Robert Keith Reid (August 30, 1955 – February 19, 2024) was an American professional basketball player who played 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Career
The Atlanta-born 6'8" forward later moved to Texas where he attended Samuel Clemens High School in Schertz, Texas. He continued his basketball journey at St. Mary's University, Texas before being drafted by the Houston Rockets in the second round of the 1977 NBA Draft. Robert "Bobby Joe" Reid played 13 seasons (1977–1982; 1983–1991) in the NBA as a member of the Houston Rockets, Charlotte Hornets, Portland Trail Blazers, and Philadelphia 76ers. He had his best overall season in 1980-81, when he was the second leading scorer on the Rockets team that reached the NBA Finals, where he led all scorers in Game 1 with 27 points,[1] before losing to the Boston Celtics. The following year, after the Rockets traded reigning MVP Moses Malone to the Philadelphia 76ers, Reid unexpectedly retired from basketball and moved to Miami, Florida to focus on his Pentecostal faith.[2] After a year away from the NBA, he returned to Houston after they drafted Ralph Sampson with the first overall pick in the 1983 NBA draft.[3] One of Reid's most notable moments in the NBA was his three-point shot in Game 5 of the 1986 Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers that tied the game with just seconds left, helping rally the Rockets into defeating the Lakers and reaching the 1986 NBA Finals. Many consider Reid to be one of the early pioneers of the point forward role in NBA basketball. His coach at the time, Del Harris, even referred to him as such during his tenure with the Houston Rockets.[4] Reid's versatility was demonstrated by his 8.7 assists per game in the 1986 NBA Finals and the effective use of him, a natural forward, as a point guard.[5]
When he concluded his NBA career in 1991, Reid had tallied 10,448 career points, 4,168 career rebounds, and 2,500 career assists.
Personal life
In recent years, Reid hosted basketball clinics for young athletes in several countries, such as India.[6]
Reid died at the age of 68 at his home in Houston, Texas, on February 19, 2024, from cancer.[7][8]
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 |
| * | Led the league |
NBA
Source[9]
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977–78 | Houston | 80 | 23.1 | .455 | .656 | 4.5 | 1.5 | .8 | .6 | 7.3 | ||
| 1978–79 | Houston | 82* | 27.5 | .492 | .704 | 5.9 | 2.8 | .9 | .6 | 10.9 | ||
| 1979–80 | Houston | 76 | 30.3 | .487 | .000 | .736 | 5.8 | 3.2 | 1.7 | .8 | 13.0 | |
| 1980–81 | Houston | 82 | 82 | 36.1 | .482 | .000 | .756 | 7.1 | 4.2 | 2.0 | .8 | 15.9 |
| 1981–82 | Houston | 77 | 75 | 37.8 | .456 | .100 | .748 | 6.6 | 4.1 | 1.5 | .6 | 13.4 |
| 1983–84 | Houston | 64 | 28 | 30.3 | .474 | .250 | .659 | 5.3 | 3.4 | 1.4 | .5 | 14.0 |
| 1984–85 | Houston | 82* | 0 | 21.5 | .481 | .063 | .698 | 3.3 | 2.1 | .6 | .3 | 8.7 |
| 1985–86 | Houston | 82 | 5 | 26.3 | .464 | .182 | .757 | 3.7 | 2.7 | 1.1 | .2 | 12.0 |
| 1986–87 | Houston | 75 | 63 | 34.6 | .417 | .327 | .768 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 1.0 | .3 | 13.7 |
| 1987–88 | Houston | 62 | 31 | 15.8 | .463 | .382 | .794 | 2.0 | 1.1 | .4 | .1 | 6.3 |
| 1988–89 | Charlotte | 82* | 54 | 26.2 | .428 | .327 | .776 | 3.7 | 1.9 | .6 | .2 | 14.7 |
| 1989–90 | Portland | 12 | 1 | 7.1 | .394 | .333 | .500 | .7 | .7 | .2 | .2 | 2.6 |
| 1989–90 | Charlotte | 60 | 27 | 18.6 | .391 | .310 | .641 | 2.4 | 1.4 | .6 | .2 | 6.4 |
| 1990–91 | Philadelphia | 3 | 0 | 12.3 | .143 | – | – | 3.0 | 1.3 | .3 | 1.0 | 1.3 |
| Career | 919 | 366 | 27.3 | .458 | .291 | .732 | 4.5 | 2.7 | 1.1 | .4 | 11.4 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Houston | 2 | 22.5 | .412 | .667 | 4.5 | 1.0 | .5 | 1.0 | 10.0 | ||
| 1980 | Houston | 7 | 38.0 | .510 | .000 | .846 | 7.9 | 3.7 | .9 | 1.0 | 18.0 | |
| 1981 | Houston | 21* | 41.3 | .459 | .000 | .663 | 6.8 | 4.7 | 2.4 | 1.1 | 16.1 | |
| 1982 | Houston | 3 | 38.3 | .484 | – | .800 | 8.7 | 3.0 | 1.7 | .7 | 11.3 | |
| 1985 | Houston | 5 | 0 | 17.4 | .422 | .000 | – | 3.4 | 1.0 | .8 | .4 | 7.6 |
| 1986 | Houston | 20* | 20* | 38.7 | .431 | .143 | .797 | 4.2 | 6.9 | 1.4 | .1 | 14.9 |
| 1987 | Houston | 10 | 10 | 43.1 | .361 | .118 | .652 | 3.6 | 4.8 | 1.0 | .3 | 12.9 |
| 1988 | Houston | 4 | 4 | 28.5 | .455 | .429 | .667 | 3.8 | 2.0 | .5 | .0 | 8.8 |
| 1991 | Philadelphia | 7 | 0 | 5.9 | .333 | .000 | – | 1.1 | .3 | .1 | .0 | .9 |
| Career | 79 | 34 | 34.7 | .437 | .151 | .724 | 4.9 | 4.2 | 1.3 | .5 | 13.0 | |
References
- ^ "1981 NBA Finals Series Stats"
- ^ "Rockets’ Reid Retires"
- ^ "An oral history of Hakeem Olajuwon, Ralph Sampson, and the 1980s Houston Rockets", Grantland.com
- ^ Villanueva, Virgil (November 11, 2023). "Milwaukee Bucks legend Marques Johnson believes he received Don Nelson's approval as the originator of the term "Point Forward"". Basketball Network - Your daily dose of basketball. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
- ^ "Sampson, Olajuwon Provide Confidence". Washington Post. December 29, 2023. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
- ^ "NBA legend Robert Reid breathes new life into Indian basketball"
- ^ Young, Matt (February 20, 2024). "Former Houston Rockets star Robert Reid, a key member of two NBA Finals teams, dies at 68". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ "Former Houston Rockets player Robert Reid dies at 68". Fox26Houston.com. February 20, 2024.
- ^ "Robert Reid NBA stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
