of Gross. Both benches emptied and Dawkins and Lucas were ejected. Although the 76ers would go on to win the game and go up 2-0 in the series, Lucas' actions appeared to alter the momentum of the series in favor of the Blazers. Inspired, Portland won the next two games at home in blowouts, then won at Philadelphia, and closed out the 76ers at home to win the series. Lucas remained with Portland until 1980 when he was traded to the New Jersey Nets.

Lucas moved around the league, playing for the New York Knicks, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, and Seattle SuperSonics before returning to Portland for his final professional season in 1987-88.

In his 14-year career (two in the ABA, 12 in the NBA), Lucas scored 14,857 points, pulled down 9,306 rebounds, and was a five-time All-Star (one ABA, four NBA). He was named to the 1978 All-NBA-Defense First team, the 1978 All-NBA Second team and the 1979 All-NBA-Defense Second team.

Post-playing career

The Portland Trail Blazers retired his jersey number, 20, in a ceremony on November 4, 1988. Lucas was hired by the team as an assistant coach under Mike Schuler and Rick Adelman during the 1988-89 season. In 2005, Lucas rejoined the Trail Blazers as an assistant coach under Nate McMillan.

Current Los Angeles Lakers forward Luke Walton, son of Lucas' Portland teammate Bill Walton, is named after him.
Lucas underwent surgery for bladder cancer in April 2009. With his health continuing to be a concern, Lucas resigned his coaching position following the 2009–2010 season.
His son, David Lucas, played for Oregon State University from 2001–2005.
Maurice Lucas died on October 31, 2010. He was 58. He died at his home in Portland, Oregon.

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