Happy 77th Birthday, Charlie Scott
- Jake C
- Dec 15
- 4 min read
Cover photo: Charlie Scott at the University of North Carolina. Photo credit: Getty Images.
An NBA legend celebrates a birthday on Dec. 15 as Hall of Fame guard Charlie Scott turns 77.
Born in New York City, Scott attended Stuyvesant High School and later the Laurinburg Institute in Laurinburg, N.C., which led him to the University of North Carolina, where he was the school’s first African-American scholarship athlete. Scott frequented New York City’s Rucker Tournament, where he was a key part of Hall of Fame columnist Peter Vecsey’s championship teams.
Scott played from 1967-70 at UNC, and in his junior and senior seasons was 2nd team All-American. Scott averaged 22.3 points (50.3%, 18 shots), 7.1 rebounds, and 3.4 assists as a junior and 27.1 points (first in the ACC, 46.0% shooting on 22.6 shots), 8.6 rebounds, and 3.1 assists as a senior. He was 3-time All-ACC, 3-time All-ACC Tournament, and 2-time NCAA All-Region. In 1969’s ACC Title game, Scott scored 40 points. One of two Tar Heels to score 2,000 or more points in three seasons, Scott was twice a USBWA 1st team All-American (1969-70).
In the 1970 NBA Draft, the 6 foot, 5 inch Scott was taken 106th overall by the Boston Celtics. One of the most talent-rich drafts in league history, Scott was one of 12 eventual NBA All-Stars to emerge, along with Bob Lanier, Dave Cowens, Pete Maravich, Nate Archibald, and Dan Issel among others.
Scott played 157 games in the ABA in his first two professional seasons with the Virginia Squires, where he made an immediate impact.
As a rookie, Scott was the ABA’s Rookie of the Year and also finished third in MVP voting - 27.1 points (46.3% on 23.2 shots), 5.6 assists, and 5.2 rebounds in 84 games, 37.9 minutes per game. He played 12 playoff games with the Squires in 1971, and in his first ever playoff game put up 20 points, 10 assists, and 7 rebounds in 48 minutes against the New York Nets. Nine times in the playoff run, he scored more than 20 points, with four games of 30-plus. On April 10, 1971, he made 16-of-32 shots for 38 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists. On April 15 in Game 1 of the Eastern Division Finals against the Kentucky Colonels, he made 14-of-31 shots for 35 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds. In Game 2 of the series, he tallied 28-9-9, before 30 points, 13 assists, and 6 rebounds, and 30 points and 7 rebounds.
In 73 games with the Squires in 1971-72, Scott led the ABA in scoring at 34.6 points per game, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.8 assists in 41.9 minutes per game. He shot 44.9% from the field, leading the league in field-goals made (13.5) and field-goal attempts (30.0) per game.
The Celtics traded Scott’s NBA rights in 1972 to the Phoenix Suns, and Phoenix was where Scott played the remaining six games of the 1971-72 season and the forthcoming three seasons. In 29.5 minutes per game with the Suns in 1972, Scott averaged 18.8 points per game (42.5% on 18.8 shots), 4.3 assists, and 3.8 rebounds. From the 1972-73 season to 1974-75, Scott was an NBA All-Star.
Charlie Scott’s All-Star Seasons
1972-73: 25.3 points (44.6% FG, 22.3 FGA), 6.1 assists, 4.2 rebounds, 37.8 minutes, 81 games
1973-74: 25.4 points (45.9% FG, 22.5 FGA), 5.2 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 38.5 minutes, 52 games
1974-75: 24.3 points (44.1% FG, 23.1 FGA), 4.5 assists, 4.0 rebounds, 37.6 minutes, 69 games
In 1975, Scott was traded to the Celtics for guard Paul Westphal. Scott played 156 games with Boston, beginning with 82 in 1975-76. That season, he posted 17.6 points (44.9% on 16.0 shots), 4.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game in 35.5 minutes per game to help the Celtics win the 1976 NBA Championship in six games over the Suns. In the 1976 playoffs, Scott scored 20 or more points four times. In Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Buffalo Braves, he made 13-of-24 shots for 31 points and 8 assists in 43 minutes. In Game 6 of the Finals, he made 9-of-24 shots for 25 points, with 11 rebounds, and 5 steals.
Scott played 43 games in 1976-77, recording averages of 18.2 points (44.4% on 17.1 shots), 4.6 assists, and 4.4 rebounds in 36.8 minutes per game. In the 1977 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Philadelphia 76ers, he scored 20 or more points five times in the seven-game series. He played 31 games with the Celtics during the 1977-78 season (16.3 points on 43.3%, 4.6 assists in 34.8 minutes) before a December trade to the Los Angeles Lakers for forward Kermit Washington and guard Don Chaney. In 48 games (29.0 minutes per game) with the Lakers, Scott averaged 11.7 points (44.2% on 10.6 shots) and 4.9 assists per game.
After the 77-78 season, the Lakers traded Scott to the Denver Nuggets for draft picks. Scott played 148 games with the Nuggets over the next two seasons, his final two in the league. He posted averages of 12.0 points per game and 9.3 points per game in those two seasons. He scored 17 points in each of his final two playoff games (1979 first round against the Lakers).
Scott retired in 1980 with 10,037 career NBA points and 4,800 career ABA points. His averages between both leagues are 20.7 points (44.8% on 18.7 shots), 4.9 assists, and 4.0 rebounds in 35.6 minutes per game in 717 total games. He played 560 career NBA games and had averages of 17.9 points (44.4% on 16.5 shots), 4.8 assists, and 3.6 rebounds in 34.4 minutes per game. In 208 games with the Suns, Scott averaged 24.8 points on 44.7% shooting (22.5 shots), 5.3 assists, and 4.1 rebounds in 37.7 minutes per game.
In 2018, Scott was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Happy 77th to a trailblazer and one of the best to come out of NYC and UNC, Charlie Scott.
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