NBA.com: Chuck Person Bio

Chuck Connors Person was given the nickname "the Rifleman" because his mom liked the TV Western of that name, whose star, Chuck Connors, once played for the Boston Celtics. He has lived up to that nickname with his outstanding marksmanship during a long and productive NBA career. Person began his gunning at Auburn University, where he teamed with Charles Barkley and Chris Morris and racked up a .536 shooting percentage in his college career with the Tigers. He averaged 22.0 points and 8.9 rebounds per game as a junior in 1984-85 and 21.5 points and 7.9 rebounds as a senior, making The Sporting News All-America Second Team both years. He finished his career as the school's all-time leading scorer and second all-time in the Southeastern Conference. The Indiana Pacers selected Person with the fourth overall pick in the 1986 NBA Draft, and he had a phenomenal first season. He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year for 1986-87 after averaging 18.8 points per game, 8.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists. He then averaged 27.0 points in four playoff games as the Pacers lost to the Atlanta Hawks in the first round. Person played six seasons with Indiana. During that span his scoring average ranged from 17.0 to 21.6 points per game and his rebounding average from 5.2 to 8.3 boards per contest. Person and Reggie Miller teamed to form a dangerous perimeter duo, but the Pacers never advanced past the first round of the playoffs during Person's tenure with the team. Person led the Pacers in scoring in each of his first three seasons. In his fifth campaign, 1990-91, he registered a career high .504 field-goal percentage. In the first round of the playoffs that year he waged a shooting war with Boston's Larry Bird. Person won the battle, averaging 26.0 points to Bird's 17.1, but Bird won the war, as the Celtics took the series in five games. In Game 2 of that series Person connected on 7-of-10 three-point attempts. In 1991-92, Person's last season in Indiana, he became the franchise's all-time leading scorer (later passed by Miller) and ranked second among NBA forwards with 4.7 assists per game. That summer he was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves along with Micheal Williams for Pooh Richardson and Sam Mitchell. Person spent two seasons with the Timberwolves, starting at small forward in 1992-93 but moving into a reserve role in 1993-94. The next season he signed with the San Antonio Spurs and found new life as a long-range threat off the bench. He led the Spurs in three-pointers made (172) and helped the team to the league's best record. His younger brother, Wesley, entered the NBA with the Phoenix Suns in 1994-95 and earned a spot on the All-Rookie Second Team. Person continued to contribute to the Spurs in 1995-96, playing primarily off the bench but also making 16 starts. He ranked fifth on the team in scoring at 10.9 ppg, the 10th year in a row he has averaged in double figures, and he led the Spurs with 190 three-pointers. Person missed the entire 1996-97 season after undergoing back surgery on October 29, 1996. Many thought that would be the end of his career, but he came back to play in 61 games for the Spurs in 1997-98, averaging 6.7 ppg and ranking second on the team with 95 three-pointers. Signed by Charlotte as a free agent on January 26, Person proved to be a valuable addition for the Hornets, especially after forward Anthony Mason was lost for the season due to injury. He played in all 50 games, making 21 starts, and averaged 6.1 ppg with 55 three-pointers, third-most on the team.

1999-2000 REGULAR SEASON
Placed on the injured list on 3/7 with a tear to the trochlear cartilage of his left knee Nailed a buzzer-beating three-pointer to give Seattle a 95-92 win over New Jersey on 1/26 Activated from the injured list on 11/15 after missing first seven games with plantarfascitis of the right foot

1998-1999 REGULAR SEASON
Scored 16 points (6-9 FG, 4-5 3FG), in 18 minutes, in a 120-113 victory over the New Jersey Nets on 4/19 Recorded a team-high 21 points (5-9 3FG) and 4 rebounds in a 96-82 victory over the New Jersey Nets on 3/4 Registered 16 points (6-7 FG, 2-2 3FG, 2-2 FT) and 3 rebounds in a 94-91 victory over the Miami Heat on 2/8

