Terry Catledge

Terry Catledge
Born	(1963-08-22) August 22, 1963 Houston, Mississippi, U.S.
Occupation	Professional basketball player (retired)
Years active	1985–1996
Known for	NBA forward for Philadelphia 76ers, Washington Bullets, Orlando Magic

Terry DeWayne Catledge (born August 22, 1963) is a retired professional basketball forward who competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the South Alabama Jaguars. Catledge was chosen as the 21st pick in the first round of the 1985 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. Throughout his eight-year NBA career (1985–1993), he suited up for the 76ers, Washington Bullets, and Orlando Magic.

High school

At Houston High School in Houston, Mississippi, Catledge posted averages of 31 points, 15 rebounds, and four blocks per game.

College career

Catledge initially enrolled at the University of South Alabama in April 1981 but briefly left due to homesickness, attending Itawamba Junior College before returning to South Alabama. The NCAA classified him as a transfer, resulting in the loss of one year of eligibility. Over three seasons, he averaged 21.7 points and 10.8 rebounds per contest, securing two Sun Belt Player of the Year titles and three First-team All-Sun Belt selections. His jersey number was retired in 1985, and he was inducted into the South Alabama Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999.

NBA

Selected in the first round of the 1985 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, Catledge served as a backup to star Charles Barkley, averaging 7.7 points and 4.3 rebounds during his rookie year. His playoff performance improved following an injury to Moses Malone, with averages of 10.4 points and 6.8 rebounds, including a standout 27-point effort in the decisive game of the opening round against the Washington Bullets. In June 1986, he was traded alongside Malone and a draft pick to the Bullets in exchange for Jeff Ruland and Cliff Robinson.

Catledge played three seasons with Washington, posting averages of 11.4 points and 6.7 rebounds before being selected fifth overall by the Orlando Magic in the 1989 NBA expansion draft. During the 1989-1990 season, he led Orlando with a career-best scoring average of 19.4 points per game. After four years with the Magic, Catledge negotiated a buyout of his remaining three-year contract in October 1993 amid diminished playing time and the team's focus on younger talent.

Later career

Following his departure from Orlando, Catledge signed with French club Élan Béarnais Pau-Orthez in October, appearing in two league games where he averaged 20 points and six rebounds before returning stateside in November. He then joined the Oklahoma City Cavalry of the Continental Basketball Association, but after being traded to the Fargo-Moorhead Fever in December 1993, he did not play for them. Instead, he competed for the Mississippi Coast Gamblers in the United States Basketball League, scoring 44 points in his debut and maintaining a season average of 33 points per game.

Catledge began the 1994–1995 campaign with Greek team Aris but departed soon after joining. In November, he signed with the CBA's Shreveport Crawdads, though administrative delays postponed his debut until January 1995. Over ten games, he averaged 20.7 points and 8.9 rebounds before leaving in February to pursue a Spanish contract that ultimately did not materialize. In September 1995, he participated in a free agent mini camp with the Bullets but was not signed.

In January 1996, Catledge rejoined Shreveport—now known as Storm—scoring six points in his first game before requesting inactive status due to conditioning issues and leg pain; he did not return to play for them afterward.

Later that year, Catledge played five games for Argentina’s Atenas de Córdoba in the Liga Nacional de Básquetbol, averaging 17 points and six rebounds per contest.

External links

• Collegiate statistics available at Sports Reference
• Minor league basketball stats found on Statscrew.com
• Game statistics accessible via Proballers.com