View source for John Gianelli

{{Short description|American basketball player (born 1950)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name         = John Gianelli
| image        = John_Gianelli_UOP.jpg
| width        =
| caption      = Gianelli as a junior at Pacific
| height_ft    = 6
| height_in    = 10
| weight_lb    = 220
| birth_date   = {{birth date and age|1950|06|10}}
| birth_place  = [[Stockton, California]], U.S.
| high_school  = [[Edison High School (Stockton, California)|Edison]] (Stockton, California)
| college      = [[Pacific Tigers men's basketball|Pacific]] (1969–1972)
| draft_year   = 1972
| draft_round  = 2
| draft_pick   = 20
| draft_team   = [[Houston Rockets]]
| career_start = 1972
| career_end   = 1983
| career_number   = 40
| career_position = [[Center (basketball)|Center]] / [[power forward]]
| years1          = {{nbay|1972|start}}–{{nbay|1976|start}}
| team1           = [[New York Knicks]]
| years2          = {{nbay|1976|full=y}}
| team2           = [[Buffalo Braves]]
| years3          = {{nbay|1977|start}}–{{nbay|1978|end}}
| team3           = [[Milwaukee Bucks]]
| years4          = {{nbay|1979|start}}
| team4           = [[Utah Jazz]]
| years5          = 1980–1983
| team5           = [[Olimpia Milano|Olimpia Billy Milano]]
| highlights   = 
* [[Lega Basket Serie A|Italian League]] champion (1982) 
* [[List of NBA champions|NBA champion]] ([[1973 NBA Finals|1973]])
* [[West Coast Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year|WCAC Player of the Year]] (1971)
* First-team All-[[West Coast Conference|WCAC]] (1971)
* Second-team All-WCAC (1970)
* No. 23 [[Pacific Tigers men's basketball#Retired numbers|retired by Pacific Tigers]]
|stats_league   = NBA
| stat1label    = [[Point (basketball)|Points]]
| stat1value    = 4,210 (7.8 ppg)
| stat2label    = [[Rebound (basketball)|Rebounds]]
| stat2value    = 3,188 (5.9 rpg)
| stat3label    = [[Assist (basketball)|Assists]]
| stat3value    = 832 (1.5 apg)
}}

'''John Arec Gianelli''' (born June 10, 1950) is an American former professional [[basketball]] player. At a height of {{convert|6|ft|10|in|m|abbr=on}} tall, he played at the [[power forward]] and [[center (basketball)|center]] positions. He played eight seasons (from 1972 to 1980) in the [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA) with the [[New York Knicks]], [[Buffalo Braves]], [[Milwaukee Bucks]], and [[Utah Jazz]].

==College career==
Gianelli graduated from [[Edison High School (Stockton, California)|Edison High School]] in 1968.<ref>[https://www.recordnet.com/story/sports/1998/06/01/life-in-slow-lane/50815847007/ Linesburgh, Scott. "Life in the Slow Lane," ''The Record'' (Stockton, CA), Monday, June 1, 1998.] Retrieved September 30, 2022.</ref> He matriculated at the [[University of the Pacific (United States)|University of the Pacific]] where he was a three-year [[Letterman (sports)|letterman]] with the [[Pacific Tigers men's basketball|Tigers men's basketball team]] in 1970, 1971 and 1972.<ref name="jgnlliuopahof">[https://pacifictigers.com/honors/hall-of-fame/john-gianelli/42 John Gianelli &ndash; University of the Pacific Athletics Hall of Fame.] Retrieved September 30, 2022.</ref> He averaged 21.5 points and 17.2 rebounds in his [[Senior (education)|senior year]], the latter ranked second in the nation.<ref name="nyt720920w">[https://www.nytimes.com/1972/09/20/archives/personalities-knicks-obtain-a-610-forward.html "Personalities: Knicks Obtain a 6–10 Forward," ''The New York Times'', Wednesday, September 20, 1972.] Retrieved September 29, 2022.</ref> His uniform number 23 was retired in May 1973, the second in Pacific's men's basketball history.<ref>[https://pacifictigers.com/sports/2020/5/4/retired-numbers-jerseys.aspx?id=1275 Retired Numbers/Jerseys (as of May 4, 2020) &ndash; University of the Pacific Athletics.] Retrieved September 30, 2022.</ref> He was inducted into the university's Athletics Hall of Fame in 1986.<ref name="jgnlliuopahof"/>