1997-1998 REGULAR SEASON
On the injured list from 2/20 to 3/2, and from 3/30 to 4/15, due to recurrent lower back pain Posted 14 points and 4 rebounds in a 105-96 victory over the Golden State Warriors on 2/3 Registered 19 points (7-11 FG, 5-8 3FG) and 3 rebounds in a 103-97 victory over the Sacramento Kings on 2/1 Scored 15 points, on 5-of-7 three-pointers, in a 109-86 victory over the L.A. Clippers on 1/28 Totaled 14 points, hitting 4-of-7 three-pointers, and 7 rebounds in an 89-79 victory over the Washington Wizards on 1/14 Posted 17 points (6-11 FG) and 5 rebounds in an 84-77 victory over the Miami Heat on 1/3 Scored a season-high 32 points, setting club-records by hitting 9-of-14 three-pointers, and added 5 rebounds and 3 assists in a 124-115 win over the Vancouver Grizzlies on 12/30 On the injured list from 10/30 to 11/10 due to lower back pain

1996-1997 REGULAR SEASON
Person missed the entire 1996-97 season after undergoing back surgery on Oct. 29, 1996.

1995-1996 REGULAR SEASON

1994-1995 REGULAR SEASON
Coming off his least productive season as a pro, Person signed with the San Antonio Spurs in the offseason, and the change of scenery brought vitality to his game. So did the shortened three-point arc: Person nailed a career-high 172 three-pointers in 1994-95, 40 more than his previous career high, to place him among the league's top 10 and set a franchise record. His three-point percentage of .387 was also a career best. At season's end, Person's 856 career treys ranked him fifth on the NBA's all-time list. Person was the Spurs' three-point threat off the bench. In his only start of the season, against the Washington Bullets on December 30, he rifled in a season-high 27 points and set a team record with 8 three-pointers. The previous night he had tallied 26 points against the Atlanta Hawks. For the season, he averaged 10.8 points and 3.2 rebounds. His scoring average was fifth highest on the team. The Spurs compiled a 62-20 record, won the Midwest Division, and reached the Western Conference Finals before falling to the Houston Rockets in six games. Person averaged just 5.0 points in the postseason, shooting .351 from the field and .289 from three-point territory.

1993-1994 REGULAR SEASON
The arrival of rookie guard Isaiah Rider indirectly landed Person on the bench for the first time in his career. When Minnesota Timberwolves Coach Sidney Lowe moved Rider into the starting lineup, he also moved Doug West to the small forward position and made Person the team's sixth man. During one period stretching from mid-January to early March, Person came off the bench in 26 of 27 games. Nevertheless, the eight-year veteran turned in a solid season and continued to provide experienced leadership for a struggling young team. Although his scoring average dropped to a career-low 11.6 points per game, Person paced the Wolves in three-point shooting, hitting 100 of 272 attempts for a .368 percentage. After the season Person left Minnesota to sign as a free agent with the San Antonio Spurs. Entering the 1994-95 campaign, he ranked seventh in NBA history in both three-pointers made (684) and attempted (1,934). Person was joined in the NBA in 1994-95 by his younger brother, Wesley, who left Auburn as the school's No. 3 all-time scorer behind his older brother and Mike Mitchell. Wesley was a first-round draft pick of the Phoenix Suns in 1994.

1992-1993 REGULAR SEASON
The Pacers wanted to find more playing time for Detlef Schrempf, a two-time NBA Sixth Man Award winner, so they traded Person and Micheal Williams to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Pooh Richardson and Sam Mitchell. Person brought a new dimension to the Timberwolves-long-range gunning from a small forward. By the end of his first season in Minnesota he had shattered club records for three-point shooting. His 118 treys in a season matched the departed Richardson's team career mark for three-pointers. Person nailed a club-record 6 treys in a game on three occasions, and in his final 19 games he shot a sizzling .438 from downtown. However, Person's first season with the Timberwolves did have its downside. He was plagued by injuries for most of the year, including an inner-ear infection that sidelined him for four games in March. He tumbled to 16.8 points per game, a .433 field-goal percentage, and a .649 free-throw percentage.

