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Bob Lanier, NBA force who left big shoes to fill, dies at 73

Obit Lanier Basketball
Posted at 5:19 AM, May 11, 2022
and last updated 2022-05-11 05:19:57-04

Basketball big man Bob Lanier has died after a short illness. He was 73. Lanier was one of the NBA's top players of the 1970s, muscling up beside the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Lanier played 14 seasons with the Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks. The left-hander averaged more than 20 points and 10 rebounds. He was the No. 1 draft pick in 1970 after leading St. Bonaventure to the Final Four.

In 1992, he made the Hall of Fame, where a bronzed pair of his giant sneakers is displayed.