William Bedford (basketball)

William Bedford (born December 14, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the Phoenix Suns in the first round (6th pick overall) of the 1986 NBA draft after playing at Memphis State University (now known as the University of Memphis). Bedford, a 7'0" center, played for the Suns, Detroit Pistons and the San Antonio Spurs in six NBA seasons, averaging 4.1 points and 2.4 rebounds per game in his career.

William Bedford
Personal information
Born (1963-12-14) December 14, 1963
Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Listed height7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Listed weight225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High schoolMelrose (Memphis, Tennessee)
CollegeMemphis (1983–1986)
NBA draft1986: 1st round, 6th overall pick
Selected by the Phoenix Suns
Playing career1986–1993
PositionCenter
Number50, 25, 20, 00
Career history
1986–1987Phoenix Suns
1987–1992Detroit Pistons
1992–1993San Antonio Spurs
1993Oklahoma City Cavalry
1993Grand Rapids Hoops
Career highlights and awards
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

NBA career

Originally projected as a star player, Bedford's NBA career was marred by drug use, and he missed the 1988-89 NBA season as a result.[1]

As a member of the Pistons, on November 6, 1990 in a game against the Seattle SuperSonics, Bedford set an NBA record for fewest minutes played in a game with three or more three-pointers made, shooting 3-of-3 from deep in a single minute.[2] These were three of five total three-pointers he made in 60 games during the 1990-91 NBA season, and of seven overall in his career.

Post-NBA and legal troubles

His drug problems continued after he left the NBA. He was arrested for drug possession twice between 1996 and 1997. In 2001, Bedford was accused of transporting 25 pounds of marijuana in Michigan.[3] After the Michigan arrest, he was arrested two more times for marijuana, and in 2003 was given a 10-year prison sentence.[4] Bedford was released from prison in November 2011. As of 2012, he was coaching basketball in Memphis.[5]

Career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
 †  Won an NBA championship

Source[6]

Regular season
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1986–87 Phoenix 501819.6.397.000.5814.91.1.4.76.7
1987–88 Detroit 3807.8.436–.5651.7.1.2.42.7
1989–90† Detroit 4205.9.432.167.4091.4.1.1.42.8
1990–91 Detroit 6049.4.438.385.7052.2.5.0.64.5
1991–92 Detroit 32811.3.413.000.6362.0.4.2.63.6
1992–93 San Antonio 1604.1.3331.000.500.6.0.0.11.6
Career 2383010.6.416.318.6052.4.5.2.54.1

Playoffs
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1990† Detroit 503.8.167–1.000.4.0.0.2.8
1991 Detroit 838.1.208.000.6432.8.5.3.52.4
1992 Detroit 109.0.500––2.0.01.0.06.0
Career 1436.8.250.000.6881.9.3.2.42.1

Notes
  1. ESPN.com - GEN - Bedford: 'People don't think about the consequences'
  2. "fewest minutes in a game with 3 3-pointers". Statmuse. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  3. Bedford: 'People don't think about the consequences' Greg Garber, ESPN.com, June 4th 2001
  4. '85 Memphis State run went from triumph to tragedy by Mike Lopresti, Gannett News Service, April 3rd, 2008,
  5. Out of prison, former Tigers great William Bedford trying to live 'the right way' Archived 2014-02-22 at the Wayback Machine, Commercial Appeal, October 11, 2012
  6. "William Bedford". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.