You might not think that basketball would be the best option for a guy who graduated from high school at only 5’7″ but Ron Boone proved everyone wrong. A 2-time 1st-team All-Big Sky player at Idaho State, he made the ABA All-Rookie First Team in 1969 and was an ABA champion with Utah 2 years later in 1971. He was named an All-Star 4 times from 1971-1976 and remains in the top-6 in PTS/AST in ABA history. He set a pro basketball record by playing in more than 1000 consecutive games and was selected to the ABA All-Time Team in 1997. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Ron about winning a title and being a broadcaster. Today is Ron’s 75th birthday so let us be the 1st to wish him a happy 1!
2 of your nicknames were “The Chief” (due to your Native American ancestry) and “The Legend” (due to your remarkable consistency): which nickname did you like the most? “The Chief” was given to me by my teammate Willie Wise, who all of a sudden 1 day thought that I looked like an Indian/had Indian heritage. He really did not know that he was right, as I was born in an Indian town in Oklahoma called Wewoka. “The Legend” is something that comes with age when you have been out of the game as long as I have. Either 1 is fine.
1 of your 1st coaches growing up was Josh Gibson (older brother of Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson): what made him such a good coach, and did you ever think about following his brother’s path into baseball? I think when we were all growing up baseball was everybody’s 1st love. Gibson was not actually my coach: I was a ball boy for the team that he coached but my brother played on that team. I think we all dreamed about becoming baseball players because it was the #1 sport played at our age.
In 1963 as a 5’8” junior you came off the bench for Omaha Tech as they won the high school state title: was it frustrating to not be a starter, and what did it mean to you to win the title? Everyone wants to win a championship so that was a lot of fun. Our team probably should have won it all 2 or 3 years in a row but we only won it in 1963. It means everything to win the title so I was never frustrated. I was just glad to be on the basketball team: at 5’8” I was not as good as some of the other players.
You went to Iowa Western CC for 1 year, then transferred to Idaho State where you played center despite being 6’ tall: why did you decide to go to Pocatello, and how were you able to play center against much taller guys? I got a scholarship to Idaho State sight unseen. I went to Iowa Western for 1 year but did not want to go back. My high school coach and college coach (who was at Idaho State at the time) gave me a scholarship so I was kind of lucky to get a chance to go to school there. The reason I was able to play center is because I had quite the jumping ability. I could not do it every single game but from time to time the coach would put me out there and I had some success.
In the summer of 1968 you were selected by Dallas in the ABA draft and by Phoenix in the NBA draft: did you ever consider going to the NBA, and what made you end up choosing to play in the ABA? The ABA was a young league that 1st year. My college coach told me that I would probably stand a better chance of making it in the ABA because it was a young league that needed players. It was him that really steered me that way.
You were known for driving around in a bright orange Cadillac El Dorado: why orange, and why a Cadillac? My favorite was not bright orange but rather “competition orange”. Back then the Cadillac was really bright. I just took a liking to it and decided to get it but it took me a while to go ahead and buy it. Every time I would go back there I would say, “Man, I need to have that car!” so I finally ended up getting it.
You had a vertical leap of 43”: were you always more athletic than everyone else, and how much of an advantage was your athleticism on the court? I had a lot of athleticism and was kind of a physical player. My jumping ability came after high school. I think that I dunked a basketball for the 1st time in a high school All-Star game after I had graduated. It was an advantage I had and I used it.
In 1971 you won the ABA title with Utah by beating Kentucky in Game 7 of the Finals: what are your memories of that game, and what was the feeling like in your locker room afterwards? It was obviously very exciting in the locker room: everyone was having fun and throwing the champagne around! We knew that we had an excellent team and if we played the way we were supposed to play then we would win the championship. That was a great year as everything fell into place with no injuries or anything like that. That was the 1st year that the team was in Utah (after moving from Los Angeles) so to win a championship in the 1st year was something special.
Your 15.8 PPG that year was only good enough to tie you for 4th-best on the team with Willie Wise (trailing Donnie Freeman/Zelmo Beaty/Glen Combs): was that the best offensive team you have ever been a part of, and how was your team able to spread the ball around so that everyone had a chance to score? That team was so balanced and so good with Beaty and Combs (from Virginia Tech, who could flat out shoot the ball) as well as Merv Jackson (a standout from Utah). That team was put together so well that anyone could have a good night. That is the type of team we had so I think 15.8 PPG was pretty good!
In 1974 you made it back to the Finals but lost to Julius Erving and the New York Nets: where does Dr. J rank among the best players you have ever faced, and do you think anyone could have beat him that year? Dr. J was probably the most exciting player I ever played against. When he 1st came into the league he was just a very young guy, dunking all over everyone and running the floor. After playing against him for so many years I found out the kind of game he really had. He was the most exciting player that has ever played in either league for the most part and has also been a great ambassador for the game since he retired.
After the ABA-NBA merger in 1976 you played 5 years in the NBA: what was the biggest difference between the 2 leagues, and what was it like to play for Jerry West? There were not a lot of differences between the 2 leagues. At the time of the merger the NBA probably had the better big men but in the ABA our guards/forwards were a lot better. During the preseason games between the 2 leagues the ABA won about 70% of the time. When the merger came about I went to Kansas City and had a couple of good years there and then went to play for the Lakers. I thought that Jerry West was a good coach.
You were a 4-time ABA All-Star (including 1976 when Dr. J won the 1st-ever slam dunk contest over All-Star weekend): what are your memories of the slam dunk contest, and did you ever think it would turn into such a phenomenon? I did not think it would become such a phenomenon. At the time the ABA was just trying to do anything it could to make the league survive; to make it stronger, more exciting, and get fans in the stands. That slam dunk contest became something special.
You retired with a record 1041 consecutive games played in the ABA/NBA (which was later broken by AC Green), and never missed a single game or practice during your entire college/pro career: how were you able to remain healthy throughout your career, and were you amazed when AC broke your record? I was blessed with a pretty strong body. I did not get any of those major injuries that keep people from playing and tried to take care of my body as best I could. It is an accomplishment where the longer you are out of the league, the prouder you are of it. AC needs to be proud of his streak as well: that is a LOT of basketball games. You are not just talking about games either: there are plenty of practices and shootarounds, which cause a lot of wear and tear on your body, so to be able to perform like that is something special.
You remain the #3 all-time scorer in ABA history (behind only Dan Issel/Louie Dampier) and #6 all-time in AST: how were you able to balance your scoring with your passing, and do you feel like you were 1 of the best players in the ABA? I was voted as 1 of the top-30 players that ever came out of the ABA. I played 8 years in the ABA and had a pretty good scoring record. To become a balanced player and to be able to show those kinds of talents is very special.
You have spent the past 3 decades as a broadcaster with the Jazz: how do you like the gig, and how long do you plan on sticking around for? The game has changed so much, especially since the NBA has adopted some of the things the ABA had been doing (such as the 3-PT shot). The dunk has always been an exciting play but it is kind of fun that the 3-PT shot has become just as exciting to the fans as the dunk. I have enjoyed broadcasting: it is a side of basketball where you see the game a little bit differently and it has been really fun. I would like to do this for a few more years and then retire to the nearest golf course!