Darrell Steven Griffith (born June 16, 1958), also known by his nickname Dr. Dunkenstein, is a retired American basketball player who spent his entire professional career with Utah Jazz from the National Basketball Association.
Video Darrell Griffith
High School and college
Griffith starred in Louisville Male High School and was widely recruited by colleges across the country. In fact, Griffith reportedly turned down an offer to leave college and signed a contract with ABON's Kentucky Colonels. He decided to attend his hometown school, Louisville University, which delighted local fans.
He did not disappoint, giving the NCAA men's basketball championship the first time in 1980. He scored 23 points in a 59-54 Cardinals win over UCLA in the championship game. Due to his strong performance, he was named the Most Extraordinary Player in the Final Four. Griffith reached 825 points in his senior season, setting school records. For his efforts, he was named First Team All-American by the Associated Press and was awarded the Wood Award as the best college basketball player in the country. He left college as the all-time leading scorer in Louisville with 2,333 points in his career. His back number, 35, had retired during the ceremony after the 1980 season.
Maps Darrell Griffith
Professional career
Utah chose Griffith with a second overall choice in the 1980 NBA draft. Jazz recently moved to Salt Lake City from New Orleans, and the team needed a star to replace the legendary shooting guard Pete Maravich. Griffith accepted the challenge, averaging 20.6 points per game in his first season and earning an NBA Rookie of the Year award.
For the next four seasons, Griffith teamed up with little forward Adrian Dantley to form one of the highest scoring duets in the league. With defensive support from Mark Eaton's center and Rickey Green point guard, the Jazz improved dramatically, winning the Midwest Division title in 1983-84 and qualifying for the NBA playoffs for the first time. Individually, Griffith changed his offensive game, adding his long range shooting skills to his aquatic acrobatics. He led the league in shooting three points (36.1 percent) and set an NBA record for most three-pointers made in a season (91). His new abilities gave him a new nickname: a Utah play-by-turner, Hot Rod Hundley started calling him "The Golden Griff".
The following season (1984-85) was the best in Griffith's career. He averaged 22.6 points per game, and broke his own league record by sinking 92 three-point shots. During the year, he passed Joey Hassett as the all-time NBA leader for most of his three-point career. He also continued his high flying way, representing Jazz in the 1984 and 1985 Slam Dunk Contests.
However, the team changed dramatically in the mid-1980s with the emergence of Karl Malone and John Stockton as Utah's offensive weapons. Dantley traded and Griffith suffered an injury. ("Dr. Dunkenstein paid the fee", he once said in an interview.) He missed the whole 1985-86 season because of a stress fracture in his leg, and would lose his initial position when he returned. Griffith will need surgery on his left knee in March 1988, causing him to miss the rest of the season. He managed to reclaim the starting point for most of the 1988-89 season, but lost it permanently the following year. His playing time gradually declined until his retirement in 1991. He scored 12,391 points in total during his professional career for 10 years - all with Jazz. Franchise acknowledges its contribution to the retirement of jersey number 35 on December 4, 1993.
Griffith is now a special assistant to the President of the University of Louisville.
See also
- The Louisville University Register
- People list from Louisville metropolitan area
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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