John Francis Egan (January 31, 1939 – July 21, 2022) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He played for the Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, Baltimore Bullets, Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers, and San Diego / Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association from 1961 to 1972. He coached the Rockets from 1973 to 1976.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 31, 1939 Hartford, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Died | July 21, 2022 (aged 83) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Listed weight | 180 lb (82 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Weaver (Hartford, Connecticut) |
| College | Providence (1958–1961) |
| NBA draft | 1961: 2nd round, 12th overall pick |
| Selected by the Detroit Pistons | |
| Playing career | 1961–1972 |
| Position | Point guard |
| Number | 25, 15, 11, 21 |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1961–1963 | Detroit Pistons |
| 1963–1965 | New York Knicks |
| 1965–1968 | Baltimore Bullets |
| 1968–1970 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1970 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 1970–1972 | San Diego / Houston Rockets |
| As coach: | |
| 1973–1976 | Houston Rockets |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 5,521 (7.8 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 1,284 (1.8 rpg) |
| Assists | 2,102 (3.0 apg) |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Early life and playing career
Egan was born on January 31, 1939, in Hartford, Connecticut.[1] Playing for the basketball team at Weaver High School, which won the New England high school basketball championship in 1956 and 1957, he was named to the Parade All-America Boys Basketball Team.[2] He was known as "Space", a nickname which alluded to "his ability to stay in the air during drives to the basket or to the length of his long-distance shots".[3] Egan attended Providence College, where he played college basketball for the Providence Friars, and won the 1961 National Invitation Tournament.[2]
The Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA) selected Egan in the second round of the 1961 NBA draft.[4] The New York Knicks acquired Egan from the Pistons in a three-team trade on December 16, 1963.[5] The Knicks traded Egan, Johnny Green, and Jim "Bad News" Barnes to the Baltimore Bullets for Walt Bellamy on November 2, 1965.[6] The Milwaukee Bucks selected Egan from the Bullets in the 1968 NBA Expansion Draft.[7] Before the 1968–69 NBA season, the Bucks traded Egan to the Los Angeles Lakers for a future draft pick.[8] He became a key rotation player for the Lakers, who reached the 1969 NBA Finals but were beaten by the Boston Celtics in Game 7.[9] Egan was not as effective in the following season,[10] as the Lakers again reached the Finals but were beaten by the Knicks in Game 7.[11]
The Cleveland Cavaliers selected Egan in the 1970 NBA expansion draft.[12] He was acquired by the San Diego Rockets from the Cavaliers for a third‐round pick in the 1971 NBA draft (41st overall–Jackie Ridgle) and cash on December 8, 1970.[13][14] Egan became one of the original Houston Rockets when the team left San Diego in 1971.[9] His playing career ended after the 1971–72 season. He averaged 7.8 points per game and 3.0 assists per game in his NBA career.[15] He was the shortest player in the NBA for most of his 11-year career.[16]
Coaching career
In January 1972, Rockets coach Tex Winter named Egan an assistant coach, and he continued as a player-coach for the remainder of the season.[17] He retired as a player after the season, and was promoted to become head coach, succeeding Winter on January 21, 1973.[18] At one point, he was the youngest and shortest coach in the NBA.[19] During his 3+1⁄2 years as head coach, the Rockets were 129–152, with one playoff appearance in 1975,[19] when they defeated the New York Knicks in the first round to earn the franchise's first playoff series win.[9] He was fired and replaced by Tom Nissalke on April 20, 1976, after the team failed to qualify for the postseason with a 40–42 record.[19]
Personal life
Egan married Joan (née Grimaldi), his high school sweetheart. They had two children and five grandchildren. Joan died in 1998 from ovarian cancer.[2][16]
After his basketball career, Egan remained in Houston, where he founded and operated an insurance business.[16] He continued to live in Houston in his later life.[2] After suffering a head injury in a fall in May 2022, he died on July 21, 2022, at age 83.[20][9]
Head coaching record
| Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win–loss % |
| Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PW–L % | Playoff win–loss % |
| Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | 1972–73 | 35 | 16 | 19 | .457 | 3rd in Central | – | – | – | – | Missed playoffs |
| Houston | 1973–74 | 82 | 32 | 50 | .390 | 3rd in Central | – | – | – | – | Missed playoffs |
| Houston | 1974–75 | 82 | 41 | 41 | .500 | 2nd in Central | 8 | 3 | 5 | .375 | Lost in Conf. Semi-finals |
| Houston | 1975–76 | 82 | 40 | 42 | .488 | 3rd in Central | – | – | – | – | Missed playoffs |
| Career | 281 | 129 | 152 | .459 | 8 | 3 | 5 | .375 | |||
| Source:[21] | |||||||||||