Clifford Ray

Clifford Ray (born January 21 1949 in Union, South Carolina) is an American basketball coach and former professional basketball player. A 6-9 center, he played three of his ten seasons in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls (1971-74) and the other seven with the Golden State Warriors (1974-81).

Career

Ray played his college basketball at the University of Oklahoma, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (he can can play most woodwind instruments). Selected in the third round of the 1971 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls, Ray was, from the start, a very effective defender and rebounder. Ray was named to the 1972 NBA All-Rookie Team, and led the NBA in rebounds per minute played in each of his first two seasons. He spent three seasons with the Bulls, his best being 1973-74 during which he averaged 9.3 points and 12.2 rebounds per game.

After the 1973-74 season Ray was traded to Golden State for fellow center Nate Thurmond. In 1975 the Warriors, led by Rick Barry and coached by Al Attles, won the NBA championship. Ray led the team in rebounding and anchored the defense, finishing second in minutes played per game, after Barry. The Warriors defeated Ray's former team, the Chicago Bulls, in the Western Conference finals before sweeping the Washington Bullets in the NBA Finals.

Ray is one of a handful of players to have played at least ten seasons in the pros and to have recorded more rebounds (6953 over 784 games for an 8.9 average) than points (5821, for a 7.4 average) for his career.

After his playing career, Ray worked as an assistant coach with the Dallas Mavericks 1987. He also coached in the Continental Basketball Association, where he landed his first head coaching job with the Fort Wayne Fury, replacing former teammate Rick Barry as Head Coach at the end of the season. Later, he worked as a New Jersey Nets assistant before returning to Golden State as an assistant coach. He had also worked as an assistant coach with the Orlando Magic and is currently as assistant for the Boston Celtics.

Mentor to the big men

In his post-playing career, Ray has mentored many NBA big men, most notably Chris Webber and Ben Wallace. He has also worked with Roy Tarpley, Dwight Howard, Jayson Williams, Eric Dampier, P.J. Brown, Adonal Foyle, Etan Thomas, Marc Jackson, DeSagana Diop, Al Jefferson, Mario Kasun, and Michael Bradley. As an Orlando Magic assistant, he was responsible for the quick professional development of Dwight Howard. In May 2006, Ray was signed by the Boston Celtics to work with big men Kendrick Perkins and Al Jefferson. During the off-season, Ray and former Celtics great Robert Parish conduct a Big Man Camp in Bradenton, Florida, where they work with many big men improving their game.

Dolphin rescue

In 1978, Ray was in the news for an entirely different reason: he helped save a dolphin's life. At Marine World in Redwood City, California, during maintenance in the tank of a bottlenose dolphin named "Mr. Spock", the dolphin swallowed a sharp screw. The veterinarian was unwilling to perform a risky operation while the screw was still in the dolphin's first stomach, just inches beyond his reach. His frustrated suggestion that he needed longer arms led someone to ask local star Ray (whose arms are 3 feet 9 inches, or 114 centimeters, long) if he could help. With gloves, lubrication, and guidance, he was able to reach down Spock's throat and retrieve the screw before it could cause more damage.

In December 2006, Bao Xishun, then recognized as world's tallest living man, saved the lives of two dolphins in the same manner as Ray.

References

• NBA Career stats at Basketball-Reference.com