Paul Westphal (1997) - USC Athletics Hall of Fame

Paul Westphal

Induction:
1997

Paul Westphal was a key member of the 1971 USC men's basketball team that posted a 24-2 record, a school mark for wins and winning percentage. The next year, he was an All-American first team guard and team captain. A 3-time letterman (1970-72) who averaged 16.9 points a game in his career, he led the Trojans in scoring in 1972 with a 20.3 average. In 2016, he was named to the Pac-12 All-Century Team. The 10th pick of the 1972 draft, he starred in the NBA with the Celtics (including the 1974 NBA champions), Suns, SuperSonics and Knicks. He scored 12,397 points during his 12-year NBA career and was a 5-time NBA All-Star. He was the NBA Comeback Player of the Year in 1983. He then began his coaching career, first at several small colleges (his 1988 Grand Canyon College team won the NAIA national championship), then as an NBA assistant with the Suns. He was the Suns' head coach for 4 seasons (1993-96), guiding the 1993 club to the NBA Finals, before taking over the Seattle SuperSonics and then at Pepperdine and Sacramento Kings (he also was an NBA assistant with the Dallas Mavericks and Brooklyn Nets). He died on Jan. 2, 2021, at age 70.