Swen Nater played primarily in the American Basketball Association and National Basketball Association, and is the only player to have led both the NBA and ABA in rebounding.
21 Facts About Swen Nater
2.
Swen Nater played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins, winning two National Collegiate Athletic Association titles.
3.
Swen Nater's parents divorced when he was three years old.
4.
Swen Nater took his stepfather's name and was known as Swen Langeberg.
5.
Swen Nater did not get along with his stepfather, who did not want him to play basketball.
6.
Swen Nater graduated from Long Beach Wilson High School in Long Beach, California.
7.
Swen Nater tried out for their basketball team as a junior, but he was cut.
8.
Swen Nater had arrived at the first practice barefoot but was told by the coach he needed shoes.
9.
Swen Nater attended and played basketball at Cypress College, a junior college in Cypress, California.
10.
Swen Nater played little as a freshman, but was a Community College All-American as a sophomore.
11.
Swen Nater had already moved out from his stepfather's home after he forbade Nater from playing at Cypress.
12.
Swen Nater helped John Wooden's squads win two NCAA titles.
13.
Swen Nater was a backup to Bill Walton, and averaged just 3.2 points and 3.3 rebounds per game as a senior.
14.
Swen Nater was drafted by The Floridians in the 1972 ABA Draft, and then by the Virginia Squires in the June 1972 ABA dispersal draft after the Floridians' demise.
15.
Swen Nater was drafted in the first round of the 1973 NBA draft with the 16th overall pick by the Milwaukee Bucks; he was the first NBA first-round pick to have played in the NCAA without ever starting a college game.
16.
Swen Nater led the ABA in field goal percentage in 1974 and led the league in rebounding in 1975.
17.
Swen Nater was named to the All-ABA Second Team in 1974 and 1975 and participated in the ABA All-Star Game both seasons.
18.
Swen Nater played for Australian Udine in the Italian League, where he was the best paid player and led the league in rebounding even though the team ended up being relegated.
19.
Swen Nater built the basketball program at Christian Heritage College in San Diego, California, and coached from 1985 to 1995.
20.
Swen Nater later lived in Enumclaw, Washington, where he went to work for Costco, for whom he was a sporting goods assistant buyer.
21.
Swen Nater has co-authored books with basketball coaches Wooden and Pete Newell.