Nationality American Name Raymond Townsend Date drafted 1978 Listed height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Role Basketball Player | Listed weight 175 lb (79 kg) Height 1.91 m Siblings Kurtis Townsend College UCLA (1974–1978) Weight 79 kg | |
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NBA draft 1978 / Round: 1 / Pick: 22nd overall School University of California, Los Angeles | ||
First and only filipino american nba basketball player raymond townsend
Raymond Anthony Townsend (born December 20, 1955) is a Filipino-American retired professional basketball player. He played three seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Golden State Warriors and the Indiana Pacers. Townsend played college basketball with the UCLA Bruins, earning all-conference honors in the Pacific-8 (known later as the Pac-12). He was selected by the Warriors in the first round of the 1978 NBA draft with the 22nd overall pick, and became the first Filipino-American to play in the NBA.
Contents
- First and only filipino american nba basketball player raymond townsend
- Raymond townsend masaya sa dugong pinoy sa nba
- Life and career
- References
Raymond townsend masaya sa dugong pinoy sa nba
Life and career
Townsend was born in San Jose, California. He is half-Filipino; Townsend's mother, the former Virginia Marella, is a Filipina from Balayan, Batangas while his father, Ray Sr., is American. His brother, Kurtis Townsend, is currently an assistant coach for the University of Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team which won the 2008 NCAA Championship.
A 6'3", 175-lb point guard, Townsend attended Camden High School and Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, California before playing college basketball at UCLA. As a high school senior, he averaged close to 28 points a game for the Camden High Cougars. This was prior to the 3 point line being regulated years later. He was a member of the 1975 UCLA Basketball National Championship team, legendary coach John Wooden's 10th and final NCAA championship team. He earned first-team All-Pac-8 honors as a senior in 1978.
He was selected with the last pick in the first round (22nd overall) of the 1978 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors. He concluded his NBA career in 1982 as a member of the Indiana Pacers. He was the first Filipino-American to play in the NBA. He also played in Italy for Banco Roma during the 1984–85 season.
A 1976 Sports Illustrated issue featured Thompson's father, Ray Sr., in its "Faces in the Crowd" section. He was recognized as "the oldest junior college basketball player in history." At age 39, he was the second man off the bench.
Townsend, now a youth sports development coordinator in San Jose, California, was honored as UCLA Pilipino Alumni Association's Distinguished Alumnus of the Year on May 2, 2009.
