35 Facts About Dave Cowens

David William Cowens is an American former professional basketball player and NBA head coach.

Dave Cowens spent most of his playing career with the Boston Celtics.

Dave Cowens was the 1971 NBA Rookie of the Year and the 1973 NBA Most Valuable Player.

Dave Cowens won NBA championships as a member of the Celtics in 1974 and 1976.

Dave Cowens was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991.

Dave Cowens has held coaching positions in the NBA, CBA, and WNBA.

Dave Cowens scored 1,479 points in 78 games at Florida State, at 19.0 points per game, and ranks among Florida State's top 10 all-time scoring leaders.

Dave Cowens is the all-time Florida State leading rebounder with 1,340 rebounds.

Dave Cowens holds the team record for best seasonal rebound average.

Dave Cowens was named to theThe Sporting News All-America second team in 1970.

Dave Cowens was selected as the fourth overall pick by the Boston Celtics in the 1970 NBA draft.

Former Celtics center Bill Russell's recommendation of Dave Cowens influenced the selection.

Dave Cowens was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team and shared the NBA's Rookie of the Year honors with Portland's Geoff Petrie.

Dave Cowens led the league in personal fouls that same year.

In that season, Dave Cowens scored 20 points, grabbed a career-high 32 rebounds and dished out 9 assists in a home win over the Houston Rockets.

Dave Cowens carried the Celtics to the semifinals, where they met the New York Knicks.

Dave Cowens was chosen the NBA MVP as well as MVP of the All-Star Game that same season.

Dave Cowens was instrumental in bringing the Celtics into the playoffs, where they defeated the Buffalo Braves in six games and the New York Knicks in five.

The Celtics prevailed thanks to a strong performance by Dave Cowens, who recorded 28 points and 14 rebounds as the Celtics took their 12th NBA championship.

Speculations included that Dave Cowens was upset that the team didn't offer Paul Silas a new contract after the previous season and traded him to the Denver Nuggets.

Dave Cowens returned to the team in January 1977 and led them to the playoffs, where they lost in the second round to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Dave Cowens averaged 14.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists during the season.

Dave Cowens retired as a player in 1980, as Boston drafted Kevin McHale and traded for Robert Parish to replace him at center.

Dave Cowens averaged 8.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 25 minutes per game with the Bucks.

Dave Cowens was injured in the final game of the regular season and was unable to play in the playoffs for Milwaukee.

Dave Cowens was selected to eight All-Star Games, was named to the All-NBA Second Team three times, and was named to the All-NBA Defensive First Team in 1976 and All-NBA Defensive Second Team in 1973 and 1980.

Dave Cowens was a member of the Celtics' 1974 and 1976 NBA Championship teams.

Dave Cowens' playing credo was all-out intensity at both ends of the court, a style that never wavered during his 11-year NBA career.

Dave Cowens was the fourth center in NBA history to average five assists per game in a single season, joining Wilt Chamberlain, former Celtic center, Bill Russell, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

In 1996, Dave Cowens was honored as one of the league's greatest players of all time by being named to the NBA 50th Anniversary Team.

In October 2021, Dave Cowens was again honored as one of the league's greatest players of all time by being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.

Dave Cowens served as head coach of the Charlotte Hornets from 1996 to 1999 and was the head coach of the Golden State Warriors from 1999 to 2001, a tenure of 105 games.

Dave Cowens was an assistant coach of the Detroit Pistons from 2006 to 2009.

Dave Cowens considered running a sticker campaign for the Republican nomination, but decided to drop out of the race.

In 1977, Dave Cowens spent a day driving a taxi cab for the Independent Taxi Operators Association in Boston.