View source for Swen Nater

{{Short description|Dutch basketball player (born 1950)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name = Swen Nater
| image = Swen Nater with UCLA shooting.png
| width = 
| caption = Nater shooting with [[UCLA Bruins men's basketball|UCLA]] in 1972–73
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1950|01|14}}
| birth_place = [[Den Helder]], Netherlands
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 11
| weight_lb = 240
| high_school = [[Wilson Classical High School|Wilson]] ([[Long Beach, California]])
| college = 
* [[Cypress College]] (1968–1970)
* [[UCLA Bruins men's basketball|UCLA]] (1971–1973)
| draft_year = 1973
| draft_round = 1
| draft_pick = 16
| draft_team = [[Milwaukee Bucks]]
| career_start = 1973
| career_end = 1985
| career_number = 31, 10, 35, 41
| career_position = [[Center (basketball)|Center]]
| years1 = [[1973–74 ABA season|1973]]
| team1 = [[Virginia Squires]]
| years2 = [[1973–74 ABA season|1973]]–[[1974–75 ABA season|1975]]
| team2 = [[San Antonio Spurs]]
| years3 = [[1975–76 ABA season|1975–1976]]
| team3 = [[New York Nets]]
| years4 = [[1975–76 ABA season|1976]]
| team4 = [[Virginia Squires]]
| years5 = {{nbay|1976|full=y}}
| team5 = [[Milwaukee Bucks]]
| years6 = {{nbay|1977|start}}–{{nbay|1982|end}}
| team6 = [[Buffalo Braves]] / [[Los Angeles Clippers#1978–1984: San Diego Clippers|San Diego Clippers]]
| years7 = {{nbay|1983|full=y}}
| team7 = [[Los Angeles Lakers]]
| years8 = 1984–1985
| team8 = [[Pallalcesto Amatori Udine|Australian Udine]]
| highlights = 
* 2× [[ABA All-Star]] ([[1974 ABA All-Star Game|1974]], [[1975 ABA All-Star Game|1975]])
* 2× [[All-ABA Second Team]] ([[1973–74 ABA season|1974]], [[1974–75 ABA season|1975]])
* [[ABA Rookie of the Year]] (1974)
* [[ABA All-Rookie First Team]] (1974)
* [[List of National Basketball Association annual rebounding leaders|NBA rebounding leader]] ({{nbay|1979|end}})
* [[List of ABA annual rebounding leaders|ABA rebounding leader]] ([[1974–75 ABA season|1975]])
* 2× [[List of NCAA Men's Division I Basketball champions|NCAA champion]] ([[1972 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament|1972]], [[1973 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament|1973]])
| stats_league = ABA and NBA
| stat1label = [[Point (basketball)|Points]]
| stat1value = 8,980 (12.4 ppg)
| stat2label = [[Rebound (basketball)|Rebounds]]
| stat2value = 8,340 (11.6 rpg)
| stat3label = [[Assist (basketball)|Assists]]
| stat3value = 1,235 (1.7 apg)
}}
'''Swen Erick Nater''' (born January 14, 1950) is a Dutch former professional [[basketball]] player. He played primarily in the [[American Basketball Association]] (ABA) and [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA), and is the only player to have led both the NBA and ABA in [[rebound (basketball)|rebounding]]. Nater was a two-time [[ABA All-Star]] and was the 1974 [[ABA Rookie of the Year]]. He played [[college basketball]] for the [[UCLA Bruins men's basketball|UCLA Bruins]], winning two [[National Collegiate Athletic Association]] (NCAA) titles.

