Rick Mahorn

Rick Mahorn

Mahorn in 2007
Personal information
Born	(1958-09-21)September 21, 1958 Hartford, Connecticut,U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight	240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
High school	Weaver (Hartford, Connecticut)
College	Hampton(1976–1980)
NBA draft	1980:2nd round, 35th overall pick
Selected by theWashington Bullets
Playing career	1980–1999
Position	Power forward/center
Number	44, 4
Coaching career	1999–2009
Career history
As player:
1980–1985	Washington Bullets
1985–1989	Detroit Pistons
1989–1991	Philadelphia 76ers
1991–1992	Virtus Roma
1992–1996	New Jersey Nets
1996–1998	Detroit Pistons
1999	Philadelphia 76ers
As coach:
1999–2000	Rockford Lightning
2000–2002	Atlanta Hawks(assistant)
2005–2009	Detroit Shock(assistant)
2009	Detroit Shock (interim)
2017-2018	Trilogy
2019	Enemies
2021-present	Aliens
Career highlights and awards
As player: NBA champion(1989) FIBA Korać Cup(1992) NBA All-Defensive Second Team(1990) CIAAPlayer of the Year (1979) 3×NAIAAll-American (1977–1980) 3× First-team All-CIAA(1977–1980) As assistant coach: 2×WNBA champion(2006,2008) As head coach: BIG3 champion(2017)
Career statistics
Points	7,763 (6.9 ppg)
Rebounds	6,957 (6.2 rpg)
Blocks	1,007 (0.9 bpg)
Statsat NBA.com
Statsat Basketball-Reference.com

Derrick Allen Mahorn(born September 21, 1958) is an American former professionalbasketballplayer who playedpower forwardandcenterfor theWashington Bullets,Detroit Pistons,Philadelphia 76ers,and theNew Jersey Netsof theNational Basketball Association(NBA). He is currently aradio analystfor theDetroit Pistons,works as a co-host/analyst onSiriusXM NBA Radio,and during the summer is thehead coachof theAliensof theBIG3.

Mahorn had a reputation for physical play, and was a member of the late 1980sDetroit Pistonsteams known as "The Bad Boys", and with them won the 1989NBA Championship. After his playing career, Mahorn would go on to be an assistant coach under Pistons teammate and head coachBill Laimbeerwith theDetroit Shockof theWomen's National Basketball Association(WNBA) and was part of twoWNBA Championshipteams (2006, 2008). He would eventually become head coach of the Shock, and later became head coach ofTrilogyof theBIG3,leading the team to the inaugural BIG3 Championship in2017,making Mahorn the only one in history to have won a championship in the NBA, WNBA, and BIG3.

College career

Mahorn playedcollege basketballatHampton University.He was a three-timeNAIAAll-Americanand owned 18 school records. He scored 2,418 points while playing for the Pirates, averaging 20.3 points per game.

Playing career

The turning point of Mahorn's career was perhaps when he was traded by the Washington Bullets to theDetroit Pistons.He was unhappy with the trade initially and, as he claimed in a 2014 ESPN documentary, showed up to training camp overweight and out of shape. After teammateBill Laimbeertook him aside and spoke with him about what he was brought there for, Mahorn acquiesced and became an integral part of the Pistons’ core. In 1989, Mahorn - dubbed by Piston announcerGeorge Blahathe "Baddest Bad Boy of them all" - won his onlyNBA championshipwith the Pistons.

Two days after the Pistons won the championship in 1989, the NBA held anexpansion draftfor its two newest franchises, theOrlando MagicandMinnesota Timberwolves.League rules dictated that only eight players on each roster could be protected from being drafted by either team, and the Pistons elected not to extend that protection to Mahorn. As such, he was made the second pick in the expansion draft and the first to be taken by the Timberwolves; the Pistons were conducting their victory celebration in Detroit while the draft was happening and Mahorn was taken aside during the festivities, so he could be told. Pistonsgeneral managerJack McCloskeytried to reacquire Mahorn to no avail, and years later Mahorn was shown to still be bothered by what transpired as the story of the expansion draft brought him to tears during the 2014 ESPN film about the team.

Mahorn, as it turned out, would never play for Minnesota. After refusing to report to the Timberwolves, he ended up being traded instead to thePhiladelphia 76ers,where he teamed with superstarCharles Barkley(despite previous rivalries with him) to form the top-rebounding duo of "Thump N' Bump".After two seasons, Mahorn signed a two-year contract withIl Messaggero Romaof the ItalianSerie Ain 1991.Teaming up withDino Radja,Mahorn helped Roma win the1992 FIBA Korać Cup.He started the 1992–1993 season with Roma but was kicked of the team in October after throwing a chair in a heated argument with head coachPaolo Di Fonzo.In November, he returned to the NBA and signed with theNew Jersey Nets.He played with the Nets for four seasons, before returning to the Pistons in 1996–97 under coachDoug Collins.He retired after the 1999 season, after a second stint with the 76ers.

Coaching

WNBA

Mahorn then served as a color commentator for Pistons radio broadcasts, and as an assistant coach under former teammateBill Laimbeerwith theWNBA'sDetroit Shock.Laimbeer and Mahorn led the Shock to two WNBA titles (2006, 2008).

