View source for Bo Lamar

{{Short description|American basketball player (born 1951)}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name            = Bo Lamar
| image           = Bo_Lamar.jpg
| width           = 
| caption         = Lamar as a junior at USL
| height_ft       = 6
| height_in       = 1
| weight_lb       = 180
| birth_date      = {{birth date and age|1951|04|07}}
| birth_place     = [[Columbus, Ohio]], U.S.
| high_school     = [[East High School (Columbus, Ohio)|East]] (Columbus, Ohio)
| college         = [[Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball|Louisiana]] (1969–1973)
| draft_year      = 1973
| draft_round     = 3
| draft_pick      = 44
| draft_team      = [[Detroit Pistons]]
| career_start    = 1973
| career_end      = 1977
| career_number   = 10, 1, 11
| career_position = [[Point guard]]
| years1          = [[1973–74 ABA season|1973]]–[[1975–76 ABA season|1975]]
| team1           = [[San Diego Sails|San Diego Conquistadors / Sails]]
| years2          = [[1975–76 ABA season|1975–1976]]
| team2           = [[Indiana Pacers]]
| years3          = {{nbay|1976|full=y}}
| team3           = [[Los Angeles Lakers]]
| highlights      = 
* [[List of American Basketball Association awards and honors#All-Rookie Team|ABA All-Rookie First Team]] ([[1973–74 ABA season|1974]])
* 2× Consensus first-team [[NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|All-American]] ([[1972 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|1972]], [[1973 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|1973]])
* [[List of NCAA Division I men's basketball season scoring leaders|NCAA scoring champion]] (1972)
* [[Southland Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year|Southland Player of the Year]] (1972)
* 2× First-team All-[[Southland Conference|Southland]] (1972, 1973)
| stats_league    = ABA and NBA
| stat1label      = [[Point (basketball)|Points]]
| stat1value      = 4,478 (16.4 ppg)
| stat2label      = [[Rebound (basketball)|Rebounds]]
| stat2value      = 739 (2.7 rpg)
| stat3label      = [[Assist (basketball)|Assists]]
| stat3value      = 1,063 (3.9 apg)
}}

'''Dwight "Bo" Lamar''' (born April 7, 1951) is a former professional American [[basketball]] player.<ref name="nba">{{cite news|url=http://www.nba.com/historical/playerfile/index.html?player=bo_lamar|title=NBA.com : Dwight (Bo) Lamar Info Page|publisher=Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network}}</ref> Born and raised  in [[Columbus, Ohio]], he graduated from the [[University of Louisiana at Lafayette|University of Southwestern Louisiana]], now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Lamar was a leading NCAA scorer and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1973 [[American Basketball Association Draft]].

==College career==
{{Further|University of Southwestern Louisiana basketball scandal}}
A graduate of [[East High School (Columbus, Ohio)|East High School]] in [[Columbus, Ohio]], Lamar attended Southwestern Louisiana, who transitioned to Division I in 1971–1972. Lamar did not even average 20 points per game as a senior in high school, playing alongside friend and teammate [[Ed Ratleff]], but Southwestern Louisiana coach [[Beryl Shipley]] made him the focus of the SLA offense, with free rein to shoot. averaging 22.8 to earn “Freshman of the Year” in the Gulf States Conference. Eventually, the basketball program was given a two-year death penalty by the NCAA during Lamar's senior season, that went into effect the next season.<ref name="theclassical.org">{{cite web|url=http://theclassical.org/articles/when-bo-lamar-invented-basketball-in-1973|title=When Bo Lamar Invented Basketball, In 1973 – The Classical|website=theclassical.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.si.com/vault/1971/12/20/667756/good-times-come-to-cajun-country|title=GOOD TIMES COME TO CAJUN COUNTRY|first=William F.|last=Reed|newspaper=Sports Illustrated Vault &#124; Si.com}}</ref><ref name="ragincajuns.com">{{cite web|url=https://ragincajuns.com/hof.aspx?hof=57|title=Dwight "Bo" Lamar () – UL Athletics Hall of Fame|website=Louisiana Athletics}}</ref>

Lamar was a three-time collegiate All-American between 1969&ndash;1973, and was named First team All-America in 1972 and 1973 along with [[Bill Walton]], [[David Thompson (basketball)|David Thompson]] and [[Ernie DiGregorio]]. During his college career he averaged 31.2 points a game, a point total of 3,493 points, which remains among the top ranks of [[NCAA]] basketball. He is known for his extremely high long-range shot that some coaches say dusted the rafters.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/dwight-lamar-1.html|title=Bo Lamar College Stats|website=College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com}}</ref>

“Bo Lamar is the purest shooter I’ve ever seen,” said Hall of Fame Coach [[Jerry Tarkanian]].<ref name="theclassical.org"/>

“If there had been a three-point shot in those days, he would’ve averaged 50 points a game,” Coach Beryl Shipley said.<ref name="ragincajuns.com"/>

Lamar led the Ragin’ Cajuns to a 90–23 record in his four seasons. Their record his last three seasons was 74–13, bettered only by UCLA during that span.<ref name="ragincajuns.com"/>

==Professional career==
Lamar was a third-round pick by the [[Detroit Pistons]] in the [[1973 NBA draft]].<ref name="nba"/> He was the top overall pick in the 1973 [[American Basketball Association Draft]] by the [[San Diego Conquistadors]] and signed with them.

