Remembering Paul Westphal: 1950-2021
- Jake C
- 14 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Cover photo: Paul Westphal of the Phoenix Suns dribbles the ball against the Boston Celtics in 1976. Photo credit: Dick Raphael, NBAE and Getty Images.
A Hall of Fame NBA legend would have been 75 years old today, Nov. 30.
Paul Westphal was born on Nov. 30, 1950 in Torrance, Calif. He attended Aviation High School in Redondo Beach before a collegiate career at the University of Southern California. In 1968 while at Aviation, Westphal was named the National High School Player of the Year.
As a Trojan, Westphal was twice named to the All Pac-8 team. As a junior in 1970-71, he averaged 16.3 points per game (47.9% on 12.6 attempts) and as a senior registered 20.3 points on 48.4% shooting in 15.6 attempts per game. For his USC career, Westphal in 66 games averaged 16.4 points per game on 49.8% shooting (12.8 attempts).
Westphal was drafted by the Boston Celtics with the 10th overall selection in 1972, one slot ahead of future Denver Rockets’ legend Ralph Simpson and two ahead of Julius Erving.
In Boston, Westphal joined a 56-win team that had lost in the 1972 Eastern Conference Finals in five games to the New York Knicks. In Westphal’s rookie season, the Celtics won 68 games and lost again to the Knicks in the Conference Finals, this time in seven games. Westphal played sparingly as a rookie, just eight minutes per game in 60 games. In his second and third seasons (the Celtics won the championship in 1974), Westphal played in all 82 games, 14.2 and 19.3 minutes per game. After the 1974-75 campaign, he was dealt to the Phoenix Suns for guard Charlie Scott.
Westphal received an increase in opportunity in Phoenix, and averaged 20.5 points per game (49.4% on 16.2 shots per game) in 36.1 minutes in 82 games in the 1975-76 season. The next season, Westphal was an all-star for the first of five consecutive seasons.
Paul Westphal’s All-Star Seasons
1976-77: 21.3 points (51.8%, 16.3 FGA), 5.7 assists, 32.1 minutes, 81 games, 1st team All-NBA
1977-78: 25.2 points (51.6%, 19.6 FGA), 5.5 assists, 31.0 minutes, 80 games, 2nd team All-NBA, 6th in MVP voting. 25.2 ppg a career-high.
1978-79: 24.0 points (53.5%, 18.5 FGA), 6.5 assists, 32.6 minutes, 81 games, 1st team All-NBA
1979-80: 21.9 points (52.5%, 16.1 FGA), 5.1 assists, 32.5 minutes, 82 games, 1st team All-NBA
At the end of the 1979-80 season, Westphal was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics for guard Dennis Johnson.
1980-81: 16.7 points (44.2%, 13.9 FGA), 4.1 assists, 29.9 minutes, 36 games
Westphal’s 46 games missed in 1980-81 were due to a stress fracture in his right foot. In February of 1982, he signed a $150,000 offer sheet with the Knicks. Westphal started 12 of 18 games played in 1981-82 and averaged 11.7 points in 25.1 minutes on 44.3% shooting (10.8 attempts). In his next to last season of 1982-83, he played in 80 games, starting 59. He averaged 10.0 points on 45.9% shooting (8.7 attempts) in 24.7 minutes per game. Back in Phoenix for his final season of 1983-84, Westphal played in 59 games and averaged 14.7 minutes per game.
Overall in his 12 NBA seasons, Westphal played 823 games and in those games posted 15.6 points (50.4% on 12.3 attempts) and 4.4 assists in 25.5 minutes per contest. His Sun seasons included 465 games, 30.6 per game, and averages of 20.6 points (51.6% on 15.8 shots) and 5.2 assists per game.
From 1985-86, Westphal served as the head coach at Southwestern Baptist Bible College, now known as Arizona Christian University. He was the head coach from 1986-88 at Grand Canyon University, where he led the Antelopes in 1988 to an NAIA title. From 1988-1992, Westphal was an assistant coach on the Suns. He then became the team’s head coach for the 1992-93 season, and led the franchise to 62 wins and the 1993 NBA Finals behind League MVP Charles Barkley. Westphal led the Suns the following season to 56 wins and in 1994-95 to 59 wins. He was named head coach of the SuperSonics for the 1998-99 season and guided the team to a 25-25 record in the lockout-shortened season. In 1999-00, he led the Sonics to a 45-37 record. That team lost in five games to the Utah Jazz in the first round. Westphal coached the Sonics for 15 games (6-9) in 2000-01 before taking the head coaching job at Pepperdine University from 2001-06. In 2002, he led the Waves to the West Coast Conference regular-season title.
For the 2007-08 season, Westphal was an assistant with the Dallas Mavericks, and from 2009-2012 he served as the head coach of the Sacramento Kings. From 2014-16, he was an assistant coach with the Brooklyn Nets. In his head coaching career (10 seasons), Westphal guided his teams to a combined 318-279 record. He was the Western Conference All-Star team’s head coach in 1993 and 1995.
On April 15, 1989, Westphal’s No. 44 was retired by the Suns. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019. On January 2, 2021, Westphal died at age 70. He had been diagnosed in 2020 with glioblastoma.
The 6 foot, 4 inch Westphal was an athletic guard who was one of the best shooting guards in the NBA at the time.
On his birthday, we remember him.
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