==Early life==
Nater was born in the Netherlands in [[Den Helder]].<ref name=hazeltine_12171988/> His parents divorced when he was three years old. When his mother remarried and the family's economic situation deteriorated, she, her husband, and Nater's younger brother moved to the United States, leaving Nater and his sister in an orphanage. After three years it appeared they would remain in the Netherlands until a television show, ''[[It Could Be You]]'' (a forerunner to ''[[This Is Your Life (American franchise)|This Is Your Life]]''), discovered the situation and brought the two siblings to America to be reunited—on TV—with the rest of the family. At age nine, he was in a new country and did not speak a word of English.<ref name=coachswen>{{cite web |url=http://www.coachswen.com/Swen%20Nater%27s%20Bio.htm |title=ABOUT COACH SWEN NATER|website=CoachSwen.com|access-date=2014-03-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130910172203/http://coachswen.com/Swen%20Nater's%20Bio.htm |archive-date=2013-09-10 }}</ref><ref name=walton>{{cite news|last=Walton|first=Bill|title=What a long, strange trip it's been, Swen|date=February 24, 2004|work=ESPN.com|url=https://www.espn.com/nba/columns/story?id=1743087|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630111451/http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?id=1743087|archive-date=June 30, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> He took his stepfather's name and was known as '''Swen Langeberg'''.<ref name=hamelin_12111982>{{cite news|first=Joe|last=Hamelin|title=A God-Fearing Man|date=December 11, 1982|newspaper=The Sacramento Bee|page=C1|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78281750/|access-date=May 25, 2021|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref><ref name=hiserman_06091984>{{cite news|first=Mike|last=Hiserman|title=Once a Barefoot Octcast, Swen NAter Has Proven He Can Survive|date=June 9, 1984|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|at=Part III-15|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78281648/|access-date=May 25, 2021|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

Nater did not get along with his stepfather, who did not want him to play basketball.<ref name=hiserman_06091984/> Nater graduated from [[Long Beach Wilson High School]] in [[Long Beach, California]]. He tried out for their basketball team as a junior, but he was cut.<ref name=walton/><ref name=hazeltine_12171988/> He had arrived at the first practice barefoot but was told by the coach he needed shoes. His family unable to afford them, Nater returned to practice with shoes stolen from a teammate. The coach told Nater to leave. He did not try out as a senior.<ref name=hazeltine_12171988/>

==College career==
Nater attended and played basketball at [[Cypress College]], a junior college in [[Cypress, California]] (where he met his wife, Marlene). Under Chargers head coach [[Don Johnson (basketball)|Don Johnson]],<ref name=walton/> he played little as a freshman, but was a Community College All-American as a sophomore.<ref name=coachswen/> He earned a scholarship to [[UCLA]].<ref name=coachswen/> After leaving Cypress, he changed back to his father's name, Nater.<ref name=hiserman_06091984/>  He had already moved out from his stepfather's home after he forbade Nater from playing at Cypress.<ref name=hamelin_12111982/>

Nater [[Redshirt (college sports)|redshirted]] his first year with the [[UCLA Bruins men's basketball|UCLA Bruins]].<ref name=hazeltine_12171988/> He helped [[John Wooden]]'s squads win two [[List of NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Champions|NCAA titles]]. He was a backup to [[Bill Walton]], and averaged just 3.2 points and 3.3 [[rebound (basketball)|rebounds]] per game as a senior. He never started a collegiate game—his primary role was helping to develop Walton in practice.<ref name="seattlepi.nwsource.com">{{cite news|url=http://www.seattlepi.com/basketball/346598_where09.html|first=Dan|last=Raley|title=Where Are They Now?, Seattle Post Intelligencer|date=January 9, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140305235238/http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Where-Are-They-Now-Swen-Nater-former-college-1261035.php|archive-date=March 5, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=hartman_smith>{{cite book |last1=Hartman |first1=Steve |last2=Smith |first2=Matt |title=The Great Book of Los Angeles Sports Lists |page=200 |year=2009 |publisher=Running Press |isbn=9780786748877 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0J50W-gUBwIC&q=ucla%20alumni%20nba&pg=PA200 |access-date=March 22, 2012}}</ref>

