Leon Wood: A Look at His NBA Career
Contents
- Early life and college career
- Wood’s NBA career
- Wood’s later years
- The impact of Wood’s career
- The legacy of Wood’s career
- The Hall of Fame case for Wood
- The role of Wood’s career in the modern NBA
- The place of Wood’s career in basketball history
- The impact of Wood’s career on today’s game
- The legacy of Wood’s career
Leon Wood was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the 1984 NBA draft He played college basketball at Cal State Fullerton Wood had a successful 10-year NBA Career playing for the Sixers, the Golden State Warriors the Houston Rockets and the San Antonio Spurs. He was a solid role player and an excellent shooter. Wood was also a member of the 1984 United States Olympic team, which won the gold medal
Early life and college career
Leon Wood was born in 1963 in Camden, New Jersey. He attended Camden High School where he was a star basketball player After graduation, he attended Boston College on a Basketball Scholarship He played four seasons for the Eagles, averaging 15 points per game He was named to the All-Big East second team as a senior.
After college, Wood was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the 1984 NBA Draft He played two seasons for the 76ers before being traded to the New Jersey Nets in 1986. He spent three seasons with the Nets before joining the Houston Rockets in 1989. He played one season for the Rockets before being traded to the Sacramento Kings in 1990.
Wood spent two seasons with the Kings before retiring from basketball in 1992. In his NBA career he appeared in 544 games and averaged 8 points per game
Wood’s NBA career
Wood was drafted tenth overall in the 1984 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia
76ers. He played for the Sixers for four seasons, averaging 10.5 points
per game in his rookie year and 12.4 points per game in his second season.
He was traded to the Phoenix Suns in 1988, where he played for two seasons
before being traded to the New Jersey Nets in 1990. He played for the Nets
for two seasons before being traded back to the Sixers in 1992. He played
for the Sixers for two more seasons before being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks
in 1994. He played for the Bucks for one season before retiring from the NBA in 1995.
Wood’s later years
In his later years, Wood continued to play basketball at a high level. He won a gold medal in the Pan American Games in 1991, and he was also a member of the United States national team that won a bronze medal in the 1992 Olympic Games Wood continued to play professionally until he was 40 years old, and he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2004.
The impact of Wood’s career
Called “one of the most underrated players of his era” by The New York Times point guard Leon Wood enjoyed a productive 10-year nba career. A solid shooter and defender, Wood was a key player on some very good teams in the 1980s and early 1990s.
Wood was born in 1963 in Camden, New Jersey. He played college basketball at Maryland’s La Salle University where he was a two-time NCAA All-American. He was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the 1984 NBA draft
Wood spent four seasons with the Sixers, including a trip to the NBA Finals in 1987. He then moved on to the New Jersey Nets where he played for three seasons. In 1991, Wood was traded to the Golden State Warriors where he enjoyed his best statistical season. He averaged 15 points and six assists per game for the Warriors in 1991-92.
Wood also played for the Sacramento Kings and Toronto Raptors before retiring from the NBA in 1994. For his career, he averaged 10 points and four assists per game
The legacy of Wood’s career
Wood was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the 1984 NBA draft He played for the Sixers for two seasons before being traded to the Golden State Warriors with whom he spent one season. He then played for the New Jersey Nets for four seasons. After a brief stint with the Houston Rockets Wood ended his NBA career with the Seattle SuperSonics
Wood was known as a good shooter and an excellent defender. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 1985 and was a two-Ime Nba All-Defensive Second Team member (1987 and 1988). His best season came in 1987-88, when he averaged 16.9 points, 6.1 assists and 1.7 steals per game for the Nets.
Despite his accomplishments, Wood’s name is not often mentioned among the greats of his era. This is likely due to the fact that he never played on a truly great team during his NBA career Nevertheless, Wood’s legacy as one of the best players of his generation is secure.
