View source for Vern Fleming

{{Short description|American basketball player (born 1962)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name            = Vern Fleming
| image           =
| width           =
| caption         =
| number          = 10
| position        = [[Point guard]]
| height_ft       = 6
| height_in       = 5
| weight_lb       = 185
| birth_date      = {{birth date and age|1962|02|02}}
| birth_place     = [[New York City]], [[New York (state)|New York]], U.S.
| high_school     = [[Mater Christi High School (Queens)|Mater Christi]] ([[Astoria, New York]])
| college         = [[Georgia Bulldogs basketball|Georgia]] (1980–1984)
| draft_year      = 1984
| draft_round     = 1
| draft_pick      = 18
| draft_team      = [[Indiana Pacers]]
| career_start    = 1984
| career_end      = 1997
| years1          = {{nbay|1984|start}}–{{nbay|1994|end}}
| team1           = [[Indiana Pacers]]
| years2          = {{nbay|1995|full=y}}
| team2           = [[New Jersey Nets]]
| years3          = 1996–1997
| team3           = [[CSP Limoges|Limoges]]
| stats_league    = NBA
| stat1label      = [[Point (basketball)|Points]]
| stat1value      = 10,125 (11.3 ppg)
| stat2label      = [[Rebound (basketball)|Rebounds]]
| stat2value      = 3,012 (3.4 rpg)
| stat3label      = [[Assist (basketball)|Assists]]
| stat3value      = 4,293 (4.8 apg)
| highlights    =
* Third-team [[NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|All-American]] – [[National Association of Basketball Coaches|NABC]] ([[1984 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|1984]])
* First-team All-[[Southeastern Conference|SEC]] (1984)
* First-team [[Parade All-America Boys Basketball Team|''Parade'' All-American]] (1980)
* [[McDonald's All-American Game|McDonald's All-American]] ([[1980 McDonald's All-American Boys Game|1980]])
| bbr             = flemive01
| medal_templates =
{{MedalSport|Men's [[basketball]]}}
{{MedalCountry | {{flagicon|USA}} [[United States men's national basketball team|United States]] }}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Olympic Games]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[1984 Summer Olympics|1984 Los Angeles]] | [[Basketball at the 1984 Summer Olympics|Team competition]]}}
}}

'''Vern Fleming''' (born February 2, 1962<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/3702/vern-fleming |title=Vern Fleming |publisher= [[ESPN]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/fl/vern-fleming-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418045316/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/fl/vern-fleming-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2020-04-18 |title=Vern Fleming |publisher=[[Sports Reference]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.olympic.org/vern-fleming |title=Vern Fleming | website= olympic.org |publisher= [[International Olympic Committee]]}}</ref>) is an American former professional [[basketball]] player who played twelve seasons in the [[NBA]] from 1984 until 1996 for the [[Indiana Pacers]] and [[New Jersey Nets]]. He played [[college basketball]] for the [[Georgia Bulldogs basketball|Georgia Bulldogs]].

==Early life==
{{expand section| date= June 2024}}

Vern Fleming was born in [[New York City]], [[New York (state)|New York]]. He attended high school at [[Mater Christi High School (Queens)|Mater Christi]] in [[Astoria, New York]], where he was a star basketball player.

==College and Olympics==
As a college player at the [[University of Georgia]], Fleming won a gold medal as a member of the [[1984 United States men's Olympic basketball team|United States men's basketball team]] at the [[1984 Summer Olympics]] in [[Los Angeles]], [[California]]<ref name= "SportsRef">{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/fl/vern-fleming-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418045316/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/fl/vern-fleming-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 18, 2020 |title=Vern Fleming Olympic Results |access-date=July 14, 2018}}</ref> and then commenced his professional career as the 18th overall selection in the [[1984 NBA draft]] by the [[Indiana Pacers]].

==Professional athlete==
Fleming played [[point guard]] with the Pacers for eleven years, often sharing starter duties with both [[Haywoode Workman]] and [[Mark Jackson (basketball)|Mark Jackson]]. Perhaps his best season as a pro came in [[1989-90 NBA season|1990]], when he started all 82 games of the season while averaging career bests of 14.3 points per game and 7.4 assists per game.<ref>{{cite web |title=Vern Fleming Per Game Averages | website= basketball-reference.com |url= https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/f/flemive01.html#per_game}}</ref> The following season, on November 23, 1990, Fleming recorded a career high 18 assists, along with scoring 14 points, in a 112–111 win over the [[Houston Rockets]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Vern Fleming Career High 18 Assists |url=https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/vern-fleming-career-high-assists |website= Statmuse.com}}</ref> On April 2, 1994, while playing against the [[Orlando Magic]], Fleming lost several teeth and suffered several lacerations inside his mouth after a collision with [[Shaquille O'Neal]].<ref>{{cite web |title= Fleming Rebounds From Injuries |url= https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1994-04-29-9404291077-story.html |website= [[Orlando Sentinel]] |date=April 29, 1994 }}</ref> Fleming spent his final year in the NBA playing for the [[New Jersey Nets]]. He retired in 1997.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/f/flemive01.html Vern Fleming statistics] at basketball-reference.com

{{Footer 1984 Olympic Champions Basketball Men}}
{{1984 NBA draft}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fleming, Vern}}
[[Category:1962 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:All-American college men's basketball players]]
[[Category:American expatriate basketball people in France]]
[[Category:American men's basketball players]]
[[Category:Basketball players from New York City]]
[[Category:Basketball players at the 1984 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Georgia Bulldogs basketball players]]
[[Category:Indiana Pacers draft picks]]
[[Category:Indiana Pacers players]]
[[Category:Limoges CSP players]]
[[Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:New Jersey Nets players]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball]]
[[Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)]]
[[Category:Point guards]]
[[Category:United States men's national basketball team players]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American sportsmen]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American sportsmen]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]
{{1960s-US-basketball-bio-stub}}