50 Greatest NBA/ABA Players Not In the Hall Of Fame
By Phil Watson
Copyright 1994 NBAE (Photo by Chris Covatta/NBAE via Getty Images)
After starring at Georgia Tech but thought too small and too slow to play at the NBA level, the Cleveland Cavaliers rolled the dice with a second-round pick, selecting Mark Price in the 1986 NBA Draft.
Price spent a year as a backup before taking over the starting point guard duties in 1987-88 and becoming one of the top playmakers and shooters in the league.
Price was a four-time All-NBA selection for the Cavaliers and led the NBA in free-throw shooting in 1991-92 (.947) and 1992-93 (.948).
Price was traded in September 1995 to the Washington Bullets for a first-round pick in 1996, but was limited to seven games because of injuries.
He signed as a free agent by the Golden State Warriors in July 1996 and played a season there, leading the NBA in free-throw shooting for a third time with a .906 mark.
In October 1997, Price was traded to the Orlando Magic for Brian Shaw and David Vaughn and after one year with the Magic, was waived in June 1998 and opted to retire.
In 12 seasons, Price averaged 15.2 points, 6.7 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 29.9 minutes per game, shooting .472/.402/.904.
He is 37th in NBA history with a .402 mark from 3-point range and his .904 free-throw percentage is third-best in the NBA books. His assists per game average ranks 30th.