==Professional career==
Nater was drafted by [[The Floridians]] in the 1972 ABA Draft, and then by the [[Virginia Squires]] in the June 1972 ABA dispersal draft after the Floridians' demise.<ref name=br.com>{{Cite web|url=http://www.basketballreference.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=NaterSw01|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081227231909/http://www.basketballreference.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=NATERSW01|url-status=dead|title=BasketballReference.com Swen Nater page|archive-date=27 December 2008|access-date=3 March 2022}}</ref><ref name="remembertheaba.com">{{Cite web|url=http://www.remembertheaba.com/TeamMaterial/VirginiaMaterial/OaksCapsSquiresYearly.html|title=Remember the ABA: Oakland Oaks/Washington Caps/Virginia Squires Year-to-Year Franchise Notes|website=Remembertheaba.com|access-date=3 March 2022}}</ref> Nater was also drafted in the first round of the [[1973 NBA draft]] with the 16th overall pick by the [[Milwaukee Bucks]];<ref name=hazeltine_12171988>{{cite news|last=Hazeltine|first=Rick|title=LOOKING UP TO HIM : Swen Nater Is a Lifetime Rebounder With Valuable Lessons to Pass On|date=December 17, 1988|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-12-17-sp-105-story.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140513234847/http://articles.latimes.com/print/1988-12-17/sports/sp-105_1_swen-nater|archive-date=May 13, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> he was the first NBA first-round pick to have played in the NCAA without ever starting a college game.<ref name=walton/> Milwaukee offered him $50,000.<ref name=carr_06261974/> In August 1973, he opted to sign a three-year, $300,000 contract with the Squires, who spread the payments over seven years.<ref name="remembertheaba.com"/><ref name=carr_06261974>{{cite news|first=Al|last=Carr|title=Success Doesn't Surprise Nater|date=June 26, 1974|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78588232/swen-nater-aba-rookie-of-the-year/|access-date=May 31, 2021|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> On November 21, 1973, the Squires traded Nater to the [[San Antonio Spurs]] for a draft pick and $300,000.<ref name="remembertheaba.com"/>

With the Spurs, Nater was the [[ABA Rookie of the Year]] after averaging 14.1 points and 12.6 rebounds for the season.<ref name=hartman_smith/><ref name=carr_06261974/> He led the ABA in field goal percentage in 1974 and led the league in rebounding in 1975. He was named to the [[All-ABA Second Team]] in 1974 and 1975 and participated in the [[ABA All-Star Game]] both seasons.<ref name=br.com/> During his three seasons in the ABA, Nater played for the Spurs, Squires, and the [[New York Nets]].

Nater's NBA career began with the [[Milwaukee Bucks]]. During the [[1976-77 NBA season]], Nater amassed three games where he had at least 20 rebounds and 20 points, including a 30-point and 33 rebound performance in a 126–109 win over the [[Atlanta Hawks]] on December 19, 1976.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.foxsports.com/wisconsin/story/statuesday-milwaukee-bucks-giannis-antetokounmpo-20-20-game-011618|title=StaTuesday: Milwaukee Bucks who saw 20-20|date=16 January 2018|website=FOX Sports|access-date=3 March 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197612190MIL.html|title=Atlanta Hawks at Milwaukee Bucks Box Score, December 19, 1976|website=Basketball-Reference.com|access-date=3 March 2022}}</ref> After the season ended, Milwaukee traded Nater to the [[Buffalo Braves]] for Buffalo's first round draft pick, which Milwaukee used to select [[Marques Johnson]]. When the Braves moved to [[San Diego, California|San Diego]] and became the Clippers a year later, Nater became a local favorite. Nater led the NBA in rebounding average during the [[1979–80 NBA season|1979–80 season]], making him the only player ever to lead both the NBA and ABA in rebounding.<ref name=hartman_smith/> On January 12, 1982, he had surgery to remove bone chips from his right knee. The injury limited him to just 14 games in [[1981–82 San Diego Clippers season|1981–82]] and seven in [[1982–83 San Diego Clippers season|1982–83]].<ref>{{cite news|first=Don|last=Norcross|title=Nater knows the pain that Walton suffered|date=April 7, 1983|newspaper=Times-Advocate|page=D1|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/99388431/|access-date=April 9, 2022|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

Before the [[1983–84 NBA season|1983–84 season]], Nater was traded by the Clippers along with a just-drafted [[Byron Scott (basketball)|Byron Scott]] to the [[Los Angeles Lakers]] for [[Norm Nixon]], [[Eddie Jordan (basketball)|Eddie Jordan]], and a 1986 second-round draft pick (which would eventually be dealt to the [[Phoenix Suns]] and become [[Jeff Hornacek]]). The Lakers acquired him to backup [[Kareem Abdul Jabbar]].<ref>{{cite news|first=Thomas|last=Bonk|title=Nater Is Happy To Have a Job He Never Thought He Wanted|date=October 13, 1983|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|at=Part III, pp. [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98684580/nater-backup-to-kareem/ 1], [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/99388581/ 20]|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98684580/nater-backup-to-kareem/|access-date=April 9, 2022|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> Nater and Scott helped lead the Lakers to the NBA Finals that year, but the next season the team did not offer him a guaranteed contract.

Nater played for Australian Udine in the Italian League, where he was the best paid player and led the league in rebounding even though the team ended up being relegated. The next season, he initially accepted an offer from Barcelona in the Spanish League, but ultimately he changed his mind and decided to retire.

