The NBA Finals date back to 1947 (when they were known as the Basketball Association of America Finals) and the very 1st NCAA tourney was held in 1939. Olympic basketball competition is even older: it debuted as a demonstration event in 1904 and the men’s version became a medal sport in 1936, with the women finally getting their chance to go for the gold in 1976. The United States has dominated Olympic basketball competition from the start: the men have won 15 gold medals in the 18 tournaments they have participated in during the past 84 years, while the women have won 8 gold medals in the 10 tournaments in which they have competed during the past 44 years. Those of you who were looking forward to the 2020 Olympics opening ceremonies in Tokyo on July 24, 2020 will have to wait an extra 364 days, as the coronavirus caused a postponement until July 23, 2021. Due to the absence of college basketball since mid-March, HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel decided to fill the void by trying to interview as many prior Olympic players/coaches as possible so that you have something to read this summer while not watching the Summer Games. We continue our coverage by chatting with Quinn Buckner about going undefeated at Indiana AND winning a gold medal in 1976.
At Thornridge High School you won back-to-back state titles and your 1972 team is often cited as the greatest in the history of Illinois high school basketball: how were you able to go undefeated without any opponent coming within 14 PTS of beating you? We had 2 other guys who were even better than me. My dad was a former athlete who taught me the importance of playing together. I am too old to have an ego about it: we had a great team and after losing as a juniors we did not want to lose again as seniors.
In 1975 you swept the entire Big 10 by an average of 22.8 PPG but lost All-American forward Scott May to a broken left arm and then had a 2-PT loss to Kentucky in the Mideast Regional: what are your memories of what is considered to be 1 of the greatest games in NCAA tourney history? All I know is that we did not win the game. Kentucky played inspired basketball after we had beaten them earlier in the year. Coach Knight made a gesture toward Coach Hall that was perceived to be a slight but we just did not get it done.
In 1976 you were co-captain of the last school to finish the season undefeated: what made Bobby Knight such a great coach, and do you think that we will ever see another undefeated national champ? I hope that we see another undefeated champ who runs the table but I do not know if it will ever happen. Coach Knight said at the beginning of that year if we play the way that we were capable of playing then nobody would beat us. Coach Knight was great at preparation: he made sure that we understood exactly what to do in our roles as well as what our teammates needed us to do. We worked very hard and were in good shape.
That summer you won a gold medal with team USA at the Olympics: what did it mean to you to represent your country, and what did it mean to you to win a gold medal? That was the most important thing I ever did in athletics by far. I went on international tours during my 1st 3 summers, which helped me prepare for the Olympics. There were no pros involved back then. Standing on the podium with the Star Spangled Banner playing was an emotional rush.
You are the only person ever named Chicago area Player of the Year for both football and basketball and in 1976 you were selected by Milwaukee in the NBA draft and by Washington in the NFL draft: which sport were you best at, and which sport did you enjoy the most? I was best at football, which was my gift, but my passion was basketball. My father helped me understand that you have to play the game above the shoulders to be a great athlete. I remember Redskins Coach George Allen calling me while I was in Hawaii on the basketball circuit. I needed to let Indiana know that I was not going to take a 5th year: it was humbling to be drafted by the NFL but my neighborhood in Phoenix, IL had plenty of guys who won state basketball championships.
You suffered only 25 losses during your 8 years of high school/college basketball: how did you deal with losing 52 games in your rookie season with the Bucks? It was a humbling experience and hard to deal with. I had a lot of good teammates like Junior Bridgeman/Brian Winters who helped me. Our motto was “green and growing”, which meant that we would get better with age so we just kept plowing ahead.
You had 9 STL as a rookie in a January 1977 loss to Indiana and were a 4-time member of the NBA All-Defensive Team during a 5-year stretch from 1978-1982: what is the key to being a great defender? My forte was my ability to know what my opponent wanted to do on offense. I was not a great shooter so I had to control my man, help out my teammates on defense, and distribute the ball. In high school Coach Ron Ferguson made sure that we played defense. If they do not score then you will not lose: that was my mindset.
What do you remember most about the 1984 NBA Finals as a player with Boston: Magic Johnson’s 21 AST in Game 3, Kevin McHale clothes-lining Kurt Rambis in Game 4, the 97-degrees-with-no-air-conditioning climate inside the Garden in Game 5, or winning Game 7 at home? Most of us were in our late-20s so we were a group of men. We stole Game 2 thanks to Gerald Henderson because home-court advantage matters. Larry Bird was Larry Bird but Kareem was almost mesmerizing when he got the ball. We were a good bunch of guys who played tough and had a really good time off the court as well. When I was traded to Boston it was great because I always thought that I was a team player who played the “Celtic Way”. It was 1 of the highlights of my career because Red Auerbach and Coach Knight were very close so to be a part of that lineage makes me feel blessed. I also played for many other great coaches including Don Nelson/Dean Smith/John Thompson/KC Jones: those are some of the greatest minds in basketball history! Red was as smart as anyone I have ever been around.
In 2015 you were inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? It is up there and was a great honor. I felt very proud of our team’s success, which is why I was earmarked for that honor. In some cases it was an out-of-body experience: I was never looking for the accolades but just hated losing.
You are 1 of only 7 players to ever win an NCAA title and NBA title and Olympic gold medal: when people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most? As a guy who did his job and was never the weak link on his team.