Mel Counts

Mel Counts
Mel Counts
Born	October 16, 1941 (age 85)
Occupation	Basketball player
Years active	1964–1976
Known for	NBA player, 1964 Olympic gold medalist

Mel Grant Counts (born October 16, 1941) is a retired American basketball athlete who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1964 through 1976. Standing seven feet tall, he was known for his impressive perimeter shooting. Counts was a member of the U.S. Olympic basketball squad that secured gold at the 1964 Summer Olympics. He competed collegiately for the Oregon State Beavers before being chosen by the Boston Celtics in the 1964 NBA draft. During the Celtics' back-to-back NBA Championship victories in 1965 and 1966, Counts served as a backup to Bill Russell. He was then traded to the Baltimore Bullets for the 1967 season. Later that year, he was moved to the Los Angeles Lakers, who proceeded to qualify for the playoffs.

The Lakers, with Counts on their roster, reached the NBA Finals three years in a row but were unsuccessful each time. Notably, in the 1969 NBA Finals, Counts played a pivotal role following a crucial coaching call: with starting center Wilt Chamberlain fouling out late in Game 7, Counts stepped in as the Lakers cut a nine-point deficit down to one. Although Chamberlain was prepared to return, coach Butch van Breda Kolff opted to keep him off the court, and Los Angeles ultimately fell 108–106, losing the series 4–3.

After spending an additional season with Los Angeles, Counts was traded to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Hall of Famer Gail Goodrich. His career included several team changes, including a return stint with the Lakers in 1973, culminating with his final professional season at the New Orleans Jazz in 1976.

Following his retirement from basketball, Counts pursued a career as a real estate professional based in Salem, Oregon. His family has maintained his basketball tradition: his sons Brent, Brian, and Chris each played at various collegiate programs, while grandsons Brent Jr., Patrick, Kyle, and Jack also competed at college levels. Additionally, mixed martial artist Chael Sonnen is his nephew.

NBA

Source

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Template:Nbay†	Boston	54		10.6	.368	.784	4.9	.4			4.8
Template:Nbay†	Boston	67		15.2	.403	.828	6.4	.7			8.4
Template:Nbay	Baltimore	25		13.7	.389	.725	6.2	1.2			6.4
Template:Nbay	L.A. Lakers	31		16.7	.444	.741	6.1	.7			8.5
Template:Nbay	L.A. Lakers	82		21.2	.475	.748	8.9	1.7			11.7
Template:Nbay	L.A. Lakers	77		24.2	.450	.805	7.8	1.4			12.4
Template:Nbay	L.A. Lakers	81		27.1	.427	.776	8.4	2.0			12.6
Template:Nbay	Phoenix	80		20.9	.457	.753	6.3	1.7			11.0
Template:Nbay	Phoenix	76		11.9	.427	.721	3.4	1.3			5.2
Template:Nbay	Philadelphia	7	0	6.7	.313	–	2.3	.4		1.4
Template:Nbay	L.A. Lakers	59		10.4	.457	.672	4.0	1..1		5..0
Template:Nbay	L.A. Lakers	45		11..1	.365	.727	3..2	1..2	.4	.5	3..2
Template:Nbay	New Orleans	75		18..9	.438	.761	5..9	2..4	..7	..6	6..9
Template:Nbay	New Orleans	30		10..6	.407	.762	3..3	1..3	..5	..3	3..0
Career		789	0	17..4	.435	.764	6..0	1..4	..6	..5	8..3

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1965†	Boston	4	7.5	.267	1.000	2.8	.3			2.3
1966†	Boston	10	8.2	.359	.882	4.0	.3			4.3
1967	L.A. Lakers	3	9.7	.263	1.000	2.7	.0			4.7
1968	L.A. Lakers	15	20.4	.535	.677	8.9	1.6			8.6
1969	L.A. Lakers	18*	24.6	.385	.761	7.9	1.4			11.2
1970	L.A. Lakers	14	15.1	.420	.846	5.3	1.1			6.1
1973	L.A. Lakers	17*	19.2	.459	.780	6.1	1.6			9.1
1974	L.A. Lakers	4	8.5	.500	–	1.5	.5	.5	.5	3.0
Career totals		85	17.2	.426	.775	6.1	1.2	.5	.5	7.6