In the 1980s, the NBA shot into the national
spotlight, buoyed by the rivalry of Magic Johnson’s LA Lakers and Larry Bird’s
Boston Celtics. These rosters were chock full of multiple time NBA All-Stars,
with the Lakers boasting Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and the Celtics having Kevin
McHale and Robert Parrish. The NBA also boasted luminaries such as Moses
Malone, Julius Erving, Sidney Moncrief, and later in the decade, Michael Jordan
and Hakeem Olajuwon. However, the player who scored the most points throughout
the 1980s is not one of the many listed above, but Alex English, a player who
has become a footnote in discussions about 80s basketball.
English was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in the
1976 NBA Draft, and after two uneventful seasons with them, he signed with the
Indiana Pacers in the 1978-79 NBA season. This served as a breakout season for
English, who averaged 16 points and 8.1 rebounds per game in 33.3 minutes per
game, all career highs at the time. In the 1979-80 season, English’s statistics
took a dip, and he was traded to the Denver Nuggets midway through the season.
The change of scenery immediately helped turn English’s play around, and in 24
games with Indiana, he broke his previous high-water marks with 21.3 points per
game and 9.4 rebounds per game. This half season would mark the beginning of
English’s rise to becoming a scoring champion in 1983, and scoring over 20
points a game until the 1988-89 season.
English’s first two and a half season coincided with
that of another Nuggets’ legend and subject of this blog, David Thompson. In
1981-82, the Nuggets made the playoffs with English making his first All-Star
team and making the All-NBA Second team for the first team. The 1982-83 season
was the Nuggets’ first with Thompson as the star player, and he promptly won
the scoring title that year, the only one of his long career. His teammate,
Kiki Vandeweghe, finished second in the scoring race. The Nuggets weren’t able
to win the Western Conference despite having the leading offense in the NBA,
and Vandeweghe was traded after the 1983-84 season.
Despite the loss of their second leading scorer, the
Nuggets made the Western Conference Finals the very next season, losing to the
Los Angeles Lakers in 5 games. In the 1985-86 season, English scored a career
high 29.8 points per game, and although this was not enough for him to claim
the scoring title over Dominique Wilkins, he did make his 3rd
All-NBA Second team that year, after previously making it in 1982 and 1983.
English would continue to make All-Star teams through the 1988-89 season, but
the Nuggets could never reach the NBA Finals, always falling short before the
final hurdle.
In 1989-90 season, English’s scoring dropped
precipitously, from 26.5 points per game the year prior to only 17.9 points per
game. The end of the season marked a period of big change for the Nuggets, as
they parted ways with both English and long-time coach Doug Moe. English would
go on to play one more mediocre season for the Dallas Mavericks before leaving
the NBA in 1991.
He racked up many
accolades, including being the first NBA player to score 2,000 points in 8
consecutive NBA seasons and holding the Nuggets’ point, assists, games and minutes
record at the time of his departure. His number 2 jersey was retired by the
Nuggets, and he made the NBA Hall of Fame. Alex English was a scorer of the
highest quality, who mostly operated away from the limelight. His legacy is
that of a consistently great scorer, who was an icon of his era.
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