1991-1992 REGULAR SEASON
This was Person's final season in Indiana, and he left behind some sparkling statistics. He ranks second to Reggie Miller on the franchise's all-time scoring list, and he also stands in the Pacers' top 10 in assists, games played, field goals attempted, and three-pointers made and attempted. He averaged 18.5 points in 1991-92, hitting a career-high 132 three-point field goals. Still a gifted passer, Person ranked second among NBA forwards in assists with 4.7 per game. The Pacers met the Boston Celtics for a second consecutive year in the playoffs, and this time they were swept in three games, as Person averaged a merely human 17.0 points in the series. (He had torched Boston for 26.0 points per game the previous year.)

1990-1991 REGULAR SEASON
Person remained consistent during the 1990-91 season, with averages of 18.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game. As the Pacers' second all-time assists leader (behind Vern Fleming), he dished for a career-high 11 against the Houston Rockets on November 29. Person also dished out something else this season-pain. It was especially felt by the Boston Celtics during the first round of the 1991 NBA Playoffs. In a nail-biting five-game duel, Person averaged 26.0 points, raining in 17 three-pointers for the series, including a then NBA Playoff-record 7 in Game 2. Not until the final minute of Boston's 124-121 victory in Game 5 could the Celtics' faithful breathe easily.

1989-1990 REGULAR SEASON
Person's tenure at the top of the Indiana scoring chart ended this season when he fell to 19.7 points per game while Reggie Miller skyrocketed to a 24.6 average. The combination seemed to work, however, as Indiana returned to the playoffs after a two-year absence. While Person continued to provide an outside scoring punch (94-of-253 from three-point range), 7-foot-4 center Rik Smits came into his own with averages of 15.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. Indiana had also pulled off a fine midseason trade in 1988-89 when it sent Herb Williams to the Dallas Mavericks in return for future All-Star Detlef Schrempf. The good news was that the team was coming together-Indiana posted a 42-40 record after the disappointing 1988-89 campaign. The bad news was that the Pacers drew defending NBA-champion Detroit as their first-round playoff opponent. The Pistons won the series in three straight games as Person averaged only 13.3 points on .378 shooting from the field.

1988-1989 REGULAR SEASON
The Indiana fold welcomed Marist's 7-foot-4 Rik Smits, the second overall pick in this season's NBA Draft, and the Pacers' core began to take shape. Second-year guard Reggie Miller's average jumped to 16.0 points per game this season, while Person hiked his output to 21.6-the best of his Indiana career. He ranked second on the team with 6.5 rebounds per game while shooting .489 from the floor and a career-best .792 from the free-throw line. He scored a career-high 47 points against the New York Knicks on January 31. Now in his third NBA season, Person began to develop as a potent three-point shooter. He hit 63-of-205 from long range in 1988-89, ranking second on the Pacers in three-pointers made to Miller's 98.

1987-1988 REGULAR SEASON
Person's second season in Indiana was the first for Reggie Miller, who had been drafted in the first round (11th pick overall) of the 1987 NBA Draft. A drop-off in Person's statistics came as no surprise, as Indiana now had two outside scoring threats. Although Person led the Pacers in scoring for a second straight year, his average of 17.0 points per game would be the lowest of his six years in Indiana. Miller, just warming up, averaged 10.0 points as a rookie.

1986-1987 REGULAR SEASON
Chuck Person's nickname is "the Rifleman," which should come as no surprise. His full name is Chuck Connors Person, a moniker inspired by the late TV star Chuck Connors, who played in the television western The Rifleman three decades ago. (Connors also played for the Boston Celtics and for baseball's Brooklyn Dodgers and Chicago Cubs.) Two years after Charles Barkley entered the NBA, Person, Barkley's former teammate at Auburn University, took the same path. In Barkley's absence, Person had passed him on the school's all-time scoring list, finishing as Auburn's No. 1 career scorer (2,311 points) and the No. 3 scorer in Southeastern Conference history. Person had averaged more than 21 points in his final two years at Auburn, and he nearly matched that pace as an NBA rookie. A first-round draft pick of the Indiana Pacers, his averages of 18.8 points and a career-high 8.2 rebounds per game earned him the NBA Rookie of the Year Award and helped the Pacers to the playoffs for the second time in their history. Indiana lost to the Atlanta Hawks, three games to one, in a first-round series, but Person exploded with 27.0 points per game in the four contests.