Ernie DiGregorio

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox basketball biography Ernest DiGregorio (born January 15, 1951), also known as "Ernie D.", is an American former professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Buffalo Braves, Los Angeles Lakers, and Boston Celtics from 1973 to 1978.

DiGregorio was named NBA Rookie of the Year in the 1973–74 season and shares the NBA rookie record for assists in a single game with 25. Due to a severe knee injury suffered early in DiGregorio's professional career, he played only five NBA seasons.

A 1973 NCAA All-American at Providence, DiGregorio was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.

Early life

DiGregorio was born on January 15, 1951, in North Providence, Rhode Island.<ref name=":7">Template:Cite web</ref> At age 12, he decided to become a professional basketball player, and put in thousands of hours over the years to develop his skills.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> He played on the 1968 Rhode Island (Class B) champions at North Providence High School.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref> He averaged 26 points per game as a freshman and 37 as a senior.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

College and NBA career

Providence College

DiGregorio attended Providence College, graduating in 1973.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He played basketball under Hall of Fame head coach Dave Gavitt.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> DiGregorio, Marvin Barnes and Kevin Stacom led the Providence team to a Final Four appearance in the 1973 National Collegiate Athletic Conference (NCAA) Tournament in DiGregorio's senior season.<ref name=":0" /> They eventually lost to Memphis State,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> but only after Barnes sustained a knee injury that forced an early exit, after playing only 11 minutes in the game.<ref name=":1" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> DiGregorio received the NCAA East Regional Most Outstanding Player honors.<ref name=":3">Template:Cite web</ref>

In the 1972-73 season, DiGregorio averaged 24.5 points per game and 8.6 assists per game (a school record as of 2024<ref name=":4">Template:Cite web</ref>), and was Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Player of the Year.<ref name=":3" /> He received the 1973 Lapchick Award as the nation’s outstanding senior.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref> He was an All-American for each of his three varsity years at Providence,<ref name=":3" /> and a first-team consensus All-American his senior year.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Over his three-year career, he averaged 20.5 points a game, and a school record 7.7 assists per game (as of 2024).<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Providence retired his number at halftime of a February 5, 2008 game against DePaul, giving the fans DiGregorio bobblehead figures.<ref name=":2" />

International exhibition series

After playing for the Providence, DiGregorio played on a college All-Star team, coached by Bob Cousy, against a team from the Soviet Union in a six-game exhibition series. DiGregorio was considered the star of the series.<ref name=":8">Template:Cite news</ref> Among others, the U.S. team also included future Hall of Fame center Bill Walton,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Swen Nater (who replaced Walton after an injury in game 1), Providence teammate Marvin Barnes, future Hall of Fame player Bobby Jones,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Pat McFarland, and Tom Henderson, who defeated the Soviet team in the bruising six-game exhibition series,<ref name=":5">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":6">Template:Cite news</ref> which helped heal the still-open wound of the United States' loss in the 1972 Summer Olympic finals.Template:Citation needed

The Soviet team included, among others, Aleksander Belov.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The American team won the first game 83–65, with DiGregorio and Nater the leading scorers (14 points each), and DiGregorio making crowd pleasing sharp passes.<ref name=":6" /> In the fifth game, DiGregorio scored two baskets in 13 seconds to send the game into overtime, which the U.S. won 89–80. DiGregorio had 25 points and 11 assists, and Barnes scored 8 points in overtime.<ref name=":5" />

Buffalo Braves (1973–1977)

DiGregorio was drafted by the Kentucky Colonels of the American Basketball Association in the ABA's 1973 special circumstances draft<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> but opted instead for the NBA.

He was selected third overall by the Buffalo Braves (a franchise now known as the Los Angeles Clippers) in the 1973 NBA draft, out of Providence College.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> DiGregorio won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 1973–74 after averaging 15.2 points, and leading the league in both free throw percentage (.902) and assists per game (8.2), while playing 35.9 minutes per game.<ref name=rhoden>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":7" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> DiGregorio still holds the NBA rookie record for assists in a single game with 25 (a record now shared with Nate McMillan).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The following year, he had a severe knee injury that cut short his future productivity and remaining career.<ref name=":9">Template:Cite web</ref>

He would never again come close to his 1973-74 level of production. He played only 31 games of the 1974-75 season, and 67 games the next year, playing only 20 minutes a game and averaging less than seven points a game. His coach Jack Ramsay thought DiGregorio had lost speed and quickness after knee surgery, and made him the team's fourth guard; though DiGregorio disagreed with that assessment.<ref name=":8" /> During DiGregorio's last full season with the Braves (1976–77), he was up to 28 minutes a game, and averaged 10.7 points and 4.7 assists per game.<ref name=":7" /> He led the league in free throw percentage a second time, with a then-NBA record 94.5%.<ref name=":7" />Template:Citation needed As of 2024, this is the 9th best seasonal percentage of all-time.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1977, he joined fellow NBA stars Julius Erving, Rick Barry, Wilt Chamberlain, and Pete Maravich,Template:Citation needed in endorsing Spalding's line of rubber basketballs, with a signature "Ernie D." ball making up part of the collection.<ref>"Spalding Presents Street Ball, with Rick Barry and Dr. J!" advertisements on the back of Marvel and DC comic books, 1977.</ref><ref name=":2" />

