Dave Twardzik
David John Twardzik (born September 20, 1950) is an American former professional basketball player. He was a point guard in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is best known for being a key starting guard on the Portland Trail Blazers team that won the 1977 NBA Finals.
 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 20, 1950 Hershey, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Listed weight | 175 lb (79 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Middletown Area (Middletown, Pennsylvania) |
| College | Old Dominion (1969–1972) |
| NBA draft | 1972: 2nd round, 26th overall pick |
| Selected by the Portland Trail Blazers | |
| Playing career | 1972–1980 |
| Position | Point guard |
| Number | 13 |
| Career history | |
| 1972–1976 | Virginia Squires |
| 1976–1980 | Portland Trail Blazers |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career ABA and NBA statistics | |
| Points | 4,977 (9.3 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 1,286 (2.4 rpg) |
| Assists | 1,823 (3.4 apg) |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Twardzik grew up in Middletown, Pennsylvania, and played collegiately at Old Dominion University, where he was a two-time All-American and led the Monarchs to the 1971 NCAA Division II title game. He was drafted by the Trail Blazers in 1972, but elected to play for the Virginia Squires of the ABA. Twardzik played for the Squires for four seasons until the team (and the ABA) came to an end, folding just prior to the ABA-NBA merger in June 1976. After the ABA-NBA merger Twardzik signed with the Blazers (who held his NBA rights).[1] He would be the starting two-guard of the Blazers team which won the NBA title in 1977. He played for four seasons total in Portland, and retired at the end of the 1979–80 season because of injury. His jersey number (13) was retired by the team.
After his retirement from playing, he began an NBA coaching and front-office career. He served in Portland's front office through 1985, and worked as an assistant coach for the Indiana Pacers from 1986 through 1989. He has also worked for the Detroit Pistons, Charlotte Hornets, Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors, and the Denver Nuggets. In 2003, he became Director of Player Personnel for the Orlando Magic, and was promoted to assistant general manager in 2005. He held that position until 2012.[2] Since the 2013-14 basketball season, Twardzik has been a color commentator for radio broadcasts of Old Dominion's Men's Basketball games.[3]
In 1995, Twardzik was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.
References
- Arnold, Geoffrey; Uthman, Daniel (2007-06-04). "The 1976-77 NBA champion Portland Trail Blazers: 30 years later". OregonLive.com. Retrieved 2007-06-04.
- Josh Robbins and Brian Schmitz. "Magic fire longtime assistant GM and 6 scouts Archived 2012-06-27 at the Wayback Machine". Orlando Sentinel. June 24, 2012. Retrieved on June 25, 2012.
- "Twardzik Joins ODU Men's Basketball Broadcasting Team". ODU Athletica. Old Dominion University Athletics. Retrieved 10 December 2017.