Reggie Harding
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born |
May 4, 1942 Detroit, Michigan |
| Died | September 2, 1972 (aged 30) Detroit, Michigan |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) |
| Listed weight | 249 lb (113 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Eastern (Detroit, Michigan) |
| NBA draft | 1962 / Round: 4 / Pick: 29th overall |
| Selected by the Detroit Pistons | |
| Position | Center |
| Number | 19, 17, 32 |
| Career history | |
| 1963–1967 | Detroit Pistons |
| 1967 | Chicago Bulls |
| 1967 | Trenton Colonials |
| 1967–1968 | Indiana Pacers |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Reginald 'Reggie' Harding (May 4, 1942 – September 2, 1972) was an American professional basketball player.
A native of Detroit, Michigan and a 1961 graduate of Eastern High School, Harding, a 7'0" center, was selected by the Detroit Pistons in the fourth round of the 1962 NBA Draft and later in the 6th round of the 1963 draft. He became the first player drafted into the NBA without having played in college, although he did not actually play for the Pistons until the 1963–64 season.
In four seasons with the Pistons and Chicago Bulls, Harding averaged 9.0 points and 9.1 rebounds per game, and also spent part of 1967–68 with the ABA's Indiana Pacers, averaging 13.4 points and 13.4 rebounds in 25 games.
Harding's basketball career was cut short by a number of personal problems. He spent time in jail, often struggled with drug addictions, and was rumored to carry a pistol in his gym bag. During a television interview, he threatened to shoot the Indiana Pacers' general manager, Mike Storen. He also reportedly threatened to shoot teammate Jimmy Rayl while the two were rooming together. According to Peter Benjaminson's The Lost Supreme: The Life of Dreamgirl Florence Ballard, Harding raped Florence Ballard, a member of The Supremes, at knifepoint in 1960.
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