Lewis Kevin Lloyd (February 22, 1959 – July 5, 2019) was an American basketball player. A 6'6" swingman from Drake University, he played most of his professional career for the National Basketball Association's Houston Rockets.
Early life
Lloyd played his
high school basketball at Overbrook High School in Philadelphia, the same as
Wilt Chamberlain,
[ sportsillustrated.cnn.com] where he earned the nickname "Black Magic."
College career
He graduated from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa after starting his college career at the junior college, New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell. Lloyd averaged 30.2 points and 15 rebounds per game in his junior year and 26.3 per game as a Senior. He was a two-time winner of the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year while at Drake.
Professional career
Golden State Warriors (1981-1983)
Lloyd was selected in the fourth round of the 1981
NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors. He played seven seasons in the NBA.
Houston Rockets (1983-1987)
After two seasons in Oakland, he moved to the
Houston Rockets, where he would play three full seasons, appearing in 246 out of 246 possible regular season games while always scoring in double digits. In late 1986, however, he tested positive for
cocaine alongside teammate
Mitchell Wiggins, incurring a -year suspension from the league.
[ Rockets discuss drug temptation; The New York Times, 15 January 1987][ Lloyd descends from the high life; Los Angeles Times, 27 January 1987]
Cedar Rapids Silver Bullets (1988-1989)
While suspended from the NBA, Lloyd played for the Cedar Rapids Silver Bullets in the Continental Basketball Association during the 1988–89 season. He averaged 18.8 points and 6.6 rebounds over 18 games.
[1989–90 Official CBA Guide and Register, page 134]
Return to Houston and Philadelphia 76ers (1989-1990)
Soon after his reinstatement in September 1989,
[ Lloyd reinstated; The New York Times, 9 September 1989] Lloyd was released by Houston, retiring at the end of the season after two games with the Philadelphia 76ers, holding averages of 13 points, three rebounds and three assists, in 388 games. He also appeared in 20
NBA Playoffs contests in 1986 as the Rockets reached the
NBA Finals, losing 4–2 to the
Boston Celtics.
Personal life
After retiring from basketball in the 2000s, Lloyd conducted youth basketball clinics, and coached at basketball camps in Philadelphia, Des Moines, and Wichita.
Lloyd died on July 5, 2019.
External links