==Professional career==
Gianelli was selected by the [[Houston Rockets]] twentieth overall in the second round of the [[1972 NBA draft]].<ref>[https://www.prosportstransactions.com/basketball/DraftTrades/Years/1972.htm 1972 NBA Draft Pick Transactions, April 10 &ndash; Pro Sports Transactions.] Retrieved September 29, 2022.</ref> After not agreeing to contract terms with the Rockets, his NBA negotiation rights were obtained by the [[1972&ndash;73 New York Knicks season|Knicks]] on September 19, 1972.<ref name="nyt720920w"/>

He was involved in four other transactions during his NBA career, the first two within a year of each other. He was traded along with $3.3 million from the Knicks to the [[1976&ndash;77 Buffalo Braves season|Braves]] for [[Bob McAdoo]] and [[Tom McMillen]] on December 9, 1976.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1976/12/10/archives/payment-to-braves-is-said-to-total-25-million-knicks-get-mcadoo-and.html Goldaper, Sam. "Payment to Braves Is Said to Total $2.5 Million," ''The New York Times'', Friday, December 10, 1976.] Retrieved September 29, 2022.</ref><ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1979/02/13/archives/mcadoo-gone-knicks-set-to-rebuild-auerbach-is-enthusiastic.html Goldaper, Sam. "McAdoo Gone, Knicks Set to Rebuild," ''The New York Times'', Tuesday, February 13, 1979.] Retrieved September 30, 2022.</ref> Gianelli was sent from the Braves to the [[1977&ndash;78 Milwaukee Bucks season|Bucks]] for a first-round pick in the [[1979 NBA draft]] (eventually dealt to the [[Detroit Pistons]]) and cash nine months later on September 2, 1977.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1977/09/03/archives/braves-keep-trading-gianelli-goes-to-bucks.html "Braves Keep Trading: Gianelli Goes to Bucks," ''United Press International'' (UPI), Friday, September 2, 1977.] Retrieved September 29, 2022.</ref><ref name="nbadraft1979">[https://www.prosportstransactions.com/basketball/DraftTrades/Years/1979.htm 1979 NBA Draft Pick Transactions, June 25 &ndash; Pro Sports Transactions.] Retrieved September 29, 2022.</ref>

The final two transactions happened within five months of each other. He was traded along with the eighth overall selection in the first round of the 1979 NBA draft ([[Calvin Natt]]) from the Bucks to the [[Brooklyn Nets|New Jersey Nets]] for [[Harvey Catchings]] on May 31, 1979.<ref name="nbadraft1979"/><ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1979/06/01/archives/sports-news-briefs-nets-trade-catchings-acquire-firstround-pick.html "Sports News Briefs," ''The New York Times'', Friday, June 1, 1979.] Retrieved September 29, 2022.</ref> He never appeared in a game with the Nets, as he was dealt along with [[Bernard King]] and [[Jim Boylan]] to the [[1979&ndash;80 Utah Jazz season|Jazz]] for [[Rich Kelley]] and cash on October 2.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1979/10/03/archives/nets-king-traded-to-jazz-for-kelley-nets-trade-king-to-the-jazz-for.html "Nets’ King Traded To Jazz for Kelley," ''The New York Times'', Wednesday, October 3, 1979.] Retrieved September 29, 2022.</ref>

He averaged 7.8 points and 5.9 [[rebound (basketball)|rebounds]] per game in his NBA career, and won a [[NBA champion|league championship]] with New York in 1973. He also played professionally in Italy for three years, with [[Olimpia Milano]]. He was the starting center and one of two foreign players on the Olimpia Milano team that captured the 1981&ndash;82 [[Lega Basket Serie A]] championship; the other foreigner was starting [[point guard]] [[Mike D'Antoni]].<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1982/05/09/sports/sports-of-the-times-an-ex-knick-still-winning.html Vecsey, George. "Sports of The Times; An Ex-Knick Still Winning," ''The New York Times'', Sunday, May 9, 1982.] Retrieved September 29, 2022.</ref>