==Career statistics==
{{NBA player statistics legend|leader=y}}
=== Regular season ===
{{NBA player statistics start}}
|-
| align="left" | [[1973–74 ABA season|1973–74 (ABA)]]
| align="left" | [[1973-74 Virginia Squires season|Virginia]]
| 17 || - || 22.0 || style="background:#cfecec;|'''.556'''* || .000 || .630 || 9.1 || 1.0 || 0.4 || 0.9 || 12.6
|-
| align="left" | [[1973–74 ABA season|1973–74 (ABA)]]
| align="left" | [[1973-74 San Antonio Spurs season|San Antonio]]
| 62 || - || 32.3 || style="background:#cfecec;|.551* || .000 || .740 || 13.6 || '''1.8''' || 0.4 || 0.8 || 14.5
|-
| align="left" | [[1974–75 ABA season|1974–75 (ABA)]]
| align="left" | [[1974-75 San Antonio Spurs season|San Antonio]]
| '''78''' || - || '''34.8''' || .542 || .000 || '''.752''' || style="background:#cfecec;" | '''16.4'''* || 1.2 || '''0.6''' || '''1.1''' || '''15.1'''
|-
| align="left" | [[1975–76 ABA season|1975–76 (ABA)]]
| align="left" | [[1975-76 New York Nets season|New York]]
| 43 || - || 23.6 || .485 || .000 || .718 || 10.3 || 0.4 || 0.4 || 0.6 || 8.7
|-
| align="left" | [[1975–76 ABA season|1975–76 (ABA)]]
| align="left" | [[1975-76 Virginia Squires season|Virginia]]
| 33 || - || 23.5 || .498 || .000 || .675 || 9.8 || 1.1 || 0.4 || 0.8 || 11.3
|- 
| align="left" | [[1976–77 NBA season|1976–77]]
| align="left" | [[1976-77 Milwaukee Bucks season|Milwaukee]]
| 72 || - || 27.2 || .528 || - || .754 || 12.0 || 1.5 || '''0.8''' || '''0.7''' || 13.0
|-
| align="left" | [[1977–78 NBA season|1977–78]]
| align="left" | [[1977-78 Buffalo Braves season|Buffalo]]
| 78 || - || '''35.6''' || .504 || - || .765 || 13.2 || 2.8 || 0.5 || 0.6 || 15.5
|-
| align="left" | [[1978–79 NBA season|1978–79]]
| align="left" | [[1978-79 San Diego Clippers season|San Diego]]
| 79 || - || 25.4 || .569 || - || .800 || 8.9 || 1.8 || 0.5 || 0.4 || 10.7
|-
| align="left" | [[1979–80 NBA season|1979–80]]
| align="left" | [[1979-80 San Diego Clippers season|San Diego]]
| 81 || - || 35.3 || .554 || .000 || .718 || style="background:#cfecec;" | '''15.0'''* || '''2.9''' || 0.6 || 0.5 || 13.4
|-
| align="left" | [[1980–81 NBA season|1980–81]]
| align="left" | [[1980-81 San Diego Clippers season|San Diego]]
| '''82''' || - || 34.3 || .553 || .000 || .795 || 12.4 || 2.4 || 0.6 || 0.6 || '''15.6'''
|-
| align="left" | [[1981–82 NBA season|1981–82]]
| align="left" | [[1981-82 San Diego Clippers season|San Diego]]
| 21 || '''7''' || 27.4 || '''.577''' || '''1.000''' || .747 || 9.1 || 1.4 || 0.3 || 0.4 || 12.5
|-
| align="left" | [[1982–83 NBA season|1982–83]]
| align="left" | [[1982-83 San Diego Clippers season|San Diego]]
| 7 || 0 || 7.3 || .300 || .000 || '''1.000''' || 1.9 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 0.0 || 2.3
|-
| align="left" | [[1983–84 NBA season|1983–84]]
| align="left" | [[1983-84 Los Angeles Lakers season|Los Angeles]]
| 69 || 0 || 12.0 || .490 || .000 || .692 || 3.8 || 0.4 || 0.4 || 0.1 || 4.5
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career
| 722 || <u>7</u> || 28.7 || .535 || .100 || .748 || 11.6||1.7||	0.5||	0.6	 || 12.4
|}

