Ricky Pierce: Deuces
Ricky Pierce, a 2x All Star and 2x 6th Man of the Year winner was born on August 19th, 1959 in Dallas, Texas
On August 19th, 1959, Ricky Pierce was born in Dallas, Texas. He went on to be a 2x NBA All Star and a 2x 6th Man of the Year Winner.
Pierce went to Walla Walla CC for 1 year (1978-79), and Rice for 3 years (1979-82). He was selected with the 18th overall pick in the 1982 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons. He did not play much for the Pistons, so he was traded to the San Diego Clippers (later Los Angeles). He again played there for 1 season and in 1984, he went to the Milwaukee Bucks. This turned out to be a blessing for Pierce as he would averaged double figures for 6 straight years for Milwaukee and win 6th Man of the Year in 1987 and in 1990 without starting in single game, which is an NBA record. He was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics in the middle of the 1990-91 season. He became a regular starter the next season, and along with Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp, led them to the Western Conference Finals, where they lost to the Phoenix Suns in 7 games. He would play with the Sonics until 1994 when he was traded to the Golden State Warriors. He battled injuries throughout his tenure with the Warriors. He went to the Indiana Pacers during the 1995-96 offseason. He played a solid season before getting traded to the Denver Nuggets before the 1996-97 season. He was traded midway through the season to the Charlotte Hornets where he finished the season. He played a season overseas in 1997 before returning to the Milwaukee Bucks for 1 final season. He would retire after the 1 season in 1997-98. In 1989-90, Pierce averaged 23.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. Other than the points, nothing special. Overall, Pierce was a 2x All Star, 2x 6th Man of the Year, 2nd Team All American USBWA (1982), 3rd Team All American AP NABC (1982), SWC Player of the Year (1982), 3x First Team All SWC.
Pierce had a long career that started off pretty slow, but once he found the right situation, he was very successful as a scorer.
I hope you enjoyed this edition of This Day In History, please leave a comment on which player I should do next and on which day.
