An NCAA champion at North Carolina, 6-8 forward George Lynch is a hustling defensive specialist who is also known for his ability as an offensive rebounder.
2001-02:
Started 18 games for the Hornets, averaging 6.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.6 steals...Made his first start as a Hornets player 2/1 at HOU and had six rebounds and four points...Grabbed a season-high 11 rebounds 2/24 at NJ...Made his home debut 1/19 vs. TOR, recording two points and three rebounds in six minutes...Activated from the injured list on 1/15 after missing the first 36 games of the season...Was placed on the Injured List 10/29 and had successful surgery on 10/30 to repair a fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his left foot.
2000-01:
The only Sixer to play in all 82 games, starting 80 of them ... averaged 8.4 points per game and a team second best 7.2 rebounds in 32.3 minutes ... ranked 37th in the NBA in rebounds (590) ... scored in double figures in 28 times and had 16 double-figure rebounding games ... recorded six double-doubles ... grabbed double-figure rebounds in five straight games (1/23 to 1/30) ... returned to the starting line-up versus New York (12/22) after not starting and playing limited minutes versus Chicago (12/16) and 22 minutes versus Utah (12/20) with a sprained right fourth finger ... grabbed a season-high 16 rebounds against Charlotte (1/15) and added 17 points for his first double-double of the season ... scored a season and team-high 23 points against Cleveland (11/15); it was the first time he led the team in scoring since 11/17/99 when he scored 26 points at home versus Miami ... 2001 PLAYOFFS: ... averaged 5.7 points and 5.1 rebounds in 22.1 min, starting eight of the 10 games he played in ... missed 13 games with a fracture of his fifth left metatarsal (5/16 to 6/10) ... before getting injured had scored in double figures twice and grabbed six or more rebounds five times ... one month after surgery on 5/13 to fix the fracture, made a return in Game 4 of the NBA Finals (6/13) with two rebounds in eight minutes ... played six minutes in Game 5 of the NBA Finals (5/15) before leaving the game in the first half with sprain in the same left fifth toe ... left Game 4 (5/13) of the Toronto series at the end of the third quarter with a fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his left foot ... had his best game of the Playoffs in Game 2 (4/24) versus Indiana, shooting 6-12 from the field for 16 points, one shy of his Playoff career-high and grabbed eight rebounds.
1999-2000:
Recorded 17 points and 15 rebounds in a 100-94 win over Detroit on 4/15 ... Activated from the injured list on 4/7, after missing two weeks with a sprained right MCL ... Logged 15 points and 10 rebounds in a 98-97 OT win at Cleveland on 3/14 ... Posted 19 points and 10 rebounds in a 107-90 victory over Vancouver on 3/8 ... Racked up 13 points and 11 rebounds in a 90-88 loss in Detroit on 1/29 ... Notched 22 points and 12 boards in a 102-100 OT win in Cleveland on 12/3 ... Tallied 15 points and 12 rebounds in a 94-91 loss to San Antonio on 11/22 ... Totaled team-highs with 26 points and 12 rebounds in a 98-93 loss to Miami on 11/17 ... Scored 10 points and grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds in an 84-80 loss in Phoenix on 11/4.
1998-99:
Ranked 13th in the NBA in steals (1.98 spg) and notched 5 double-doubles ... On the injured list from 4/13 to 4/25 due to a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee ... Recorded 21 points (8-12 FG) and 3 assists in a 114-110 victory over the Indiana Pacers on 3/17 ... Totaled 10 points, a career-high 20 rebounds and 4 assists against the Orlando Magic on 3/15 ... Posted 18 points, 8 rebounds and 5 steals in a 100-93 victory over the New Jersey Nets on 3/12 ... Registered 11 points (4-7 FG) and team-highs of 11 rebounds, 5 steals and 4 assists against the Washington Wizards on 3/7 ... Recorded 12 points, a game-high 11 rebounds and 3 steals against the Miami Heat on 3/5 ... Totaled 19 points (8-12 FG) and a game-high 14 rebounds, for his first double-double with the 76ers, in a 94-81 win over the Sacramento Kings on 2/24 ... Scored 16 points, on 8-of-10 field-goal shooting, and grabbed 6 rebounds against the Indiana Pacers on 2/18.
1997-98:
Grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds and added 9 points against the Dallas Mavericks on 3/31 ... Posted 12 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists against the Miami Heat on 3/18 ... Totaled 15 points (6-9 FG, 3-3 FT), 10 rebounds and 3 assists in a 113-106 win over the Toronto Raptors on 3/8 ... Recorded 16 points and 4 rebounds against the Cleveland Cavaliers on 2/25 ... Registered 13 points (6-9 FG), 5 rebounds and 3 assists against the Toronto Raptors on 2/22 ... Scored 12 points, on 6-of-6 shooting from the field, against the Houston Rockets on 2/12 ... Posted 13 points and 8 rebounds against the Dallas Mavericks on 2/2 ... Totaled 17 points (6-7 FG, 2-2 3FG, 3-4 FT), 6 rebounds and 3 assists against the Seattle SuperSonics on 1/4 ... Recorded a season-high 19 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists against the Phoenix Suns on 12/26 ... Registered team-highs of 15 points (6-8 FG) and 9 rebounds against the Indiana Pacers on 11/27 ... Posted 11 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals in a 100-87 victory over the Denver Nuggets on 11/18 ... Totaled 12 points and 8 rebounds in a 119-113 victory over the L.A. Clippers on 11/11 ... Recorded 16 points (7-11 FG) and 6 rebounds in a 104-96 overtime victory over the Detroit Pistons on 11/9.