As a rookie in 1973–1974, Lamar averaged 20.4 points per game for San Diego and made the [[List of American Basketball Association awards and honors|ABA All-Rookie team]], playing for Coach [[Wilt Chamberlain]]. He also set the franchise record, scoring 50 points in one game.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/SDA/1974.html|title=1973–74 San Diego Conquistadors Roster and Stats|website=Basketball-Reference.com}}</ref><ref name="remembertheaba.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.remembertheaba.com/san-diego-conquistadors.html|title=Remember the ABA: San Diego Conquistadors|website=www.remembertheaba.com}}</ref>

Lamar averaged 20.9 points per game in 1974–1975, being reunited with his college coach Beryl Shipley, during the season.<ref name="remembertheaba.com"/> After averaging 16.0 in his third season, he ended up playing sparingly for the Lakers in 1976–1977, the final year of his career. Lamar was released by the Lakers after the season.<ref name="basketball-reference.com"/><ref>The Los Angeles Lakers Encyclopedia By Richard J. Shmelter p.50.</ref>

He played for three [[American Basketball Association]] teams: the [[San Diego Conquistadors]] (1973&ndash;1975), the rebranded [[San Diego Sails]] (1975) (who folded after 11 games)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.remembertheaba.com/San-Diego-Sails.html|title=Remember the ABA: San Diego Sails|website=www.remembertheaba.com}}</ref> and the [[Indiana Pacers]] (1975–1976) before moving to the [[NBA]] after the [[ABA–NBA merger]]. In 1976–1977 Lamar played 71 games for the [[Los Angeles Lakers]].<ref name="basketball-reference.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/lamarbo01.html|title=Bo Lamar Stats|website=Basketball-Reference.com}}</ref>
Overall, Lamar averaged 16.4 points and 3.9 assists in 273 career games. His ABA averages were 19.7 points and 4.4 assists in 202 games.<ref name="basketball-reference.com"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nasljerseys.com/ABA/Players/L/Lamar.Bo.htm|title=ABA Players-Bo Lamar|website=www.nasljerseys.com}}</ref>

==Personal==
Lamar was the  Louisiana-Lafayette basketball color analyst on radio, before retiring to his native Ohio.<ref name="ohsaa.org">{{cite web|url=https://ohsaa.org/news-media/ArtMID/909/ArticleID/293/OHSAA-to-Honor-Six-Former-Greats-in-Circle-of-Champions-at-Boys-State-Basketball-Tournament|title=OHSAA to Honor Six Former Greats in Circle of Champions at Boys State Basketball Tournament|website=OHSAA}}</ref>

==Honors==
* Lamar was inducted into the UL Athletics Hall of Fame.<ref name="ragincajuns.com"/>
* One media list ranked Lamar in the Top 100 players in the history of NCAA basketball (#64).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/752191-100-best-players-in-college-basketball-history|title=100 Best Players in College Basketball History|first=Josh|last=Martin|website=Bleacher Report}}</ref>
* In 1984, Lamar was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lasportshall.com/?inductees=dwight-bo-lamar|title = Dwight "Bo" Lamar}}</ref>
* In 2018, Lamar was selected for induction into the OHSAA's Circle of Champions by the Ohio State High School Athletic Association.<ref name="ohsaa.org"/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/dwight-lamar-1.html
* https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/lamarbo01.html

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{{1972 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans}}
{{1973 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans}}
{{Southland Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year navbox}}
{{NCAA Division I men's basketball scoring champion}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lamar, Bo}}
[[Category:1951 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American sportsmen]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American sportsmen]]
[[Category:All-American college men's basketball players]]
[[Category:American men's basketball players]]
[[Category:Basketball players from Columbus, Ohio]]
[[Category:Detroit Pistons draft picks]]
[[Category:Indiana Pacers players]]
[[Category:Los Angeles Lakers players]]
[[Category:Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball players]]
[[Category:Point guards]]
[[Category:San Diego Conquistadors draft picks]]
[[Category:San Diego Conquistadors players]]
[[Category:San Diego Sails players]]