Glenn McDonald (basketball)

Glenn McDonald
McDonald in 2022
Personal information
Born (1952-03-21) March 21, 1952 (age 73)
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High schoolJefferson (Los Angeles, California)
CollegeLong Beach State (1971–1974)
NBA draft1974: 1st round, 17th overall pick
Drafted byBoston Celtics
Playing career1974–1980
PositionSmall forward / shooting guard
Number30, 13
Career history
Playing
19741976Boston Celtics
1976–1977Milwaukee Bucks
1977–1978Alviks BK
1978–1980U/Tex Wranglers
1983Sunkist Juice Lovers
Coaching
1981–1982U/Tex Wranglers
1983Sunkist Juice Lovers
2001–2002Los Angeles Sparks (assistant)
Career highlights
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference

Glenn McDonald (born March 18, 1952) is an American former professional basketball player. He played three seasons for the Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks before going overseas most notably in the Philippines, with the U/Tex Wranglers in the early-80's. He averaged 4.2 points in 146 games played in his NBA career.

Professional career

He played a huge role in Game 5 of the 1976 NBA Finals, scoring eight points in the third overtime period as the Celtics won 128–126 before eventually winning the championship in six games.[1]

After winning the title with Boston, McDonald was cut by the Celtics. He was later picked up by Don Nelson to play for the Milwaukee Bucks to replace an injured Fred Carter. McDonald was again cut after Carter was able to play. The forward tried out with the Phoenix Suns, yet ultimately wasn't signed. The sequence of events lead the American to pursue opportunities overseas[2] and he ended up signing for Alvik BK in Sweden.[3]

McDonald was then invited to come to the Philippines by a team owner in the PBA with a promise of good treatment for him and his family. Upon arrival, he immediately felt welcomed and then the invitation was parlayed to a stint in the Philippines.[4] In the PBA, McDonald was instrumental in U/Tex's 1980 PBA Open Conference championship against Toyota Tamaraws. He scored two free-throws to send the fifth game into overtime after Toyota led by four with 16 seconds left in regulation. U/Tex eventually won the championship, 99–98. In 1981, he became the head coach of the U/Tex franchise after playing for the franchise for three consecutive seasons.[5] He coached in the Philippines for two years, being a player-coach at one point. He has been introduced as the first NBA and PBA champion who has both played and coached in a national professional league.[4]

McDonald went back to the United States after his coaching stint in the Philippines. Since he wanted to coach, his wife encouraged him to complete his degree to finish his degree as he had about a year left before leaving school for the NBA. He eventually completed his degree in sociology, and got involved with the men's basketball program at Long Beach State as a part-time assistant for two years.[4]

McDonald transferred to Long Beach State's women's program as an assistant and later became its head coach for four years.[4] He became an assistant coach under Michael Cooper for the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA, where they won two back-to-back championships. He was an advanced scout for the Utah Jazz for six years, and was the Director of Intramural Programs at Long Beach State.[1]

Personal life

McDonlad has been married to his wife for fifty years. In retirement, he still attends men's and women's games as a fan. From his time in the Philippines, he has maintained friendships with his former teammates and staff. He is friends with Tommy Manotoc and is a godfather to Matthew Manotoc, vice-governer of Ilocos Norte.[1]

Career statistics

Legend
  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
 †  Won an NBA championship

NBA

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1974–75 Boston 62 - 6.4 .385 - .757 1.1 0.4 0.1 0.1 2.7
1975–76 Boston 75 - 13.6 .419 - .714 1.8 0.9 0.5 0.3 5.6
1976–77 Milwaukee 9 - 8.8 .235 - .750 1.3 0.8 0.4 0.0 2.1
Career 146 - 10.2 .400 - .732 1.5 0.7 0.3 0.2 4.2

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1974–75 Boston 6 - 5.0 .167 - .333 1.0 0.3 0.2 0.0 0.8
1975–76 Boston 13 - 5.2 .308 - .833 0.6 0.3 0.1 0.0 1.6
Career 19 - 5.2 .263 - .667 0.7 0.3 0.1 0.0 1.4

PBA

Season Team GP REB PTS PPG
1978 U-Tex 24 304 734 30.6
1979 U-Tex 27 288 825 30.6
1980 U-Tex 37 470 910 24.6
1983 Sunkist 2 35 58 29.0
Total 90 1,097 2,527 28.1

References

  1. ^ a b c "What the Hell Happened to...Glenn McDonald?". Archived from the original on May 19, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  2. ^ "The Handle Podcast – Glenn McDonald: 05/31/18". lamarmatic.com. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  3. ^ "Glenn McDonald looks back at NBA and PBA titles won". ESPN.com. August 10, 2020. Archived from the original on October 29, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d "EPISODE 106 BASKETBALL UNIVERSE PHL". January 24, 2026 – via YouTube.
  5. ^ ""Francois Wise recalls his epic PBA career" by Richard Dy". Archived from the original on June 29, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020.