World B. Free, Otis Birdsong Celebrate Birthdays on December 9
- Jake C
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
Two NBA legends celebrate birthdays on Dec. 9, as one-time all-star World B. Free turns 72, and four-time all-star Otis Birdsong turns 70.
Born Lloyd Free, World B. changed his name to World B. Free in 1981. It was a nickname that he had gotten in junior high, an allusion to his “All-World” talent. Free was born in Atlanta, Ga., but grew up in Brownsville, Brooklyn.
A 1997 inductee into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame, Free attended Brooklyn’s Canarsie High School before enrolling at Greensboro, N.C.’s Guilford College.
In 85 career games at Guilford, Free averaged 23.6 points per game, for a total of 2,006. In 1973, Free led Guilford to the NAIA National Championship. For his efforts (his 120 tournament points in 1973 led the tournament) he was named NAIA Tournament MVP. In the title game, Free scored 30 points. He was the first freshman to ever win Most Valuable Player. A member of both the Guilford and NAIA Hall of Fames, Free was a 2-time NAIA All-American.
Free was drafted in the second round, 23rd overall, by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1975 and spent his first three seasons as a 76er. As a rookie, Free played in 71 games and averaged 8.3 points per game. In his second season, his minutes increased to 28.9 from 15.8, and shot attempts to 13.1 from 7.5. Free started 37 of 78 games in his second season and averaged 16.3 points per game on 45.7% shooting. That season, the 76ers won 50 games and made the NBA Finals, where they lost in six games to the Portland Trail Blazers.
In 1977-78, Free played 76 games and averaged 27.0 minutes per game. He averaged 15.7 points on 45.5% shooting (11.3 shots). In the 1978 offseason, Free was dealt to the San Diego Clippers, where his career started to blossom. From the 1978-79 season through to 1985-86, Free never averaged less than 22.3 points per game between 146 games with the Clippers, 162 with the Golden State Warriors, and 275 with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
World B. Free’s 20-Point Seasons
1978-79: 28.8 points (48.1% FG, 21.2 FGA, 75.6% FT), 4.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds, 37.9 minutes, 78 games; Led NBA in FTM (8.4) and FTA (11.1)
1979-80: 30.2 points (47.4% FG, 22.9 FGA, 75.3% FT), 4.2 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 38.0 minutes, 68 games, All-Star; Led NBA in FTM (8.4) and FTA (11.2)
In the 1980 offseason, the Clippers traded Free to the Golden State Warriors for Phil Smith and a future first-round draft pick. In Golden State, he was named team captain by head coach Al Attles.
1980-81: 24.1 points (44.6% FG, 17.6 FGA, 81.4% FT), 5.6 assists, 36.5 minutes, 65 games; Led NBA in FTM (8.1)
1981-82: 22.9 points (44.8% FG, 18.6 FGA), 5.4 assists, 35.8 minutes, 78 games
1982-83: 23.9 points (45.6% FG, 19.5 FGA), 4.0 assists, 36.1 minutes, 73 games. After 19 games with the Warriors (22.8 points on 45.1% shooting), Free was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Ron Brewer. In 54 games with the Cavaliers in 82-83, Free averaged 24.2 points on 45.8% shooting
1983-84: 22.3 points (44.5% FG, 18.8 FGA), 31.7 minutes, 75 games
1984-85: 22.5 points (45.9% FG, 18.7 FGA), 4.5 assists, 31.7 minutes, 71 games
1985-86: 23.4 points (45.5% FG, 19.1 FGA), 4.2 assists, 33.8 minutes, 75 games
Free played parts of two more NBA seasons, 1986-87 with the 76ers and 1987-88 with the Houston Rockets. He played 20 games with the 76ers during the 1986-87 season before signing with the Miami Tropics of the USBL. With the Tropics, he won a USBL Championship and was named playoff MVP.
Free played 886 games in 13 NBA seasons, with a 20.3 points per game lifetime average on 45.6% shooting (16.1 shots) in 30.4 minutes per game. His best seasons were as a Clipper (29.4 points per game), though he averaged over 23 with both the Warriors (23.4) and Cavaliers (23.0).
“World B. Free, man. Man, that dude was something else,” former Los Angeles Lakers’ great Michael Cooper said of Free at one time.
Happy 72nd to a Brooklyn legend.
Otis Birdsong Turns 70
I would also like to acknowledge the 70th birthday of four-time All-Star Otis Birdsong, a native of Winter Haven, Fla. who averaged 18.0 points per game on 50.6% shooting over 12 NBA seasons. Birdsong was drafted out of the University of Houston second overall in 1977 by the Kansas City Kings, and made three consecutive all-star appearances as a King from 1978-79 to 1980-81. In those three seasons, Birdsong averaged 21.7 points (50.9% shooting on 17.8 shots in 34.6 minutes, 82 games), 22.7 points (50.5% shooting on 18.9 shots in 35.2 minutes, 82 games), and 24.6 points (54.4% shooting on 18.4 shots in 36.5 minutes, 71 games) per game.
On June 8, 1981, Birdsong was traded to the New Jersey Nets for Cliff Robinson and a second-round draft pick. Birdsong played 375 games with the Nets from 1981-1988, and made his fourth all-star appearance in 1984, a 83-84 season in which he averaged 19.8 points on 50.8% shooting (16.6 shots) in 31.4 minutes per game in 69 games. In 1984-85, he averaged 20 points (20.6 on 51.1%) for the fourth and final time, in 32.9 minutes per game in 56 games. Birdsong averaged 15.9 points per game on 49.9% shooting (14 shots) in 30.2 minutes per game in his Nets’ career, while he averaged 21.2 points on 51.3% shooting (17.1 shots) in 33.1 minutes per game as a King. He finished his career with the Boston Celtics in 1988-89.
Birdsong was known as one of the best shooters in the NBA during his time. In his lone Net all-star season, the team, led by Birdsong and Michael Ray Richardson, defeated the defending champion 76ers in five games in the first round. In Games 1 and 5, Birdsong scored 24 points in each on a combined 20-of-43 shooting. On January 29, 1980, Birdsong registered his career-high in points, 49, on 20-of-25 shooting against the Denver Nuggets, a game that the Kings won 121-111. In retirement, Birdsong and his best friend Richardson ran free basketball camps for underserved youth in the United States, through a company called Ball Stars Youth Camps. He also served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Basketball Retired Players Association. Birdsong recently lost his best friend Michael Ray, who passed on Nov. 11. All the best to Otis Birdsong.
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