Larry Friend
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 14, 1935 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | February 27, 1998 (aged 62) |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4.75 in (1.95 m) |
| Listed weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Fairfax (Los Angeles, California) |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 1957: 2nd round, 13th overall pick |
| Selected by the New York Knicks | |
| Position | Guard / forward |
| Number | 7 |
| Career history | |
| 1957–1958 | New York Knicks |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Larry Haskell Friend (April 14, 1935 – February 27, 1998) was an American National Basketball Association (NBA) player.
Biography[edit]
Friend was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, and was Jewish.[1] He played basketball at Marshall High School in Chicago. However, he moved to Los Angeles, California, before his senior year and played basketball at Fairfax High School.
Friend first played college basketball at Los Angeles City College, where he was named an All-American Junior College. He then transferred to the University of California, where he was a three-year starter. He averaged 19.1 points per game his senior season and was also named to the AP All-American third team.[2]
Friend was drafted with the fifth pick in the second round of the 1957 NBA draft by the New York Knicks. In his one season with the Knicks, Friend averaged 4.0 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game.[3] In 1961–62 Friend returned to professional basketball to play for the Los Angeles Jets in the American Basketball League. He appeared in thirty-nine games for the Jets and averaged 11.0 points and 3.7 rebounds per game, while also leading the league in three-point shooting (58–163). Due to financial problems, the Jets folded midway through their first season.[2] Following his playing career, Friend owned an investment business. In 1990 he was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.[4]
He died on February 27, 1998, in Newport, California, of prostate cancer.[5] He is survived by four children, Denise, Russell, Matthew, and Nicholas.
Career statistics[edit]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
NBA[edit]
Source[3]
Regular season[edit]
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957–58 | New York | 44 | 12.9 | .327 | .659 | 2.4 | 1.1 | 4.0 |
References[edit]
- ^ Day by Day in Jewish Sports History. KTAV Publishing House. 2008. ISBN 9780881259698.
- ^ a b "Friend, Larry". jewsinsports.org. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
- ^ a b "Larry Friend NBA statistics". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
- ^ "Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame Home".
- ^ "Larry Friend 1998 Deaths". infoplease.com. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
- 1935 births
- 1998 deaths
- All-American college men's basketball players
- American Basketball League (1961–62) players
- American men's basketball players
- Basketball players from Chicago
- California Golden Bears men's basketball players
- Deaths from prostate cancer in California
- Forwards (basketball)
- Guards (basketball)
- Jewish American basketball players
- Los Angeles City Cubs men's basketball players
- New York Knicks draft picks
- New York Knicks players
- 20th-century American Jews
- Jews from Illinois
- Jews from California