Celebrated as one of the greatest shooters in NBA history, Gail Goodrich was a member of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 1971-72 team that won 33 consecutive games and set an all-time record for the best start in professional sports.
Gail Goodrich was born on April 18, 1943, in Los Angeles, California. He was drafted by the LA Lakers from UCLA with their last pick in 1965. In his 14 years playing basketball professionally, he scored over 19,000 points averaging more than 19 points per game. Let’s take a look at his basketball career!
Early LifeGail Goodrich – Early Life
The player had a positive relationship with both of his parents. His parents were incredibly encouraging of his basketball career. They, nevertheless, constantly reminded their son about the significance of education and urged him to take his studies as seriously as he does basketball. In addition, the father of the shooting guard was a one-time college hoops star.
In the late 1930s, Goodrich Sr. played for the University of Southern California and ruled the court completely. Although Gail Sr. did not pursue a professional career in basketball, he is well-known for his involvement with college athletics. As a result, it’s reasonable to assume that Gail Jr. was introduced to the game at an early age by watching and learning dribbling from his father. His interest in basketball developed as he watched and learned dribbling from his father, which is why he credits Gail Sr. as his greatest motivation and source of inspiration.
Gail Goodrich – College Career
Gail Goodrich, a UCLA Hall of Famer and All-American guard for the Los Angeles Lakers, was another late bloomer. Dissimilar to “too big” Jones, he was labeled “too little” as a high school student in Los Angeles in the 1960s. When John Wooden saw him during city playdowns as a junior at UCLA, he noticed him while looking at another prospect.
The two-time All-American would take center stage as Wooden won his first two national titles in 1964 and 1965. It was in 1965 when Goodrich scored 42 points against Michigan, a title game record for individual points at the time, not to be beaten for another 7 years, when Bill Walton would score 44 against Memphis.
In four 1965 NCAA Tournament contests, Gail scored 40, 30, 28, and 42.
In his senior year, Goodrich scored 24.6 points per game for the Bruins, who won back-to-back NCAA championships. At UCLA, Goodrich helped lead the team to a 78-11 three-year record. In both of those years, he was on the NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team. Goodrich at the time finished as UCLA’s all-time leading scorer (1,690 points), which has since been broken by Don MacLean (2,608 points).
Gail Goodrich – NBA Career
Goodrich was the final territorial selection during the 1965 draft for the Los Angeles Lakers, unfortunately sitting safely on the bench for the remainder of his time in the franchise. His lack of height was readily apparent. Elgin Baylor called him “Stumpy” since he was attempting to make a name for himself among giants at 6-foot-1 tall.
Gail Goodrich – Los Angeles Lakers
In his first season, he made an appearance in 65 games, shot horribly and had an average of 7.8 points per game. Walt Hazzard split time with him at guard the following year, but only slightly refined his scoring. The Lakers took in Archie Clark and West the following season, and Goodrich was once again disappointed.
Gail Goodrich – Phoenix Suns
In ’68, after a brief and unsuccessful stay with the Lakers, Los Angeles let Goodrich go in the draft to the Phoenix Suns, where he became an instant star and beloved of Suns fans.
In his first season with the Suns, Goodrich led them with 23.8 points, which was number one in the franchise and number six in the whole league. Goodrich defied critics who had named him a non-versatile player by placing seventh in assists with 6.4 per contest and being chosen to participate in 1969’s All-Star match.
The next year, in one of the Suns’ most difficult campaigns, Goodrich had an average of 20.0 points as well as 7.5 apg.
That season, the Suns lost Lew Alcindor (or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), but won Connie Hawkins. He had filed a lawsuit against the NBA and claimed he was unjustly blacklisted because of his alleged involvement in a fixing controversy which was without much solid proof. Goodrich had another player to share the limelight with in the form of another instant fan favorite: The Hawk.
After one particularly poor stretch during the season, Goodrich called a players-only meeting. According to Wolf, the team as a whole spoke against each other, but there were no brawls. Instead of focusing on Hawkins, Goodrich targeted him and argued that he didn’t understand what made him tick.
Gail Goodrich – Power of Leadership
Goodrich showed his teammates that he was a leader by knocking them down. And, as the Suns crushed Chicago the next night, Goodrich made several “snappy” passes to his teammates, demonstrating that results are more important than feelings.
