Steven John Puidokas (April 12, 1955 – August 12, 1994) was an American professional basketball player in Europe.[1] He played college basketball for the Washington State Cougars from 1973 to 1977.[2][3] He left Washington State as both their all-time leading scorer with 1,894 points and all-time leading rebounder with 992 rebounds. He was inducted posthumously into the Pac-12 Conference Men's Basketball Hall of Honor in 2012.[2]
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 12, 1955 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | August 12, 1994 (aged 39) Sardinia, Italy |
| Listed height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
| Listed weight | 265 lb (120 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | St. Laurence (Burbank, Illinois) |
| College | Washington State (1973–1977) |
| NBA draft | 1977: 3rd round, 57th overall pick |
| Selected by the Washington Bullets | |
| Position | Center |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Puidokas was the first Washington State men's basketball player to have his number (55) retired, and remained the only one until the school retired Klay Thompson's in 2020.[4]
As a high school player, Puidokas was named a third-team All-American by Parade Magazine in 1973.[5]
Personal life
editIn 1955, Steve Puidokas was born in a Lithuanian American family of John Julian Puidokas and Genovaitė Giedraitis in Chicago.[6] Puidokas was married to an Italian woman and had five children. He died at the age of 39, because of problems with his heart while living in Sardinia, Italy.[6]
References
edit- ^ Newnham, Blaine (February 14, 1997). "Puidokas' Impact Great Even Without WSU Scoring Record". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on February 4, 2015.
- ^ a b Degerman, Eric (March 5, 2012). "Pac-12 to honor WSU great Puidokas during tournament". Tri-City Herald. Archived from the original on May 5, 2012.
- ^ Weaver, Dan (September 12, 2006). "The life and times of Steve Puidokas". Scout.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2012.
- ^ "WSU Athletics to Retire Klay Thompson's Jersey" (Press release). Washington State Cougars. September 30, 2019. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
- ^ "Prep All-America". Pomona Progress-Bulletin. March 30, 1973. p. 24. Retrieved August 7, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Pamiršta žvaigždė: laiką aplenkęs Čikagos lietuvis, kuriam prilygsta tik Klay Thompsonas". DELFI (in Lithuanian). Retrieved March 6, 2021.
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