On July 22, 2008, at a Sparks-Shock game, Mahorn attempted to break up abrawl.When attempting to restrainLisa Leslie,he put his left hand out and Leslie fell to the ground. Mahorn was suspended for two games.

On June 15, 2009, he became the head coach of the Shock, a position he held until the franchise moved toTulsa, Oklahomaafter the season. Shortly afterward, Mahorn continued his work with Pistons radio, doing color commentary alongsideMark Champion.

BIG3

In 2017, Mahorn became head coach ofTrilogy,the eventual champion of theBIG3basketball league's inaugural season. His team's players includedAl HarringtonandKenyon Martin.

NBA career statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goalpercentage	3P%	3-point field goalpercentage	FT%	Free throwpercentage
RPG	Reboundsper game	APG	Assistsper game	SPG	Stealsper game
BPG	Blocksper game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high
†	Won anNBA championship

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1980–81	Washington	52	0	13.4	.507	.000	.675	4.1	0.5	0.4	.8	4.8
1981–82	Washington	80	80	33.3	.507	.000	.632	8.8	1.9	0.7	1.7	12.2
1982–83	Washington	82	82	36.9	.490	.000	.575	9.5	1.4	1.0	1.8	11.0
1983–84	Washington	82	82	32.9	.507	.000	.651	9.0	1.6	0.8	1.5	9.0
1984–85	Washington	77	63	26.9	.499	.000	.653	7.9	1.6	0.8	1.4	6.3
1985–86	Detroit	80	12	18.0	.455	.000	.681	5.2	0.8	0.5	.8	4.9
1986–87	Detroit	63	6	20.3	.477	.000	.821	6.0	0.6	0.5	.8	6.1
1987–88	Detroit	67	64	29.3	.574	.500	.756	8.4	0.9	0.6	.6	10.7
1988–89†	Detroit	72	61	24.9	.517	.000	.748	6.9	0.8	0.6	.9	7.3
1989–90	Philadelphia	75	66	30.3	.497	.222	.715	7.6	1.3	0.6	1.4	10.8
1990–91	Philadelphia	80	74	30.5	.467	.000	.788	7.8	1.5	1.0	.7	8.9
1992–93	New Jersey	74	9	14.6	.472	.333	.800	3.8	0.4	0.3	.4	3.9
1993–94	New Jersey	28	0	8.1	.489	.000	.650	1.9	0.2	0.1	.2	2.1
1994–95	New Jersey	58	7	10.9	.523	.333	.796	2.8	0.4	0.2	.2	3.4
1995–96	New Jersey	50	0	9.0	.352	.000	.723	2.2	0.3	0.3	.3	2.4
1996–97	Detroit	22	7	9.9	.370	.000	.727	2.4	0.3	0.2	.1	2.5
1997–98	Detroit	59	0	12.0	.457	.000	.676	3.3	0.3	0.2	.1	2.4
1998–99	Philadelphia	16	0	7.9	.278	.000	.375	1.4	0.1	0.3	.1	0.8
Career		1117	613	23.1	.493	.132	.704	6.2	1.0	0.6	.9	6.9

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1982	Washington	7	7	34.6	.438	.000	.714	8.7	1.9	1.4	.7	10.6
1984	Washington	4	4	38.5	.600	.000	.800	10.8	1.5	0.3	1.5	9.5
1985	Washington	4	1	10.3	.500	.000	1.000	1.8	0.0	0.0	.8	3.0
1986	Detroit	4	0	15.3	.385	.000	1.000	3.0	0.0	0.3	.0	3.0
1987	Detroit	15	15	32.2	.541	.000	.800	9.5	0.3	0.4	.7	9.7
1988	Detroit	23	21	17.8	.344	.000	.684	3.9	0.6	0.2	.4	3.3
1989†	Detroit	17	17	21.2	.580	.000	.654	5.1	0.4	0.5	.8	5.7
1990	Philadelphia	10	10	34.2	.430	.000	.769	7.0	1.0	0.7	.8	9.4
1991	Philadelphia	8	8	26.0	.556	.000	.786	5.3	1.8	0.3	.5	6.4
1993	New Jersey	4	2	15.8	.400	.000	.000	3.3	0.8	0.0	.5	2.0
1994	New Jersey	3	0	6.3	.000	.000	.000	1.3	0.0	0.0	.3	0.0
1997	Detroit	2	1	9.0	.000	.000	.000	0.5	0.0	0.0	.0	0.0
1999	Philadelphia	5	0	5.8	.333	.000	.500	1.6	0.2	0.2	.0	1.6
Career		106	86	22.9	.427	.000	.750	5.5	0.7	0.4	.6	5.8

Personal life

Mahorn played himself in a 2017 episode ofDetroiterstitled "Quick Rick Mahorn of Dearborn."

Awards and honors

• 1989NBA Champion(as a player with theDetroit Pistons)
• Two-time WNBA Champion (2006, 2008 - as an assistant coach with theDetroit Shock)
• 2017BIG3Champion (as head coach ofTrilogy)
• Virginia Sports Hall of Fame(class of 2018)

See also

• List of NBA career personal fouls leaders

External links

• Career statistics and player information fromNBA.comandBasketball-Reference.com
• WNBA.com profile