Johnny Egan (basketball)

Egan was born on January 31, 1939, in Hartford, Connecticut.[1] Playing for the basketball team at Weaver High School, which won the New England high school basketball championship in 1956 and 1957, he was named to the Parade All-America Boys Basketball Team.[2] He was known as "Space", a nickname which alluded to "his ability to stay in the air during drives to the basket or to the length of his long-distance shots".[3] Egan attended Providence College, where he played college basketball for the Providence Friars, and won the 1961 National Invitation Tournament.[2]

The Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA) selected Egan in the second round of the 1961 NBA draft.[4] The New York Knicks acquired Egan from the Pistons in a three-team trade on December 16, 1963.[5] The Knicks traded Egan, Johnny Green, and Jim "Bad News" Barnes to the Baltimore Bullets for Walt Bellamy on November 2, 1965.[6] The Milwaukee Bucks selected Egan from the Bullets in the 1968 NBA Expansion Draft.[7] Before the 1968–69 NBA season, the Bucks traded Egan to the Los Angeles Lakers for a future draft pick.[8] He became a key rotation player for the Lakers, who reached the 1969 NBA Finals but were beaten by the Boston Celtics in Game 7.[9] Egan was not as effective in the following season,[10] as the Lakers again reached the Finals but were beaten by the Knicks in Game 7.[11]

The Cleveland Cavaliers selected Egan in the 1970 NBA expansion draft.[12] He was acquired by the San Diego Rockets from the Cavaliers for a third‐round pick in the 1971 NBA draft (41st overall–Jackie Ridgle) and cash on December 8, 1970.[13][14] Egan became one of the original Houston Rockets when the team left San Diego in 1971.[9] His playing career ended after the 1971–72 season. He averaged 7.8 points per game and 3.0 assists per game in his NBA career.[15] He was the shortest player in the NBA for most of his 11-year career.[16]

In January 1972, Rockets coach Tex Winter named Egan an assistant coach, and he continued as a player-coach for the remainder of the season.[17] He retired as a player after the season, and was promoted to become head coach, succeeding Winter on January 21, 1973.[18] At one point, he was the youngest and shortest coach in the NBA.[19] During his 3+1⁄2 years as head coach, the Rockets were 129–152, with one playoff appearance in 1975,[19] when they defeated the New York Knicks in the first round to earn the franchise's first playoff series win.[9] He was fired and replaced by Tom Nissalke on April 20, 1976, after the team failed to qualify for the postseason with a 40–42 record.[19]

Egan married Joan (née Grimaldi), his high school sweetheart. They had two children and five grandchildren. Joan died in 1998 from ovarian cancer.[2][16]

After his basketball career, Egan remained in Houston, where he founded and operated an insurance business.[16] He continued to live in Houston in his later life.[2] After suffering a head injury in a fall in May 2022, he died on July 21, 2022, at age 83.[20][9]

• Career stats