Nationality American Weight 113 kg Number 19, 17, 32 Height 2.13 m | Listed weight 249 lb (113 kg) Role Basketball Player Listed height 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) Name Reggie Harding | |
Born May 4, 1942Detroit, Michigan ( 1942-05-04 ) Similar People Florence Ballard, Proof, Blade Icewood, Eddie Jefferson | ||
The Handle Podcast - The Troubled Life of Reggie Harding
Reginald "Reggie" Harding (May 4, 1942 – September 2, 1972) was an American professional basketball player. Drafted in 1962 by the Detroit Pistons, Harding is noted as the first player drafted into the NBA without having played in college, Harding spent five years in the NBA; playing for the Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls and later the Indiana Pacers. Harding also played for the Trenton Colonials which was apart of the Continental Basketball Association.
Contents
- The Handle Podcast The Troubled Life of Reggie Harding
- Basketball career
- Personal issues and death
- References
Basketball career
A native of Detroit, Michigan and a 1961 graduate of Eastern High School, Harding, a 7'0" center, was selected by the Detroit Pistons in the fourth round of the 1962 NBA Draft and later in the six round of the 1963 draft. Harding first played for the Pistons during the 1963–64 season. In four seasons with the Pistons and Chicago Bulls, Harding averaged 9.0 points and 9.1 rebounds per game, and also spent part of 1967–68 with the ABA's Indiana Pacers, averaging 13.4 points and 13.4 rebounds in 25 games.
Personal issues and death
Harding's basketball career was cut short by a number of personal problems. Harding spent time in jail, often struggled with drug addictions, and was rumored to carry a pistol in his gym bag. During a television interview, Harding threatened to shoot the Indiana Pacers' general manager, Mike Storen. Harding also reportedly threatened to shoot teammate Jimmy Rayl while the two were rooming together. According to Peter Benjaminson's The Lost Supreme: The Life of Dreamgirl Florence Ballard, Harding raped Florence Ballard, a member of The Supremes, at knifepoint in 1960. Harding was shot dead at a Detroit intersection in 1972, aged 30.
