019 - Bird Averitt
Malibu, early ‘70s: Surf, string bikinis, streakers? Mere sideshows ... No. 1 must-see attraction? Bird balling—a 40-minute heart-thumping thrill ride. Electrifying as the surf, iconic as the bikinis, unpredictable as the streakers … Basketball’s forgotten Bird. Nickname earned as a child, thanks to his wiry, feather-light build … Soft-spoken showman with a high-volume game that screamed attention … Shot selection? “I shoot the jumper from 20 feet and closer. When it’s not working, I just go to the basket.” … People say he had a shootin’ problem, but he didn’t have a problem shootin’ at all ... Built for the L.A. area—loved driving through heavy traffic, navigating tight situations. “In traffic around the hoop, he’s the best I’ve ever seen,” Pepperdine coach Gary Colson said … Difficult matchup for most. “Perhaps a mongoose could play the Bird one-on-one, but he’ll beat anyone with only two feet,” cracked sports columnist David Kindred … He agreed: “Traps, double teams, and a lot more. It doesn’t affect me. I don’t get mad when people bump me.” … Streaky shooter rep: “When the shots fall, they fall.” And when they don’t? He kept on shooting—until they did … They called it a problem. He called it a solution … Burst onto the college hoops scene like a Bluegrass tornado. Averaged 36.2 points for the Waves’ freshman squad—torching UCLA’s undefeated frosh (Walton, Wilkes, and the gang) for 43 and 44. At Pauley … Racked up a WCAC record 28.1 nightly as a sophomore in ’71-72—fifth best in the nation. Set school marks with 57 and 56 against Nevada-Reno ... Yet just second-team all-league ... “They said I was erratic. Could only go to my left.” … Encore? Broke his scoring mark as a junior in’72-73, pouring in 33.9 a night to lead the nation—upped to 39.1 in conference play. “They can’t play me to my weakside this year.” Points made. No debate this time: WCAC Player of the Year, All-American honorable mention ... Malibu threw him a half-mile parade—cinema marquee flashing “Bird Averitt, USA’s No. 1 scorer” … Declared hardship when Pepperdine wouldn’t meet his demands: a new Corvette, an off-campus condo, fresh threads, and a few credit cards …
Career 31.4 a night over two seasons—11th-best in NCAA history. The other Bird—Larry? He’s perched four notches lower, at No. 15 with a 30.3 mark over three seasons …
Signed with the Spurs, who snagged his rights from San Diego before the ’73-74 season … Barely played early, but cracked the starting rotation that January—running with Captain Late, James Silas. And the Iceman George Gervin. Averaged 21.3 a night over a 15-game tear … Traded to Kentucky a year later, where he was a perfect fit on the Colonels squad. Won an ABA championship with the A-Train Artis Gilmore and the Big Horse Dan Issel in 74-75. Upped his game to a career-best 17.9 the next season … After the merger in ’76, played two seasons with the Buffalo Braves and the New Jersey Nets before calling it a career … First made waves at Hopkinsville High, rewriting the school’s scoring records ... Led Kentucky’s Second Region with 27 a night as a senior ... Led the Tigers to their first appearance in the state playoffs. Dropped a tourney record 52 in a regional semifinal ... Starred in the annual Kentucky-Indiana all-star contest … Racked up the honors: All-State. All-District. All-Region … No. 10 jersey retired in ’74 ... Born William Rodney Averitt on July 22, 1952, in Hopkinsville, KY … After basketball, coached youth basketball for a spell. And worked odd jobs. But was still cashing NBA paychecks until ’05—$1,500 monthly courtesy of John Y. Brown, former owner of Colonels and Braves … Partially disabled after a ’95 car accident … Inducted into the Pepperdine Athletics HOF in ‘81, West Coast Conference Hall of Honor in ’17. And Hopkinsville High School Athletic HOF posthumously in ’21 … “I just wanted to play against the best and I wanted to be one of the best. I wanted to be the whole hog.” … Passed at 68. On December 12, 2020, in Hopkinsville, KY.
Sources: Berkeley Gazette, 2/12/1972; Buffalo, News, 8/5/1976, 8/7/1976; Chico Enterprise-Record, 3/1/1973; Dayton Journal-Herald, 12/11/1973; Evansville Courier & Press, 5/18/1975, 9/8/1985; Fremont News-Register, 2/8/1972; Kentucky New Era, 3/13/1970, 5/13/1970, 10/6/1970, 2/17/1973, 9/27/1974, 6/29/1984, 12/7/1989, 3/11/2017, 9/30/2021; Long Beach Independent, 7/13/1970; Los Angeles Times, 2/18/1970, [scored 43 against Brubabes at Pauley], 3/6/1971 [scored 44 against the Brubabes], 1/25/2010; Louisville Courier Journal, 4/20/1976, 7/4/2003, 8/5/2004; 5/1/2005 [coached youth basketball; served as a Job Corps counselor; partially disabled because of a ’95 car accident]; Madisonville Messenger, 3/11/1970, 3/13/1970; Nevada State Journal, 2/17/1973, 3/4/1979; North Bay Nugget, 3/26/1974; Oregonian, 4/25/1973; Richmond Times Dispatch, 1/31/1981; San Antonio Express & News, 10/7/1973; San Francisco Examiner, 12/12/1976; Sports Illustrated, 11/20/1989; St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 1/10/1975; Tennessean, 2/5/1972; Thousand Oaks News Chronicle, 3/25/1974.
Edited: 10/13/2025. At 6:13 A.M.