1996-97:
The change of scenery from Los Angeles to Vancouver served Lynch well, at least for half a season. He suffered an abdominal strain after 41 games and missed the entire second half of the season. ... Lynch had started 27 consecutive games at the time of his injury, after coming off the bench in the first 14. He averaged 8.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.54 steals in 25.8 minutes per game. All were career-highs except his scoring mark, which was the second-highest of his career. He shot .471 from the field, third-best on the team, and ranked second on the club in steals, third in rebounding and fifth in scoring. ... He twice scored a season-high 20 points, in a 107-91 loss to Charlotte on Dec. 9 and in a 103-98 loss to Phoenix on Dec. 28. He grabbed 15 rebounds in a 108-94 loss to Seattle on Jan. 3 and came back with a season-high 16 boards in a 95-82 loss to his former Laker teammates on Jan. 5. He also had a career-high three blocks in the game against Seattle. ... Lynch scored in double figures 14 times including nine in January, when he averaged 12.0 points and 7.4 rebounds in 33.6 minutes per game. His last game of the season was on Jan. 20, when he was sidelined after getting nine points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals in 19 minutes in a 112-96 loss at Seattle.
1995-96:
Lynch's third season was a disappointment, even though he played in a career-high 76 games. His averages dropped to 3.8 points and 2.8 rebounds in 13.3 minutes per game and his shooting dipped to .430, all career-lows. ... He started the first three games of the season and six games overall, averaging 7.7 ppg and 4.8 rpg in 24.0 mpg as a starter. ... He scored a season-high 14 points against Houston on Jan. 12, one of five double-figure scoring games. He grabbed a season-high nine rebounds twice, against Phoenix on Nov. 29 and against Cleveland on Jan. 20. ... Lynch played in two of the Lakers' four playoff games against Houston and got four points and three rebounds in 15 minutes of action. ... Following the season, he was traded by the Lakers with Anthony Peeler to Vancouver for two second-round draft picks. The move was one of many made by the Lakers to clear room under the salary cap in order to sign Shaquille O'Neal.
1994-95:
Lynch's playing time dropped slightly in 1994-95 with the Los Angeles Lakers, partly because of an injury and partly because of the arrival of Cedric Ceballos and the improvement of Elden Campbell. Lynch got the starting nod in the season's first six games, averaging 9.3 points and 3.3 rebounds, but he went on to start only nine more times. In those 15 outings he averaged 8.9 points and 4.3 rebounds. ... Among his season highs were a 21-point effort on November 8 against the New York Knicks, 6 steals against the Milwaukee Bucks on November 5, and 8 rebounds in games against the Golden State Warriors on December 6 and the Indiana Pacers on January 18. Although he logged only 17.0 minutes per appearance, Lynch ranked fourth on the club with 75 offensive rebounds. His free-throw shooting improved dramatically, jumping 125 percentage points from his rookie-season mark of .596. ... Lynch missed 23 games late in the season because of a stress fracture in his right foot, marking the first time since high school that he was forced to the sidelines with an injury. The Lakers went 13-10 in those games. He returned with vigor, averaging 16.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.67 steals in the final three matches of the year. Lynch played in all 10 postseason games, averaging 4.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in 13.6 minutes per contest. He scored a playoff-career-high 13 points in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals series against the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs prevailed in six games.
1993-94:
George Lynch concluded a splendid college career by leading the University of North Carolina to the 1993 NCAA Championship. The 6-foot-7 forward didn't miss a game in his four collegiate seasons, setting a school record for games played with 140. He joined former Duke University and current Minnesota Timberwolves star Christian Laettner as the only Atlantic Coast Conference players to record 1,500 points, 1,000 rebounds, 200 steals, and 200 assists in a career. While averaging 14.7 points and 9.7 rebounds as a Tar Heels senior, he became the first North Carolina player to lead the club in rebounding in three consecutive seasons since Sam Perkins did so between 1982 and 1984. ... The Los Angeles Lakers claimed Lynch with the No. 12 pick in the 1993 NBA Draft. He started slowly as an NBA rookie, waiting his turn behind James Worthy and Doug Christie at the small forward position. In his first 22 games Lynch averaged 4.2 points and 2.0 rebounds in only 9.2 minutes per contest. ... However, when Christie went down with an ankle injury at midseason, Coach Randy Pfund inserted Lynch into the starting lineup. Lynch played so well that he kept his starting spot even after Christie returned. In 44 consecutive starts between January 11 and April 15, Lynch averaged 12.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 2.0 steals. He also shot .506 from the field. More importantly, the Lakers, who finished at 33-49, went 22-22 during that span. ... With 30 points against the Milwaukee Bucks on March 27, Lynch became the first Lakers rookie to hit that total since Magic Johnson had done so in 1980. Lynch's career-high 18 rebounds against the Detroit Pistons on January 28 was the highest total by a Lakers rookie since Johnson's 18, also in 1980. By season's end Lynch had certified himself as one of the Lakers' best young prospects. In 71 overall appearances, he averaged 9.6 points and 5.8 rebounds while shooting .508 from the floor.
COLLEGE:
Lynch was a workhorse at North Carolina, where he tied a school record by playing in 140 games. In four seasons with the Tar Heels, Lynch appeared in every contest and became the first player since Sam Perkins 10 years earlier to lead UNC in rebounding for three consecutive campaigns. He was also the school's second-leading career rebounder, trailing only Perkins. ... Lynch joined Christian Laettner as the only players in Atlantic Coast Conference history to amass more than 1,500 points, 1,000 rebounds, 200 steals, and 200 assists. As a senior in 1992-93 Lynch helped bring a national title to the Tar Heels, earning spots on the All-ACC First Team and Final Four All-Tournament Team. That year he pulled down 365 rebounds, the second-highest total in UNC history. He left North Carolina ranked first in steals and 12th in scoring.
