Willie Sojourner
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born |
September 10, 1948 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Died | October 20, 2005 (aged 57) Rieti, Italy |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Listed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school |
Germantown (Germantown, Pennsylvania) |
| College | Weber State (1968–1971) |
| NBA draft | 1971 / Round: 2 / Pick: 20th overall |
| Selected by the Chicago Bulls | |
| Playing career | 1971–1983 |
| Position | Center / Power forward |
| Number | 35, 40 |
| Career history | |
| 1971–1973 | Virginia Squires |
| 1973–1975 | New York Nets |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Willard Leon "Willie" Sojourner (September 10, 1948 – October 20, 2005) was an American collegiate and professional basketball player and international coach. He was recruited to Weber State University by head coach Dick Motta and went on to a professional career, winning a championship with the New York Nets and playing overseas. The Italian arena PalaSojourner is named in his honor. Sojorner is known for giving his friend and teammate Julius Erving his famous "Dr. J." nickname. He is the older brother of NBA player Mike Sojourner.
Recruited from Philadelphis's Germantown High School where he only played one year of basketball, Sojourner's basketball career (1968–71) at Weber State was record setting. It included Big Sky Conference records in scoring and rebounding. He also led the Wildcats to three Big Sky Conference regular-season titles. His career stats include 1,563 points and 1,143 rebounds. Sojourner still ranks second in rebounding and first in career rebounding average at 14.1 per game. A versatile athlete, Sojourner also competed in track and field at Weber State and had been a competitive swimmer in high school. He placed 3rd in the 1970 NCAA Championships, with a high jump of 7'0", becoming Weber State's first NCAA All-American athlete. Sojourner was an intermural swimming champion and a horseshoes champion at Weber State.
Sojourner was selected in the second round of the 1971 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls and by the Virginia Squires as the 1st Round, #8 overall pick in the 1971 ABA Draft.
Sojourner went on to play in the American Basketball Association for the Virginia Squires in (1971-1973) and New York Nets (1973-1975).
Sojonour's NBA highlights include: 6 points in his debut on 10/15/1971 vs. Carolina. He had 25 points vs. the Kentucky Colonels on 10/27/1971; 26 points vs. the San Diego Conquistadors on 12/2/1972; 26 points vs. the Carolina Cougars on 1/27/1974; and 18 vs the Denver Nuggets on 2/26/1975. In his last ABA game, he scored 11 in a playoff loss to the Spirits of St. Louis on 4/15/1975. In his ABA career he scored 1968 points (6.0 ppg) and 1488 rebounds (4.8 rpg) in 309 games.
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