Ronald Bruce Boone (born September 6, 1946) is an American former professional basketball player. He had a 13-year career in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA). Boone set a record for most consecutive games played in professional basketball history with 1,041[a][1] and claims to have never missed a game from when he started playing basketball in the fourth grade until his retirement.[2] Boone is the current color commentator on Utah Jazz broadcasts.
High school career
Boone grew up in the Logan Fontenelle housing project and attended Technical High School in North Omaha, Nebraska. In high school, Boone played basketball for Coach Neal Mosser, who had led Tech to the 1963 State title and had coached Basketball Hall of Famer Bob Boozer and Baseball Hall of Famer Bob Gibson before Boone. Boone stood only 5'7" when he graduated from high school and didn't become a starter in basketball until his senior season.[3][4][5] Boone played baseball under Coach Josh Gibson, older brother of Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson, who also was an Omaha native and Technical High School alumnus.[6]
Small in stature at the time, Boone reflected on his basketball aspirations after high school. “I remember playing in a league down at the local YMCA and just having a good time — scoring points — and this friend of mine asked one of the officials if he thought I could play major college basketball and the guy said, ‘No way,’ Boone recalled. “That was always in the back of my mind because I thought I could. If there was anything in my life that I can say inspired me, it was those comments.”[6]
College career
Clarinda Community College 1964–1965
After high school, Boone and a teammate accepted offers to play junior college basketball. Boone played one season at Clarinda Community College in Clarinda, Iowa, where he suddenly grew to 6'2" and averaged 26 points per game.[4][6]
Idaho State University 1965–1968
Following his tenure at Clarinda Community College, Boone enrolled at Idaho State University (ISU) in Pocatello, Idaho, where he received a scholarship and played for the Bengals, of the Big Sky Conference from 1965 to 1968.
As a sophomore, Boone averaged 10.9 points and 9.4 rebounds in 1965–1966. Boone played under Idaho State Coach Claude Retherford, as the Bengals finished the season with a 7–19 overall. Retherford was a former college teammate of Boone's high school coach Neil Mosser.[7][4]
"It was Coach Mosser who helped me get a basketball scholarship to Idaho State." Boone reflected later, "I was accepted sight unseen and now, 30 years later, Claude Retherford is still one of my best friends. He visits me in Salt Lake City every spring and I teach his basketball camp every summer."[4]
In 1966–1967, Idaho State finished the season with a record of 10–15, with Boone averaging 22.3 points and 5.1 rebounds.[8]
As a senior in 1967–1968, Boone averaged 21.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists as Idaho State finished the season with a record of 10–12, playing under new Coach Danny Miller.[9]
In his three seasons with Idaho State University, Boone averaged 20.0 points and 5.4 rebounds in 61 games, never missing a game. Boone was named to the First–team All-Big Sky teams in both 1967 and 1968.[10][11]
Of his choice to play in the ABA, Boone said: "I chose the ABA because my college coach said it was a young league and I’d probably have a better chance of making professional basketball there. I felt that by going to the ABA I probably had a shot. I still had to prove myself. At the time Cliff Hagan, who is a legend, was the coach for the Chaparrals. We had to play two-on-two and he would always play. I remember hearing about this hook shot that he had that was awesome, left and right, and during that time I blocked his hook shot a couple of times. I really think, even today, that’s the reason I ended up making the team."[2]
Dallas Chaparrals 1968–1971
Boone played two seasons with the Dallas Chaparrals (today's San Antonio Spurs) from 1968 to 1971. As a rookie in 1968–1969, Boone averaged 18.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists under Coach Cliff Hagan. Dallas finished 41–37, losing to the New Orleans Buccaneers 4 games to 3 in the ABA Playoffs.[12] Boone made the ABA All-Rookie First Team.
Boone averaged 17.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 201 games with the Dallas Chaparrals.[13]
Utah Stars 1971–1975
Boone was traded to the Utah Stars from Dallas in mid-season 1970, while averaging 20.0 points in 42 games with Dallas.[3] In January 1971, the Stars traded Donnie Freeman and Wayne Hightower to the Chaparrals for Boone and Glen Combs.[14]
Boone, alongside Zelmo Beaty, Willie Wise and Glen Combs, helped lead the Utah Stars to the 1971 ABA championship under Coach Bill Sharman. Utah finished the 1970–1971 regular season 57–27, with Boone averaging 18.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists after coming over in the trade from Dallas. Boone averaged 17.6 points in the ABA Finals 4 games to 3 victory over the Kentucky Colonels, with Dan Issel and Louis Dampier. The Stars had defeated the Indiana Pacers 4 games to 3 and his former team, the Dallas Chaparrals 4 games to 0 to reach the ABA Finals. Boone averaged 21.0 points in the Dallas series and 14.9 in the Indiana series.[15][16][17][18]
Over the course of six seasons with the Utah Stars, Boone averaged 18.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.5 steals in 396 games.[13]
Boone was a four-time ABA All-Star (1971, 1974–1976).