Los Angeles Lakers (1977–1978)

Before the 1977–78 season, the Brave's sold DiGregorio's contract rights to the Los Angeles Lakers, after Buffalo had acquired future Hall of Fame point guard Nate "Tiny" Archibald; part of a greater plan of player transactions in Buffalo.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":8" /> DiGregorio played in a Lakers' uniform, under coach Jerry West (who had been hopeful about DiGregorio as his point guard), in only 25 games before being waived.<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":7" /><ref name=":8" />

Boston Celtics (1978)

The Boston Celtics signed him as a free agent but he played only sparingly for the rest of the season.<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":7" /> He would not play in the NBA again, although he did not formally retire until 1981.Template:Citation needed

Honors

• In 1999, DiGregorio was elected to the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• In 2001, DiGregorio was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame.<ref name=":1" />
• In 2016, he was inducted into the Eastern College Athletic Conference Hall of Fame.<ref name=":2" />
• In 2019, DiGregorio was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame.<ref name=":3" />
• In 2024, The Ernie DiGregorio Sports Complex was dedicated by North Providence at the Millar-Waite-Evans Memorial Park.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Post-NBA

After 1978, he returned to Providence College to earn a degree.<ref name=":1" /> In 1981, at only 30 years old, Celtic coach Bill Fitch gave DiGregorio an opportunity to try out for the Celtics.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> DiGregorio tried to make a comeback with the Nets in 1983.<ref name="rhoden" /> He was a head coach for the Rhode Island School for the Deaf.<ref name=":2" /> He later became the head coach at his high school alma mater, North Providence High.<ref name="rhoden" /> He was also a referee in the Continental Basketball Association for a year, and worked with an advertising firm in public relations. He later took a job at Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut.<ref name="rhoden" /> He has written children's books, worked in the community holding basketball clinics and advised young basketball players at local schools. He worked as Director of Operations for the Buffalo 716ers of the American Basketball Association.<ref name=":2" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Template:NBA player statistics start |- | style="text-align:left;"|Template:Nbay | style="text-align:left;"|Buffalo | 81 || Template:Sort || 35.9 || .421 || Template:Sort ||style="background:#cfecec;"|.902* || 2.7 ||style="background:#cfecec;"| 8.2* || 0.7 || 0.1 || 15.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"|Template:Nbay | style="text-align:left;"|Buffalo | 31 || Template:Sort || 23.0 || .440 || Template:Sort || .778 || 1.5 || 4.9 || 0.6 || 0.0 || 7.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"|Template:Nbay | style="text-align:left;"|Buffalo | 67 || Template:Sort || 20.4 || .384 || Template:Sort || .915 || 1.7 || 4.0 || 0.6 || 0.0 || 6.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"|Template:Nbay | style="text-align:left;"|Buffalo | 81 || Template:Sort || 28.0 || .417 || Template:Sort ||style="background:#cfecec;"|.945* || 2.3 || 4.7 || 0.7 || 0.0 || 10.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"|Template:Nbay | style="text-align:left;"|L.A. Lakers | 25 || Template:Sort || 13.3 || .410 || Template:Sort || .800 || 0.9 || 2.8 || 0.2 || 0.0 || 3.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"|Template:Nbay | style="text-align:left;"|Boston | 27 || Template:Sort || 10.1 || .431 || Template:Sort || .923 || 1.0 || 2.4 || 0.4 || 0.0 || 3.9 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career | 312 || Template:Sort || 25.2 || .415 || Template:Sort || .902 || 2.0 || 5.1 || 0.6 || 0.0 || 9.6 Template:S-end

Playoffs

Template:NBA player statistics start |- | style="text-align:left;"|1974 | style="text-align:left;”|Buffalo | 6 || Template:Sort || 40.0 || .430 || Template:Sort || .889 || 2.7 || 8.7 || 0.2 || 0.0 || 13.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"|1976 | style="text-align:left;”|Buffalo | 9 || Template:Sort || 24.1 || .484 || Template:Sort || 1.000 || 1.4 || 5.0 || 0.6 || 0.2 || 7.6 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career | 15 || Template:Sort || 30.5 || .453 || Template:Sort || .941 || 1.9 || 6.5 || 0.4 || 0.1 || 10.0 Template:S-end

College statistics

Template:NBA player statistics start |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1970–71 | style="text-align:left;"| Providence | 28 || Template:Sort || 36.2 || .481 || Template:Sort || .830 || 4.0 || 6.5 || Template:Sort || Template:Sort || 18.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1971–72 | style="text-align:left;"| Providence | 27 || Template:Sort || 38.0 || .436 || Template:Sort || .802 || 3.0 || 7.9 || Template:Sort || Template:Sort || 17.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1972–73 | style="text-align:left;"| Providence | 31 || Template:Sort || 36.0 || .478 || Template:Sort || .802 || 3.2 || 8.6 || Template:Sort || Template:Sort || 24.5 |- class=sortbottom | style="text-align:center;" colspan=2|Career | 86 || Template:Sort || 36.7 || .468 || Template:Sort || .812 || 3.4 || 7.7 || Template:Sort || Template:Sort || 20.5 |- Template:S-end

See also

• List of National Basketball Association players with most assists in a game