NBA Draft: First Round Picks From Auburn Since 1978
Chuck Person
Chuck Person continued the line of great players for Auburn in the 80’s helping lead the team to its deepest NCAA Tournament run ever in 1986.
Person played for the Tigers from 1982-1986, scoring a career total of 2,311 points and pulling down 940 rebounds. His best season actually came his junior year when he averaged 22 points and 8.9 rebounds per game to go along with 2 assists per game.
In his junior year (1984-85), he helped lead the Tigers to their one and only SEC Tournament title where they beat Alabama 53-49 in the championship game, and he was named the tournament MVP. Auburn made its second straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament that season, but this time they advanced all the way to the Sweet Sixteen as an 11 seed. He would take them back in 1986 as a 6 seed and they would go on to make it to the Elite Eight, which is the furthest they’ve ever gone in the tournament.
NBA Draft 2016: Full 1st-Round Mock Draft, Most Surprising Potential Picks
Person was then drafted by the Indiana Pacers in the 1986 NBA Draft with the fourth overall selection – the highest selection in the NBA Draft by any Auburn Tiger. He would go on to spend six seasons with the Pacers, three with the Spurs, two with the Minnesota Timberwolves, one with the Charlotte Hornets and one with the Seattle Supersonics.
He called it a career after 13 seasons (he missed all of the 1996-97 season with an injury) where he averaged 14.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. He was named the NBA’s Rookie of the Year in 1986-87 when he averaged 18.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. His best season came in 1988-89 for the Pacers when he put up 21.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.
He made it to the Western Conference Finals with the Spurs in 1994-95, but lost in six games to the Houston Rockets. Still, a great career for Chuck who accomplished the most for Auburn out of anyone to play basketball for the Tigers.
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