==NBA career statistics==
{{NBA player statistics legend|champion=y|leader=y}}

===Regular season===
{{NBA player statistics start}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"| [[1972–73 NBA season|1972–73]]†
| align="left" | [[1972-73 New York Knicks season|New York]]
| 52 || - || 9.9 || .451 || - || .697 || 2.9 || 0.5 || - || - || 3.5
|-
| align="left" | [[1973–74 NBA season|1973–74]]
| align="left" | [[1973-74 New York Knicks season|New York]]
| 70 || - || 20.3 || .479 || - || '''.760''' || 4.9 || 1.1 || 0.3 || 0.6 || 7.3
|-
| align="left" | [[1974–75 NBA season|1974–75]]
| align="left" | [[1974-75 New York Knicks season|New York]]
| 80 || - || '''35.0''' || .472 || - || .692 || 8.6 || 2.0 || 0.5 || '''1.5''' || 10.3
|-
| align="left" | [[1975–76 NBA season|1975–76]]
| align="left" | [[1975-76 New York Knicks season|New York]]
| '''82''' || - || 28.4 || .473 || - || .713 || 6.7 || 1.4 || 0.3 || 0.8 || 9.3
|-
| align="left" | [[1976–77 NBA season|1976–77]]
| align="left" | [[1976-77 New York Knicks season|New York]]
| 19 || - || 33.2 || .473 || - || .729 || '''9.4''' || 1.4 || '''0.7''' || '''1.5''' || '''10.9'''
|-
| align="left" | [[1976–77 NBA season|1976–77]]
| align="left" | [[1976-77 Buffalo Braves season|Buffalo]]
| 57 || - || 22.5 || .431 || - || .714 || 5.2 || 1.0 || 0.4 || 1.2 || 7.0
|-
| align="left" | [[1977–78 NBA season|1977–78]]
| align="left" | [[1977-78 Milwaukee Bucks season|Milwaukee]]
| '''82''' || - || 28.4 || '''.488''' || - || .642 || 6.2 || '''2.3''' || '''0.7''' || 1.1 || 8.5
|-
| align="left" | [[1978-79 NBA season|1978–79]]
| align="left" | [[1978-79 Milwaukee Bucks season|Milwaukee]]
| style="background:#cfecec;"| '''82'''* || - || 25.1 || .486 || - || .706 || 5.0 || 2.0 || 0.5 || 0.7 || 7.1
|-
| align="left" | [[1979–80 NBA season|1979–80]]
| align="left" | [[1979-80 Utah Jazz season|Utah]]
| 17 || - || 16.8 || .348 || .000 || .563 || 3.6 || 1.0 || 0.4 || 0.4 || 3.2
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career
| 541 || - || 25.2 || .470 || .000 || .702 || 5.9 || 1.5 || 0.5 || 1.0 || 7.8
|}

===Playoffs===
{{NBA player statistics start}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"| [[1972–73 NBA season|1972–73]]†
| align="left" | [[1972-73 New York Knicks season|New York]]
| 7 || - || 7.9 || '''.550''' || - || .429 || 1.9 || 0.1 || - || - || 3.6
|-
| align="left" | [[1973–74 NBA season|1973–74]]
| align="left" | [[1973-74 New York Knicks season|New York]]
| '''12''' || - || 28.2 || .407 || - || .720 || '''7.3''' || '''1.9''' || 0.3 || 0.5 || 7.3
|-
| align="left" | [[1974–75 NBA season|1974–75]]
| align="left" | [[1974-75 New York Knicks season|New York]]
| 3 || - || 31.0 || .458 || - || '''1.000''' || 4.7 || 0.7 || 0.0 || '''1.3''' || '''8.3'''
|-
| align="left" | [[1977–78 NBA season|1977–78]]
| align="left" | [[1977-78 Milwaukee Bucks season|Milwaukee]]
| 9 || - || '''32.2''' || .424 || - || .769 || 6.4 || 1.6 || '''0.9''' || 1.2 || 7.8
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career
| 31 || - || 25.0 || .434 || - || .721 || 5.6 || 1.3 || 0.5 || 0.9 || 6.7
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{basketballstats|bbr=g/gianejo01}}

{{West Coast Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year navbox}}
{{1972 NBA draft}}
{{New York Knicks 1972–73 NBA champions}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gianelli, John}}
[[Category:1950 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:American expatriate basketball people in Italy]]
[[Category:American men's basketball players]]
[[Category:Basketball players from Stockton, California]]
[[Category:Buffalo Braves players]]
[[Category:Centers (basketball)]]
[[Category:Houston Rockets draft picks]]
[[Category:Milwaukee Bucks players]]
[[Category:New York Knicks players]]
[[Category:Olimpia Milano players]]
[[Category:Pacific Tigers men's basketball players]]
[[Category:Pittsburgh Condors draft picks]]
[[Category:Power forwards]]
[[Category:Utah Jazz players]]