In one of the most thrilling playoff rounds in Suns history, Phoenix took a first-round 3-1 lead against the powerful Los Angeles Lakers. Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, and Wilt Chamberlain, all future Hall of Famers, were on the Los Angeles squad. “Stumpy” averaged 20.3 points per game, good for second place only to The Hawk’s 25.4 points.
However, the Suns were unable to overcome a heartbreaking loss in game 6 of the series, and center Jim Fox being hurt exacerbated their problems. It was the first time an NBA club had taken a 3-1 lead in a seven-game series and lost it.
Gail Goodrich – Lakers, Again
Goodrich became a legend and impressed his former employers enough to enable the Lakers to acquire him back in 1970. That was an ill-advised trade by inexperienced General Manager Jerry Colangelo.
The trade had huge benefits for the Lakers. West’s responsibilities had altered since the legendary Bill Sharman took over. While the team sputtered on offense, Goodrich blossomed into a playmaker, averaging 9.5 assists in 1970-71 and 9.7 in 1971-72 under his leadership.
Meanwhile, while West was lighting up the League, Goodrich flourished as a beneficiary of his passes. During 1971-72, Goodrich emerged as a star for the Grizzlies, finishing fifth in point production and leading the team. He was also third in free throw accuracy (.850) and appeared for the second time in the All-Star match.
Gail Goodrich – NBA Championship
The Los Angeles Lakers were virtually unbeatable during the 1971-72 season, with Wilt Chamberlain at center, Goodrich and West in the backcourt, and Happy Hairston and Jim McMillian in the frontcourt. On their way to a 69-13 record, they established a record-breaking streak of 33 games.
Following their change of home from Minneapolis, the Lakers were steaming through opponents for their first championship in the new location. During the Lakers’ run to the Cup, Goodrich had an average of 23.8 points per game.
In the 1972-73 season, Gail Goodrich was subsequently proving that his success was no coincidence. For the third time in his career, he was an All-Star, and helped the Lakers with 23.9 points per game, which placed him at number 8 in the NBA. Los Angeles’ squad sweeped the Bucks and Bulls in the postseason to get another chance for the championship.
They faced the New York Knicks, who were more than ready for a retry after being defeated in the previous year’s title series. To win the final just in five games, the Knicks clamped down on Goodrich and the Lakers’ fast break.
Gail Goodrich – New Orleans Jazz
Goodrich continued to perform quite well during the final seasons with Los Angeles, getting the privilege to appear in his final All-Star Game in 1975, but his fervor for the team evaporated. The Lakers had started to fade away after Chamberlain’s retirement in 1973 and West’s departure in 1974.
Gail Goodrich got a deal with New Orleans. With Maravich, a new addition, he made a great duo. Despite an early start, in which Goodrich and Maravich amassed 48 points per game (third-most in the NBA), injuries ruined Goodrich’s season.
During the first game of the new campaign, he strained his Achilles tendon, and his eagerness to appear in each game exacerbated the problem. Finally, Goodrich had surgery in January and subsequently missed the remainder of the year after 27 games with a ruptured Achilles tendon.
Goodrich was plagued by illness again the following season, which limited his effectiveness as a player. In 81 games in 1977-1978, he averaged 16.1 ppg and managed a .495 in field accuracy, adding another 1,700 to his career total of 17,000. Goodrich scored 25 in just over 28 minutes against the Knicks on January 11th to break 17,000 points.
After averaging 12.7 points in the last season, Goodrich hung up his sneakers for a final score of 19,181 points. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996.
Gail Goodrich – Net Worth
Gail Goodrich is an NBA Hall of Famer and retired basketball player who is estimated to have a net worth of approximately $15 Million. He had a successful career in the NBA, playing for teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks. His wealth has been accumulated through his successful basketball career as well as various business investments.
Is Gail Goodrich a Hall of Famer?
Goodrich was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996, 17 years after he had retired from playing professional basketball.
How many years did Gail Goodrich play for the NBA?
He played in the NBA for over 14 years. Goodrich played in 1,031 games over his 14-year NBA career, averaging 18.6 points per game. He was a five-time All-Star and the leading scorer on the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers, one of the greatest teams in NBA history.
