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Game state source: whynba · Retrieved Oct 9, 6:37 pm EDTNBA legend. Named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team and inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Biography, honors and career statistics below.
Dave Cowens
Career at a glance
Dave Cowens played 11 NBA regular seasons between 1970 and 1983, appearing in 766 games and averaging 17.6 points, 13.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. He played for 2 teams: Boston (1970–80, 726 games), Milwaukee (1982–83, 40 games). His best scoring season was 1972–73 with Boston: 20.5 points per game over 82 games.
He rebounded best in 1972–73 at 16.2 per game. Championship seasons: 1973–74 (Boston), 1975–76 (Boston). In the playoffs he appeared in 7 postseason runs (89 games, 18.9 points per game).
Multiplying each season’s games by its scoring average gives roughly 13,500 regular-season points (an estimate from per-game figures, not an official total). Among the 404 players with at least 200 NBA games profiled on whynba, Cowens ranks No. 9 in rebounds per game.
whynba analysis of the season-by-season statistics below (Wikipedia revision, CC BY-SA 4.0). Totals are estimates from per-game averages.
About Dave Cowens
David William Cowens (/ˈkaʊənz/COW-ənz; born October 25, 1948) is an American former professional basketball player and NBA head coach. At 6ft 9in (2.06m), he played the center position and occasionally played power forward. Cowens spent most of his playing career with the Boston Celtics. He was the 1971 NBA Rookie of the Year and the 1973 NBA Most Valuable Player. Cowens won NBA championships as a member of the Celtics in 1974 and 1976. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991. Throughout his career Cowens was known for being an undersized center, however he made up for his height with hustle and athleticism. Cowens has also held coaching positions in the NBA, CBA, and WNBA.
Cowens was named a member of both the NBA 50th Anniversary All-Time Team and the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.
- Born
- October 25, 1948 (age 77) Newport, Kentucky, U.S.
- Listed height
- 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
- Listed weight
- 230 lb (104 kg)
- Position
- Center
- High school
- Newport Catholic (Newport, Kentucky)
- College
- Florida State (1967–1970)
- NBA draft
- 1970: 1st round, 4th overall pick
- Playing career
- 1970–1980, 1982–1983
Career highlights and awards
- 2× NBA champion (1974, 1976)
- NBA Most Valuable Player (1973)
- 8× NBA All-Star (1972–1978, 1980)
- NBA All-Star Game MVP (1973)
- 3× All-NBA Second Team (1973, 1975, 1976)
- NBA All-Defensive First Team (1976)
- 2× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1975, 1980)
- NBA Rookie of the Year (1971)
- NBA All-Rookie Team (1971)
- NBA anniversary team (50th, 75th)
- No. 18 retired by Boston Celtics
- No. 13 retired by Florida State Seminoles
Career statistics
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970–71 | Boston | 81 | — | 38.0 | .422 | — | .732 | 15.0 | 2.8 | — | — | 17.0 |
| 1971–72 | Boston | 79 | — | 40.3 | .484 | — | .720 | 15.2 | 3.1 | — | — | 18.8 |
| 1972–73 | Boston | 82* | — | 41.8 | .452 | — | .779 | 16.2 | 4.1 | — | — | 20.5 |
| 1973–74† | Boston | 80 | — | 41.9 | .437 | — | .832 | 15.7 | 4.4 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 19.0 |
| 1974–75 | Boston | 65 | — | 40.5 | .475 | — | .783 | 14.7 | 4.6 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 20.4 |
| 1975–76† | Boston | 78 | — | 39.8 | .468 | — | .756 | 16.0 | 4.2 | 1.2 | 0.9 | 19.0 |
| 1976–77 | Boston | 50 | — | 37.8 | .434 | — | .818 | 13.9 | 5.0 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 16.4 |
| 1977–78 | Boston | 77 | — | 41.8 | .490 | — | .842 | 14.0 | 4.6 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 18.6 |
| 1978–79 | Boston | 68 | — | 37.0 | .483 | — | .807 | 9.6 | 3.6 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 16.6 |
| 1979–80 | Boston | 66 | 55 | 32.7 | .453 | .083 | .779 | 8.1 | 3.1 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 14.2 |
| 1982–83 | Milwaukee | 40 | 34 | 25.4 | .444 | .000 | .825 | 6.9 | 2.1 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 8.1 |
| Career | 766 | 89 | 38.6 | .460 | .071 | .783 | 13.6 | 3.8 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 17.6 | |
| All-Star | 6 | 4 | 25.7 | .500 | — | .714 | 13.5 | 2.0 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 12.7 |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Boston | 11 | — | 40.1 | .455 | — | .596 | 13.8 | 3.0 | — | — | 15.5 |
| 1973 | Boston | 13 | — | 46.0 | .473 | — | .659 | 16.6 | 3.7 | — | — | 21.9 |
| 1974† | Boston | 18 | — | 42.9 | .435 | — | .797 | 13.3 | 3.7 | 1.2 | 0.9 | 20.5 |
| 1975 | Boston | 11 | — | 43.5 | .428 | — | .885 | 16.5 | 4.2 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 20.5 |
| 1976† | Boston | 18 | — | 44.3 | .457 | — | .759 | 16.4 | 4.6 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 21.0 |
| 1977 | Boston | 9 | — | 42.1 | .446 | — | .773 | 14.9 | 4.0 | 0.9 | 1.4 | 16.6 |
| 1980 | Boston | 9 | — | 33.4 | .476 | .000 | .909 | 7.3 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 12.0 |
| Career | 89 | — | 42.3 | .451 | .000 | .744 | 14.4 | 3.7 | 1.2 | 0.9 | 18.9 |
Per-game averages. † won an NBA championship · * led the league · ‡ NBA record (as marked).
Profile observation date unavailable.
- Height
- 6′ 9″
- Weight
- 230 lb
- Position
- Center
- Jersey
- Not listed
- Country
- USA
- School / last affiliation
- Not listed
- Draft year
- 1970
- Draft pick
- Round 1 · Pick 4
Height, Weight, Position, Country, Draft year, Draft pick: blank in the NBA.com profile, filled from the Wikipedia infobox credited in the About section above.
Roster observations
These dates show when our saved NBA directory observations listed this player with a team. They are not signing, trade or contract dates, and this is not a complete career history.
No roster observations are stored for this player. Historical profile details above do not establish a current team assignment.
Profile source
Biographical fields reflect the saved official profile at the check time shown above. Team assignments use the dated directory evidence in Roster observations. Offseason rosters and jersey numbers can change.
View the official NBA player profile ↗