 Temple at the 2011 banquet of the Kentwood, Louisiana Rotary Club | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1952-11-08) November 8, 1952 (age 72) Kentwood, Louisiana, U. S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
| Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | O.W. Dillon (Kentwood, Louisiana) |
| College | LSU (1971–1974) |
| NBA draft | 1974: 6th round, 94th overall pick |
| Selected by the Phoenix Suns | |
| Position | Small forward |
| Number | 40 |
| Career history | |
| 1974–1975 | San Antonio Spurs |
| 1975 | Iberia Superstars |
Stats at Basketball Reference  | |
Collis Temple Jr. (born November 8, 1952) is an American former professional basketball player for Louisiana State University and the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA.
Career
College
The Kentwood, Louisiana native was the first African-American to play varsity basketball at Louisiana State University (LSU). When he joined the team in 1971, the Louisiana National Guard was called to protect him from angry segregationists. In the fourth season of the Slate podcast Slow Burn, Temple shared his experiences interacting with a young David Duke while they were both students at LSU.
As a senior, Temple earned All-Southeastern Conference honors after averaging 15.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. In 2017, Temple was elected to the Louisiana State University Athletic Hall of Fame.
Professional
Temple was selected by the Phoenix Suns with the 94th pick of the 1974 NBA draft. He spent one season (1974–75) with the San Antonio Spurs. He averaged 1.8 points and 1.3 rebounds in 24 games. In February 1975, he joined the Iberia Superstars of the European Professional Basketball League.
Personal
Temple has three sons and one daughter. Collis III and Garrett Temple both played at LSU. His daughter-in-law is Miss USA 2017 winner Kára Temple.
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
ABA
Source
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974–75 | San Antonio | 24 | 4.3 | .415 | .000 | .800 | 1.3 | .6 | .2 | .2 | 1.8 |
References
- ^ Mark Schlabach. "LSU's First Black Player Revels in Legacy's Growth". Washington Post. March 30, 2006. Retrieved on February 11, 2010.
- Spears, Marc J. (February 8, 2017). "Inside Collis Temple's historic struggle as LSU's first black basketball player". Andscape. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
- "How David Duke Used the Ku Klux Klan, and How the Klan Made Him". Slate Magazine. June 10, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
- Collis Temple Jr. LSUSports.net. Retrieved on February 11, 2010.
- ^ "Collis Temple ABA statistics". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
- "El "Iberia Superstars" hoy en Mataró" [The "Iberia Superstars" now in Mataró] (in Spanish). La Vanguardia. February 25, 1975. p. 40. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
- @KaraMcCullough (May 8, 2021). "My dope a🤭🤭 father-in-law" (Tweet) – via Twitter.