Golden State Warriors: 10 greatest free agent signings ever
By Drew Taylor
#10. Rod Higgins
More recently known as the general manager and president of basketball operations for Michael Jordan’s Charlotte Hornets, Rod Higgins also had a respectable playing career in the NBA.
He holds the record for playing for the most teams in one season in 1985-86, but Higgins spent the majority of his career in the Bay Area with the Golden State Warriors.
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In 1985-86, Rod Higgins bounced around the league, to say the least. Beginning with the Chicago Bulls, the team who drafted him, Higgins then signed with the Seattle SuperSonics, then the San Antonio Spurs, then the New Jersey Nets, and to complete the full circle, Higgins finally signed a series of 10-day contracts with the Bulls at the end of the regular season. Oddly, however, Higgins only appeared in 30 games that entire season.
Just before the 1986 season, Rod Higgins signed a contract with the Golden State Warriors.
He went on to sign two more contracts with the Warriors and spent seven of his 13 seasons in the Bay Area. It is safe to say Higgins found a home in Golden State.
In fact, three of his best seasons were with the Warriors, the best in 1987-88 in which he averaged 15.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.0 steals a night.
Over the course of his seven seasons with Golden State, Higgins averaged 10.8 points, 1.7 assists, and 4.3 rebounds a game as the team’s sixth man. In his tenure, he contributed to four playoff appearances, three playoff series wins, and a 55-win season in 1991-92.
Though never the star of the team, Higgins provided solid minutes and filled in the necessary voids for the team. Appearing in all but one game in 1988-89 and every game in 1989-90 as well as 1990-91, Higgins was a reliable and rarely injured force.