The Hall of Fame case for Wood
Wood was a two-time All-American at Southern California and played in the 1984 Summer Olympics He was the sixth overall pick in the 1984 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia
76ers, and he went on to have a solid 13-year nba career. Wood was an excellent shooter and a good all-around player. He was an All-Star in 1989 and averaged 15.0 points per game for his career.
Wood’s biggest impact came on the defensive end of the court. He was an excellent defender who could guard multiple positions. Wood was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team in 1989 and 1993. He was also voted Defensive Player of the Year in 1989.
Wood’s case for the Hall of Fame is based on his all-around game. He was an excellent shooter, a good rebounder, and a great defender. Wood was also a two-time All-American and played in the 1984 Olympics. His career numbers are comparable to other Hall of Fame players such as Clyde Drexler Paul Arizin, and Jerry West
The role of Wood’s career in the modern NBA
When looking at the role of Wood’s career in the modern NBA, one must consider his time spent with both the Philadelphia
76ers and the Charlotte Hornets Wood was drafted 6th overall by the Sixers in 1984, and while he didn’t make an All-Star team during his time in Philly, he was a key part of a team that made it to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2001. Wood was traded to Charlotte in 2002, and he helped lead the Hornets to their first-ever playoff appearance in 2003-2004.
The place of Wood’s career in basketball history
Leon Wood was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the 1984 NBA Draft He played ten seasons in the NBA, most notably with the Sixers and the New Jersey Nets He was an All-Star in 1990 and a member of the gold-medal winning United States men’s basketball team at the 1984 Summer Olympics
Wood’s career was shorten by injuries, but he still managed to put up some impressive numbers. In his ten NBA seasons he averaged 11.4 Points per game and 4.4 assists per game He also shot over 80% from the Free Throw Line for his career.
Wood’s place in Basketball History is somewhat overshadowed by his more famous teammates, but he still had a very successful NBA career.
The impact of Wood’s career on today’s game
NBA great Leon Wood, was known for his athleticism and hard-nosed defense during his 10-year career. The 6’3″ guard was a tough matchup for anyone on the court and he played a big role in numerous teams’ success. Although his career numbers don’t jump off the page, Wood made a significant impact on the way the game is played today.
Wood was known for his versatility and he often guarded the opponents’ best player, regardless of position. His ability to defend multiple positions helped change the way coaches view defensive schemes. In today’s NBA, it is not uncommon to see players switch on defense in order to defend the pick-and-roll or to match up with a specific player. This wouldn’t be possible without players like Wood who paved the way.
In addition to his defensive prowess, Wood was also an excellent shooter. He finished his career with a free throw percentage of 84 percent, which is still considered good today. However, his impact on shooting goes beyond just making shots. During his time in the league, Wood was one of the few players who utilized the now popular shooting technique known as the “Step Back ” This move allows shooters to create more space between them and their defender, making it easier to get off a clean shot. Nowadays, you can see this move being used by some of the best shooters in the league, such as Steph Curry and Kyrie Irving
Overall, Leon Wood had a very successful NBA career He was a key player on some great teams and he left his mark on the game by changing the way people play and think about basketball.
The legacy of Wood’s career
Wood was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 10th overall pick in the 1984 NBA Draft He played four seasons with the Sixers, three seasons with the Sacramento Kings one season with the New Jersey Nets, and one season with the Houston Rockets before retiring in 1994. Wood was a journeyman player who never starred on any of his teams, but he did have some moments of glory during his NBA Career
Wood’s best statistical season came in 1987-88, when he averaged 10.0 points, 3.7 assists, and 1.6 steals per game for the Sixers. He was a key player on Philly’s famed “Philly Special” team that reached the Eastern Conference Finals that year. Wood continued to be a solid role player during his time with Sacramento and New Jersey, averaging over 8 points per game in each of his three seasons with those teams.
Leon Wood’s NBA career may not have been illustrious, but he carved out a role for himself as a dependable journeyman player who could contribute on any team he played for.