Andrew Toney

Andrew Toney
Born	(1957-11-23) November 23, 1957 Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
Occupation	Professional basketball player (retired)
Years active	1980–1988
Known for	NBA career with Philadelphia 76ers, 1983 NBA champion, two-time NBA All-Star

Andrew Toney (born November 23, 1957) is a retired professional basketball athlete who spent his entire NBA career with the Philadelphia 76ers from 1980 through 1988. A two-time NBA All-Star, he secured an NBA championship with the 76ers in 1983. Renowned basketball figures such as Larry Bird and Sidney Moncrief placed Toney’s offensive skills on par with those of Michael Jordan. Bob Ryan from the Boston Globe referred to him as "the most overlooked great player in NBA history."

Early life

Hailing from Birmingham, Alabama, Toney was raised by his father, Earnest James Toney, a steelworker who emphasized academic achievement over sports and instilled a strong work ethic. He attended Glenn High School in Birmingham, where he distinguished himself on the basketball court, averaging 31 points per game as a junior and 37 points as a senior, including an extraordinary 68-point performance in a regional tournament. During his senior year, he was honored as Alabama’s “Mr. Basketball” and received All-America recognition both his junior and senior seasons. His high school team amassed an impressive 80–14 record during his time there. Besides basketball, he also participated in baseball and track. As a young athlete, he admired future teammate Julius "Dr. J." Erving.

In his final year serving as team captain and playing guard, Toney supported teammate Sandra Murray’s groundbreaking inclusion on the boys’ basketball team—a rare occurrence at the time—helping to gain player consent for her participation under coach Hansell Gunn.

College

Toney completed his undergraduate degree early at the University of Southwestern Louisiana (present-day University of Louisiana at Lafayette) in just three and a half years and commenced graduate studies during his last semester. Under the guidance of coaches Jim Hatfield and Bobby Paschal, he exhibited remarkable discipline and determination.

He led his college squad in scoring both his freshman and sophomore years, averaging 21 points per game, finishing his collegiate career with a 23.6 points-per-game average that peaked at 26.1 during his senior year. He steered the team to capture the Southland Conference championship in 1977 and led them to a 21–9 record along with reaching the quarterfinals of the National Invitation Tournament as a senior. His accolades include All-Southeastern Conference honors in 1980, setting nine school records, and scoring 46 points in three separate games.

Concluding his college tenure with a total of 2,526 points, Toney ranked 13th all-time in NCAA scoring at that period. He was particularly noted for excelling under pressure situations, exemplified by clutch free throws that secured victory against the University of Nevada-Reno.

Philadelphia 76ers (1980–1988)

Selected eighth overall by Philadelphia in the 1980 NBA draft, Toney benefited from mentorship by Hall of Famer Julius Erving. In his rookie season, he averaged 12.9 points per game with an efficient .495 field goal percentage and finished seventh in rookie of the year voting. He earned a starting role following an injury to guard Lionel Hollins.

Known as "the Boston Strangler" for his dominant showings against the Boston Celtics during their fierce rivalry in the early ’80s, Toney’s standout moment included scoring 34 points in Game 7 of the 1982 Eastern Conference Finals, leading Philadelphia to victory. In that series, he averaged 22.1 points per game while shooting .529 from the field. His playoff average stood at 17.4 points per game overall, rising to 19.8 when facing Boston.

During the 1982 regular season, Toney scored an impressive 46 points against the Los Angeles Lakers while guarded by defensive specialist Michael Cooper. After winning the 1983 title, the Celtics acquired future Hall of Famer Dennis Johnson largely to contain both Toney and Magic Johnson.

Toney earned selections to two NBA All-Star games (in 1983 and 1984) and maintained a career scoring average of 15.9 points per contest. His offensive skill set was highly versatile, making him exceptionally difficult for defenders; teammates described guarding him as entering a "torture chamber."

He played an integral role on the championship-winning Sixers squad of 1982–83 alongside Hall of Famers Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Bobby Jones, and Maurice Cheeks. However, persistent foot injuries restricted him to only five fully healthy seasons over seven years. The team’s medical staff initially failed to diagnose stress fractures in both feet, forcing Toney to endure significant pain until a private doctor confirmed the injuries.

In 1985, amid unsubstantiated rumors, Toney underwent an invasive drug test which he passed but suspected was orchestrated by team officials; this event further damaged relations with management. Though he later reconciled with owner Harold Katz, lingering bitterness remained for years afterward. Some estrangement between Toney and the franchise continues even today.

