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Wasted talent: The sad story of former Pacer Reggie Harding

By Adrian Lawhorn

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 8: General view of the Indiana Pacers logo at half court as action takes place during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on February 8, 2016 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Pacers defeated the Lakers 89-87. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using the photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 8: General view of the Indiana Pacers logo at half court as action takes place during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on February 8, 2016 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Pacers defeated the Lakers 89-87. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using the photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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Reggie Harding was a talented seven-footer who played for the Indiana Pacers during the early days of the ABA. Harding’s career and life were derailed by crime and substance abuse. This is his story.

When you look at professional basketball history, Reggie Harding is just a guy who played one season for the Indiana Pacers of the ABA. However, there is much more to the story of Harding’s roller coaster life.

Harding’s early years were spent as a street kid in tough neighborhoods around Detroit — not an uncommon beginning for a future professional basketball player, especially in the 1960s.

Harding went on to become a superstar center at Detroit Eastern High School, and due to his success on the basketball court, his volatile personality and involvement in the city’s street culture were mostly overlooked.

During Reggie Harding’s high school years, he was reportedly involved in the trafficking and use of hard drugs, and allegedly raped singer Florence Ballard of The Supremes while both were high school students in Detroit.

Despite all the red flags surrounding him, the Detroit Pistons made Reggie Harding the first high school player ever drafted into the NBA in 1963.

Predictably, Harding’s ways did not change after joining the Pistons. He was arrested on numerous occasions, and seemed to be a ticking time bomb when it came to his actions in the locker room and on the street.

The NBA suspended Harding for the entire 1965-66 season after repeated legal and moral missteps, but the Pistons welcomed him back to the team the following year.

After all, this is a player who had star-level talent, produced double-doubles on a regular basis and even outplayed Hall of Fame center Bill Russell while leading the Pistons to an unlikely victory over the great Boston Celtics.

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Eventually, the Pistons could no longer deal with the distractions Harding caused and traded him to the Chicago Bulls, who were willing to take a chance on the talented 7’0″, 250-pound big man.

Reggie Harding lasted all of 14 games in Chicago before the team cut ties with him.

Harding’s final opportunity in professional basketball came during the 1967-68 campaign; the Indiana Pacers brought him in to fill their center position due to an illness suffered by their regular starter.

In typical fashion, Harding was impressive on the court (13.4 points and 13.4 rebounds per game), but he brought a litany of trouble with him to Indiana.

Harding regularly ignored team rules, and he threatened both a teammate (Jimmy Rayl) and the team’s general manager (Mike Storen) with a gun.

Harding was released by the Pacers after he claimed he was going to shoot Mike Storen during a television interview. Despite averaging 26.5 points per game in his last two ABA contests, Reggie Harding would never play professional basketball again.

His life continued to spiral downward after his playing days were over, and in 1972 he was gunned down while waiting in a car at a Detroit intersection. He was 30 years old.

No one knows for sure why Harding was shot and killed that day, but it was likely the result of his association with various criminals and drug dealers in the Detroit area. Reggie Harding was clearly a very troubled soul, but he continued to receive second chances because he was a rare athletic talent.

Next: The 50 greatest NBA players of all time (updated, 2016-17)

The game of basketball has helped turn the lives around of many who grew up in a similar environment to that of Reggie Harding, but sadly, some people simply cannot be reached.

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