=== Playoffs ===
{{NBA player statistics start}}
|-
| align="left" | [[1973–74 ABA season|1973–74 (ABA)]]
| align="left" | [[1973-74 San Antonio Spurs season|San Antonio]]
| '''7''' || - || 30.1 || '''.553''' || .000 || '''.714''' || 11.7 || '''2.1''' || '''0.4''' || 0.7 || '''14.9'''
|-
| align="left" | [[1974–75 ABA season|1974–75 (ABA)]]
| align="left" | [[1974-75 San Antonio Spurs season|San Antonio]]
| 6 || - || '''39.0''' || .476 || .000 || .429 || '''16.5''' || 1.0 || 0.2 || '''1.0''' || 14.8
|-
| align="left" | [[1983–84 NBA season|1983–84]]
| align="left" | [[1983-84 Los Angeles Lakers season|Los Angeles]]
| 17 || - || 8.6 || .500 || .000 || .769 || 2.4 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 3.4
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career
| 30 || - || 19.7 || .512 || .000|| .639  || 7.4||0.7||0.2||0.4 || 8.4
|}

==After the NBA==
He built the basketball program at [[San Diego Christian College|Christian Heritage College]] in [[San Diego, California]], and coached the team from 1985 to 1995.<ref name="BigManLovedGame">{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/11/sports/then-and-now-swen-nater-big-man-loved-the-game-then-learned-to-play-it.html | title=THEN AND NOW -- Swen Nater; Big Man Loved the Game, Then Learned to Play It | work=[[New York Times]] | date= January 11, 2004 | first= Chris| last= Broussard| access-date =2009-07-08}}</ref> He left the position because it "was high on work and low on pay.” He was living in [[El Cajon, California]], where his two daughters were born and raised.<ref>{{cite news|first=Sandy|last=Ringer|title=Enumclaw's Nater Grew Up With Game|date=November 10, 1997|newspaper=The Seattle Times|url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19970310&slug=2528110|access-date=May 25, 2021}}</ref>

Nater later lived in [[Enumclaw, Washington]],<ref>[http://www.espn.co.uk/nba/columns/story?columnist=walton_bill&id=1743087 What a long, strange trip it's been, Swen], Espn.co.uk, Retrieved 2018-12-11.</ref> where he went to work for [[Costco]], for whom he was a sporting goods assistant buyer.<ref name="seattlepi.nwsource.com"/><ref name="BigManLovedGame"/> and then in [[Des Moines, Washington]] overlooking [[Puget Sound]], with his wife Dr. Wendy Ghiora.

Nater has also co-authored books with basketball coaches Wooden and [[Pete Newell]].

==Publications==
*{{cite book|last1=Wooden|first1=John|last2=Nater|first2=Swen|title=John Wooden's UCLA Offense|year=2006|publisher=Human Kinetics|isbn=9780736061803}}
*{{cite book|last1=Newell|first1=Pete|last2=Nater|first2=Swen|title=Pete Newell's Playing Big|year=2007|publisher=Human Kinetics|location=Champaign, Illinois|isbn=9780736068093}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Sports}}
*[[List of NBA career field goal percentage leaders]]
*[[List of NBA annual rebounding leaders]]
*[[List of NBA single-game rebounding leaders]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*{{Commons-inline}}
*{{basketballstats|bbr=n/natersw01|name=Swen Nater}}

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{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nater, Swen}}
[[Category:1950 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:ABA All-Stars]]
[[Category:Basketball players from King County, Washington]]
[[Category:Buffalo Braves players]]
[[Category:Cypress Chargers men's basketball players]]
[[Category:Dutch expatriate basketball people in the United States]]
[[Category:Lega Basket Serie A players]]
[[Category:Los Angeles Lakers players]]
[[Category:Miami Floridians draft picks]]
[[Category:Milwaukee Bucks draft picks]]
[[Category:Milwaukee Bucks players]]
[[Category:NBA players from the Netherlands]]
[[Category:New York Nets players]]
[[Category:Pallalcesto Amatori Udine players]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Den Helder]]
[[Category:People from Des Moines, Washington]]
[[Category:People from Enumclaw, Washington]]
[[Category:Power forwards]]
[[Category:San Antonio Spurs players]]
[[Category:San Diego Clippers players]]
[[Category:UCLA Bruins men's basketball players]]
[[Category:Virginia Squires draft picks]]
[[Category:Virginia Squires players]]
[[Category:Wilson Classical High School alumni]]