Forced into retirement at age thirty due to ongoing foot problems, Toney ranked second in three-point shooting percentage (42.4%) during the 1981-82 season and sixth (37.1%) in 1984-85. His career field goal percentage stands at an impressive 50%, notable for a guard frequently taking long-range shots.

Legacy

In a 2010 interview, Pat Williams, then vice president of basketball operations for the Orlando Magic and former general manager between approximately 1980 and 1983, shared that Celtics guard Danny Ainge regarded Andrew Toney as the most formidable playoff adversary, surpassing even prominent figures like Magic and Dr. J. Both Williams and Hall of Fame coach Billy Cunningham felt that injuries hindered Toney's chances of entering the Hall of Fame, highlighting the increasing promise shown by him and teammate Cheeks.

Larry Bird, a Hall of Famer and Celtics rival who was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, identified Toney as one of the two shooting guards he most feared, alongside Michael Jordan. Sidney Moncrief, a Hall of Fame guard and the inaugural Defensive Player of the Year in 1983 who frequently guarded Toney, characterized him as "un-guardable" with exceptional basketball intelligence, placing him on par with Jordan. Following the 1983 championship victory, Hall of Fame coach Pat Riley commended Toney as "probably the toughest clutch shooter in the league," emphasizing his ability to perform under pressure.

Honors

Toney and Maurice Cheeks were ranked eleventh among the top NBA backcourt pairs. In September 1983, Lafayette, Louisiana celebrated Toney with an official day in his honor and a university scholarship established in his name. His achievements led to inductions into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame (1992), Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame (2013), and Alabama Sports Hall of Fame (2016).

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 75 || — || 23.6 || .495 || .310 || .712 || 1.9 || 3.6 || .8 || .1 || 12.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 77 || 1 || 24.8 || .522 || .424 || .742 || 1.7 || 3.7 || .8 || .2 || 16.5 |- | style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;"|† | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 81 || 81 || 30.5 || .501 || .289 || .788 || 2.8 || 4.5 || 1.0 || .2 || 19.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 78 || 72 || 32.8 || .527 || .316 || .839 || 2.5 || 4.8 || .9 || .3 || 20.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 70 || 65 || 32.0 || .492 || .371 || .862 || 2.5 || 5.2 || .9 || .3 || 17.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 6 || 0 || 14.0 || .306 || .000 || .375 || .8 || 2.0 || .3 || .0 || 4.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 52 || 12 || 20.3 || .451 || .328 || .796 || 1.6 || 3.6 || .3 || .2 || 10.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 29 || 15||18.0|| .421|| .333|| .806||1.6||3.7|| .4|| .2||7.3 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career |468||246||26.9|| .500|| .342|| .797||2.2||4.2|| .8|| .2||15.9 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|All-Star |2||0||20.0|| .625|| .000||1.000|| .5||5.0||2.0||0||10.5

Playoff Performances

|- | style="text-align:left;"|1981 | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 16 || || 22.3 || .428 || .111 || .815 || 2.3 || 3.4 || .7 || .4 || 13.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"|1982 | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 21 || || 33.7 || .507 || .333 || .796 || 2.4 || 4.9 || .9 || .1 || 21.8 |- | style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba"|1983† | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 12 || || 29.8 || .470 || .000 || .754 || 2.3 || 4.6 || .9 || .1 || 18.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"|1984 | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 5 || || 36.0 || .519 || .000 || .767 || 2.2 || 3.8 || .8 || .2 || 20.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"|1985 | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 13 || 13 || 34.0 || .477 || .429 || .770 || 2.5 || 5.1 || .9 || .4 || 16.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"|1987 | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 5 || 0 || 20.8 || .382 || .000 || 1.000 || 1.8 || 5.4 || .4 || .4 || 5.6 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Overall Playoff Career | 72 || 13 || 29.8 || .478 || .235 || .786 || 2.3 || 4.5 || .8 || .3 || 17.4

Personal life

Andrew Toney's son, Channing, competed in NCAA Division I basketball at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and pursued a short professional stint in Poland with Asseco Prokom Gdynia. Additionally, he secured a Finnish Division I title while playing for Bisons Loimaa.

Currently residing near Atlanta, Toney shifted from his initial profession as an elementary school teacher to serve as an instructional coach within Gwinnett County Schools' Community-Based Mentoring Program and Project Reconnect, dedicating his efforts to educational mentorship and fostering community involvement.

External links

• Where are they now? Andrew Toney - NBA.com