Steve Puidokas

Steve Puidokas
Personal information
Born	April 12, 1955; Chicago, Illinois
Died	August 12, 1994 (aged 39); Sardinia, Italy
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight	265 lb (120 kg)
Career information
High school	St. Laurence (Burbank, Illinois)
College	Washington State (1973–1977)
NBA draft	1977: 3rd round, 57th overall pick
	Selected by the Washington Bullets
Position	Center
Career highlights and awards
	4× Second-team All-Pac-8 (1974–1977); No. 55 retired by Washington State Cougars; Third-team Parade All-American (1973);
	Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Steven John Puidokas (April 12, 1955 – August 12, 1994) was an American professional basketball player in Europe.[1] He played college basketball for the Washington State Cougars from 1973 to 1977.[2][3] He left Washington State as both their all-time leading scorer with 1,894 points and all-time leading rebounder with 992 rebounds. He was inducted posthumously into the Pac-12 Conference Men's Basketball Hall of Honor in 2012.[2]

Puidokas was the first Washington State men's basketball player to have his number (55) retired, and remained the only one until the school retired Klay Thompson's in 2020.[4]

As a high school player, Puidokas was named a third-team All-American by Parade Magazine in 1973.[5]

Personal life

In 1955, Steve Puidokas was born in a Lithuanian American family of John Julian Puidokas and Genovaitė Giedraitis in Chicago.[6] Puidokas was married to an Italian woman and had five children. He died at the age of 39 because of problems with his heart while living in Sardinia, Italy.[6]

References

Newnham, Blaine (February 14, 1997). "Puidokas' Impact Great Even Without WSU Scoring Record". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on February 4, 2015.
Degerman, Eric (March 5, 2012). "Pac-12 to honor WSU great Puidokas during tournament". Tri-City Herald. Archived from the original on May 5, 2012.
Weaver, Dan (September 12, 2006). "The life and times of Steve Puidokas". Scout.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2012.
"WSU Athletics to Retire Klay Thompson's Jersey" (Press release). Washington State Cougars. September 30, 2019. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
"Prep All-America". Pomona Progress-Bulletin. March 30, 1973. p. 24. Retrieved August 7, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
"Pamiršta žvaigždė: laiką aplenkęs Čikagos lietuvis, kuriam prilygsta tik Klay Thompsonas". DELFI (in Lithuanian). Retrieved March 6, 2021.

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[1] Newnham, Blaine (February 14, 1997). "Puidokas' Impact Great Even Without WSU Scoring Record". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on February 4, 2015.

[degerman-2] Degerman, Eric (March 5, 2012). "Pac-12 to honor WSU great Puidokas during tournament". Tri-City Herald. Archived from the original on May 5, 2012.

[3] Weaver, Dan (September 12, 2006). "The life and times of Steve Puidokas". Scout.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2012.

[4] "WSU Athletics to Retire Klay Thompson's Jersey" (Press release). Washington State Cougars. September 30, 2019. Retrieved October 2, 2019.

[5] "Prep All-America". Pomona Progress-Bulletin. March 30, 1973. p. 24. Retrieved August 7, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.

[delfi-6] "Pamiršta žvaigždė: laiką aplenkęs Čikagos lietuvis, kuriam prilygsta tik Klay Thompsonas". DELFI (in Lithuanian). Retrieved March 6, 2021.