Kurt Nimphius

Kurt Nimphius
Born	(1958-03-13) March 13, 1958 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Occupation	Professional basketball player (retired)
Years active	1980–1991
Known for	NBA player for Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers, Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers

Kurt Nimphius (born March 13, 1958) is a retired American basketball athlete who spent nine seasons competing in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played collegiate basketball representing the Arizona State Sun Devils.

Early life

Nimphius was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to parents Karl and Esther Nimphius. His family managed the Nimphius Boat Company, and his father, who taught woodworking, personally constructed their residence.

High school career

Attending South Milwaukee High School in South Milwaukee, Nimphius graduated in 1976 and played under the guidance of Coach Jerry Sullivan.

During the 1976 Wisconsin Class A Basketball Tournament, Nimphius propelled South Milwaukee to an undefeated 25–0 record and secured the state championship. He amassed 97 points—ranking as the tournament’s second-highest total—and collected 40 rebounds.

He was instrumental in wins against Milwaukee Washington, Madison West, and Eau Claire Memorial, delivering a performance of 30 points and 11 rebounds in the closely contested 45–43 championship game. Nimphius sank a crucial jumper with 46 seconds remaining to break a 43–43 deadlock.

College career

Nimphius enrolled at Arizona State University, competing under coach Ned Wulk. In his freshman year (1976–77), he averaged 1.5 points along with 1.6 rebounds per game. His sophomore season saw him elevate his performance to 8.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per contest, shooting at a 55.7% clip. During the 1978–79 campaign, he posted averages of 9.0 points and 5.0 rebounds while maintaining a 58% field goal percentage.

In his final collegiate year (1979–80), Nimphius led the Sun Devils with averages of 16.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game, boasting an impressive shooting efficiency of 60%. The team concluded with a 22–7 overall record and went 15–3 in the Pac-10 Conference, sharing the court with prominent players such as Byron Scott, Sam Williams, Alton Lister, and Fat Lever.

The squad advanced to the 1980 NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament, securing a dominant 99–71 victory over Loyola Marymount before being eliminated by Ohio State with an 89–75 scoreline. Nimphius contributed significantly with 13 points and seven rebounds against Loyola Marymount and recorded a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds versus Ohio State.

He received All-Pac-10 recognition after compiling eleven double-doubles and surpassing 30 points on four occasions, including a personal best of 37 points against Oregon.

Throughout his tenure at ASU spanning 104 games, Nimphius averaged 9.7 points and six rebounds while shooting at a remarkable 58%. He holds Arizona State records for the highest single-season field goal percentage (60.9%) and career field goal percentage (58.6%), ranking within the Sun Devils' top ten for career rebounds, blocks, and total points scored (1,006).

Denver / Europe / Alberta (1980–1981)

Selected by the Denver Nuggets as the first pick in the third round of the 1980 NBA draft, Nimphius participated in Denver’s rookie and free agent camp but did not advance to their main training camp roster.

He commenced the 1980–81 season playing overseas for Rodrigo Chieti in Italy’s Professional League, averaging an impressive 18.7 points alongside 10.5 rebounds over ten games. Subsequently, Nimphius returned to North America to join the Alberta Dusters in the Continental Basketball Association, where he appeared in eighteen contests, posting averages of 13.1 points and 8.7 rebounds per game.

Dallas Mavericks (1981–1985)

On September 2, 1981, Denver released Nimphius, who was promptly signed as a free agent by the Dallas Mavericks.

During his rookie season in 1981–82 under the guidance of coach Dick Motta, Nimphius appeared in 63 games, starting 27 of them; the Mavericks concluded the season with a 28–54 record. His rookie cohort featured top overall pick Mark Aguirre, alongside Jay Vincent and Rolando Blackman.

The following season, 1982–83, saw Dallas improve their record to 38–44. Nimphius contributed averages of 5.3 points and 5.0 rebounds over 18 minutes per game in 81 appearances, sharing the center position with Pat Cummings.

In the 1983–84 campaign, Dallas achieved a 43–39 record. Nimphius posted averages of 7.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.8 blocks while playing 27 minutes across 81 games, including 47 starts. The Mavericks secured their inaugural playoff series victory against the Seattle SuperSonics before falling to the Los Angeles Lakers. Throughout the postseason, Nimphius provided dependable defense and rebounding.

During the 1984–85 season, Nimphius participated in all 82 games, starting in 40, with averages of 6.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.5 blocks over 24 minutes per contest as Dallas finished with a 44–38 record. The team was eliminated by Portland in the playoffs, where Nimphius had limited playing time.

A notable incident occurred on November 15, 1984, when Nimphius and Hakeem Olajuwon were both ejected following an on-court confrontation during a Mavericks-Rockets matchup.

Early in 1985, after averaging 7.0 points and 4.6 rebounds across 13 games for Dallas, Nimphius was traded to the Clippers.

Los Angeles Clippers (1985–1987)

On November 25, 1985, Nimphius was exchanged by Dallas to the Los Angeles Clippers in return for James Donaldson.

Under Coach Don Chaney, Nimphius secured a starting role with the Clippers during the 1985–86 season, averaging 12.0 points and grabbing 5.9 rebounds over 67 games as Los Angeles ended with a 32–50 record.

In the subsequent season of 1986–87, he appeared in only 38 games and averaged 7.8 points along with 3.5 rebounds before being traded in exchange for two valuable draft selections.

Detroit Pistons (1987)

On January 29, 1987, Nimphius was dealt to the Detroit Pistons for their first-round pick in the 1987 draft (used to select Ken Norman) and a second-round pick (Norris Coleman).

During this transitional period, he also competed in the Continental Basketball Association with the La Crosse Catbirds, where he averaged 12.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists over 11 games.

With Coach Chuck Daly leading Detroit, Nimphius played in 28 games and averaged modest contributions of 3.4 points and 1.9 rebounds as the Pistons advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals before being defeated in seven games by the Boston Celtics.

San Antonio Spurs (1987–1988)

On October 27, 1987, Nimphius joined the San Antonio Spurs as a seasoned free agent, with the Detroit Pistons acquiring a second-round draft choice in 1988 (Jeff Moe).

During that season, he took part in 72 contests primarily off the bench, posting averages of 4.4 points and 2.1 rebounds while playing limited minutes.

Following his NBA tenure with the Spurs, Nimphius competed for Cajacanarias in Spain’s Canary Islands throughout the 1988–89 campaign.

Philadelphia 76ers (1989–1990)

Nimphius signed with the Philadelphia 76ers as an unrestricted free agent on October 23, 1989, and appeared in 38 games, averaging 2.4 points and 1.6 rebounds.

He wrapped up his professional playing career overseas during the 1990–91 season with Il Messaggero Roma.

Across eight NBA seasons spanning five franchises—Dallas Mavericks (1981–86), Los Angeles Clippers (1985–87), Detroit Pistons (1986–87), San Antonio Spurs (1987–88), and Philadelphia 76ers (1989–90)—Nimphius compiled career averages of 6.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and a shooting percentage of 48% over a total of 564 games.

Personal

Nimphius lives in Arizona with his wife Krista. He is also a black belt holder in karate.

Honors

• Inducted into the Wisconsin Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007
• Honored by induction into the Pac-12 Basketball Hall of Honor during the 2012 Pac-12 men's basketball tournament
• Enshrined in the Arizona State University Sports Hall of Fame in 2011

External links

• Career statistics