Wendell Ladner

Wendell Ladner (October 6, 1948 – June 24, 1975) was an American professional basketball player most notable for his time playing time in the American Basketball Association (ABA) from 1970 to 1975.

Wendell Ladner
Personal information
Born(1948-10-06)October 6, 1948
Necaise Crossing, Mississippi
DiedJune 24, 1975(1975-06-24) (aged 26)
Jamaica, New York
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High schoolHancock North Central
(Kiln, Mississippi)
CollegeSouthern Miss (1967–1970)
NBA draft1970 / Undrafted
Playing career1970–1975
PositionSmall forward
Number33, 4
Career history
1970–1972Memphis Pros
1972Carolina Cougars
1972–1973Memphis Tams
1973–1974Kentucky Colonels
1975New York Nets
Career highlights and awards
Career ABA statistics
Points3,474 (11.6 ppg)
Rebounds2,481 (8.3 rpg)
Assists621 (2.1 apg)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Ladner was born in Necaise Crossing, Hancock County, Mississippi and played high school ball at Hancock North Central High School in Kiln, Mississippi. After attending the University of Southern Mississippi, Ladner went undrafted in the 1970 ABA draft where he played five seasons with five different teams in the ABA, from 1970 to 1975. A 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) and 220 pounds (100 kg) forward, Ladner was one of the great "enforcers" of the American Basketball Association, protecting Dan Issel of the Kentucky Colonels and Julius Erving of the New York Nets. Ladner regularly squared off with arguably the fiercest player in the ABA, Pittsburgh's John Brisker, once marching into the Condors' locker room and yelling, "Hey, John, you wanna fight right now or wait for the game?" (It was not unusual for Brisker and Ladner to beat each other bloody on the court, only to hang out together at a local bar afterwards.) He was named to the 1971 ABA All-Rookie team, and twice selected to the ABA all-star game, in 1971 and again in 1972.

Ladner died at the age of 26 in a June 24, 1975, crash of Eastern Air Lines Flight 66.[1] He was identified by medical examiners because he was wearing his ABA championship ring.[2][3] For many years, the Nets included his name and number in their list of retired numbers, though Ladner's no. 4 did not hang in the rafters with the other retired numbers. His number was also given to Rick Mahorn during his tenure with the Nets. In October 2013, a New York Daily News article explained that the number was never formally retired. However, out of respect to Ladner, Nets trainer Fritz Massmann had not issued No. 4 to other players for 17 years after Ladner's death.[4]

Erving called Ladner his wackiest teammate because he wanted to be Burt Reynolds with a basketball. Semi-Pro, a basketball comedy set in the 1970s and starring Will Ferrell, spoofs Ladner's Burt Reynolds persona in its trailer.

Ladner also has a road in Perkinston, Mississippi named after him in his honor.[5]

See also

References
  1. "Editor column: Plane down, pro athlete dead, news interest stoked". The Poughkeepsie Journal. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
  2. Nelson, John (June 25, 1975). "Airplane Crash Claims Wndell Ladner's Life". Kentucky New Era. Associated Press. p. 20. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
  3. Chang, Dean (April 20, 2013). "A New Nets Era, but Much Has Been Left Behind". The New York Times. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
  4. Bondy, Stefan (October 17, 2013). "SOLVED: The mysterious case of Wendell Ladner's (un)retired jersey". nydailynews.com. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  5. "Wendell Ladner Rd". Wendell Ladner Rd. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
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