Norm Nixon won two NBA championships with the Lakers in 1980 and 1982, at the beginning of their Showtime era.
21 Facts About Norm Nixon
2.
Norm Nixon was born the third of three sons to Mary Jo and Elmer Nixon, in Macon, Georgia.
3.
Norm Nixon's mother contracted myasthenia gravis when Norm was a baby, and his parents divorced when he was two years old.
4.
Norm Nixon was offered a free-agent tryout by both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys.
5.
Norm Nixon was senior class president and named as the starting guard on the Georgia All-State team for 1973.
6.
Norm Nixon had led Southwest to the 1973 state high school basketball championship under coach Donald "Duck" Richardson.
7.
Norm Nixon was on the track team, where he ran the 440 yard dash, and won a regional title in the high jump at 6 feet, 5 inches.
8.
Norm Nixon played the trumpet and was on the yearbook staff.
9.
In college Norm Nixon played four full seasons of basketball at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
10.
Norm Nixon was named first-team All-Eastern Eight Conference, and left holding the record for career assists.
11.
In 2019, Norm Nixon approved his retired number 10 being worn by sophomore point guard Sincere Carry.
12.
Norm Nixon was selected in the first round of the 1977 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 22nd overall pick.
13.
Norm Nixon led the team in scoring in the 1982 playoffs, averaging 20.4 points per game.
14.
In game one of the 1983 finals, Norm Nixon had a violent collision with Andrew Toney of the 76ers early in the first quarter.
15.
Norm Nixon continued to play in games one and two despite a separated shoulder.
16.
Norm Nixon suffered severe damage to the tendon just above his left knee.
17.
Norm Nixon was remembered for faking a free throw at the end of a Lakers-San Antonio Spurs game on November 30,1982, which caused a double lane violation.
18.
The Lakers got the ball and Norm Nixon made a field goal to tie the game, where they prevailed in overtime.
19.
Norm Nixon participated in some of the NBA's Legends Classic games that took place during All-Star Weekend in the late 80s and early 90s, before a leg injury forced him out of a game.
20.
Norm Nixon served one season as radio commentator for the Clippers, and was an analyst for KABC-TV's NBA post-game shows during the mid-2000s.
21.
Norm Nixon worked alongside studio host Bill McDonald during pregame, halftime, and postgame coverage.