Byron Dean Tolson (born November 25, 1951) is an American former professional basketball player. Tolson played three seasons for the Seattle SuperSonics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Professional career
Tolson was selected by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 5th round (8th pick, 80th overall) of the 1974 NBA draft, after completing his career at the University of Arkansas. He played three seasons for the SuperSonics, appearing in 80 games over his career.[1]
Tolson was also selected in the 7th round of the 1974 American Basketball Association Draft by the New York Nets.[2]
Tolson played in the Eastern Basketball Association (EBA) / Continental Basketball Association (CBA) for the Hazleton Bullets during the 1975–76 season, the Anchorage Northern Knights from 1977 to 1979 and Rochester Zeniths during the 1980–81 season.[3] He was selected to the All-EBA Second Team in 1976.[3]
Tolson played eleven years internationally[4] before returning to school to complete his education at the University of Arkansas.[5] [6] [7] He played for Greek club AEK B.C. in the 1983–84 FIBA Korać Cup.
In 2023, Dean Tolson's book, ‘Power Forward: My Journey from Illiterate NBA Player to a Magna Cum Laude Master's Degree,’ was published. A motivational speaker, he moved from Tacoma, Washington, and lives in Scottsdale, Arizona.
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 |
NBA
Source[1]
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974–75 | Seattle | 19 | 4.6 | .432 | .647 | 1.2 | .3 | .2 | .3 | 2.3 |
| 1976–77 | Seattle | 60 | 9.8 | .566 | .535 | 2.6 | .5 | .5 | .4 | 6.0 |
| 1977–78 | Seattle | 1 | 7.0 | .000 | – | .0 | 2.0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
| Career | 80 | 8.5 | .546 | .545 | 2.2 | .4 | .5 | .3 | 5.0 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Seattle | 4 | 5.5 | .125 | 1.000 | 1.8 | .3 | .0 | .0 | 1.0 |
References
- ^ a b "Dean Tolson NBA stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
- ^ "1974 ABA Draft". basketballreference.com. Archived from the original on July 20, 2013. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
- ^ a b "Dean Tolson minor league basketball statistics". Stats Crew. Retrieved February 19, 2025.
- ^ Schauffler, Allen (October 5, 2007), A new chapter in the Dean Tolson story, KING 5 News, archived from the original on October 15, 2007
- ^ Raley, Dan (July 31, 2007), "Ex-Sonic Tolson makes most of second-chance education", The Seattle Post-Intelligencer
- ^ Boling, Dave (July 4, 2016), "From illiterate to author, former Sonics forward Dean Tolson writes the story of his life", The News Tribune of Tacoma, Washington
- ^ Lieber, Jill (May 30, 1988), "Never Too Old To Learn: Dean Tolson, a former basketball star at Arkansas, earned his degree at 36", Sports Illustrated
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