Kansas City Kings 1977–1978
After the ABA–NBA merger in June 1976 Boone played in the NBA for the Kansas City Kings. On August 5, 1976, he was drafted by the Kings from the Spirits of St. Louis in the dispersal draft.[13]
Playing for Coach Phil Johnson in 1976–1977, Boone led the Kings in scoring, averaging 22.2 points, along with 3.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.5 steals, as the Kansas City finished 40–42.[20]
Boone averaged 17.7 points for the Kings in 1977–1978, along with 3.3 rebounds 3.8 assists and 1.3 steals.[21]
Los Angeles Lakers 1978–1979
On June 26, 1978, Boone was traded twice. First, he was traded by the Kansas City Kings with a 1979 2nd round draft pick (Mark Young was later selected) to the Denver Nuggets for Mike Evans and Darnell Hillman. Then, on the same day, June 26, 1978, he was traded by the Denver Nuggets with a 1979 2nd round draft pick (Ollie Mack was later selected) and a 1979 2nd round draft pick (Mark Young was later selected) to the Los Angeles Lakers for Charlie Scott.[13]
Boone played for the Los Angeles Lakers as a reserve for Coach Jerry West in 1978–1979, averaging 7.4 points in 82 games, playing only 19 minutes per game.[3]
Utah Jazz 1979–1981
On October 25, 1979, Boone was traded by the Lakers to the Utah Jazz for a 1981 3rd round draft pick (Zam Fredrick was later selected), returning to Utah and finishing his professional career with two seasons playing for the Utah Jazz.[3][13]
In his final season, in a reserve role, Boone averaged 7.8 points in 52 games. On January 26, 1981, Boone was waived by the Utah Jazz. Boone immediately had offers to play for other teams, but chose to retire following his release, saying "it was the right time to retire."[23][2]
In his career, Boone played in 1041 total games, without ever missing a game. He averaged 16.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.3 steals, with 17,437 total career points. In 84 career playoff games, Boone averaged 16.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.7 steals.[13]
In the ABA, Boone averaged 18.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.6 steals in 662 career ABA games.[13] Boone averaged 13.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.1 steals in 379 career NBA games.[13]
1,041 consecutive games streak
Boone's streak of 1,041 consecutive games played has only been surpassed by AC Green, who appeared in 1,192 straight games. Johnny "Red" Kerr held the previous record of 844.[24][25] Boone is likely the only player in major professional sports history to never to miss a single game in his career. In 13 total seasons, Boone played in 1,041 out of 1,041 possible games.[2] Prior to that, Boone did not miss a game in college and claimed to have not missed a game in his pre–high school and high school career. Boone has never missed a game as a broadcaster as well.[2]
Of the consecutive games streak, Boone said, "It wasn’t important at all. You want to play, you want to play every game and you don’t even think about it. Later on in my career I thought “boy, this is something special.” And then you start taking pride in it, the fact that I’ve never pulled a hamstring or a muscle or a groin. You start thinking, why? Why hasn't something like that happened to me? I realized it went all the way back to my high school days. My high school coach talked about stretching, warming up and getting ready to play. From when I started playing in fourth grade. What a great story that is. That a guy can go his whole career without missing a game."[2][6]
Career notes
Boone finished 3rd all-time in American Basketball Association scoring with 12,153 points, behind Dan Issel (12,823) and Louie Dampier (13,726). He also finished 6th all-time in ABA assists (2,569), 5th in games played (662), 5th in minutes played (21,586), 2nd in personal fouls (2,245), and 1st in turnovers (2,327). Of the top five leading scorers in ABA history: Dampier, Issel, Boone, Mel Daniels and Julius Erving, Boone is the only one of the five not in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.[26]
In Terry Pluto's book on the history of the ABA, Loose Balls, interviewees noted that Boone's nickname was "The Legend", because he always showed up each season in shape and always was remarkably consistent. At the time of his retirement, Boone had the distinction of having played the most consecutive games of any player in the history of professional basketball – 1,041 in a row between the ABA and NBA.[27] This record has since been broken by A.C. Green. However, Boone played at least 20 minutes in each game.[28]
Basketball announcing career 1988–present
For the past 34 years, Boone has been a broadcaster for the Utah Jazz contests. Boone starting calling games for the Jazz in September, 1988.[29][30] The Utah Jazz' partnered "Hot Rod" Hundley and Boone as announcers for many years. To many Jazz fans the duo was synonymous with Jazz basketball.[31][32]
Personal
Boone has a son, JaRon; a daughter, Jozette; and three grandchildren. His wife Jackie died of cancer, at age 62, in 2008.[33]
JaRon Boone played college basketball at the University of Nebraska from 1992 to 1996, averaging 12.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 127 career games.[34]
Boone is an avid golfer saying, "The game of golf is an individual sport that just drives you to try to beat it. You’re constantly trying to beat this golf course, knowing damn well how tough it is. Then the margin of error in the game itself is so small, it just makes it so competitive and so hard to beat it. It’s an addiction. So many friends of mine take up this game and they can’t believe what it does. What you become after taking it up."
† Special voting by the panelists selected Julius Erving as the ABA's all-time most valuable player and Bobby Leonard as the ABA's all-time best head coach
