Gail Goodrich

Gail Goodrich is a former NBA basketball player player. Gail Goodrich played for Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, and New Orleans Jazz. He was also a one-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1972. He is also a five-time NBA All-Star, as well as a member of the All-NBA First Team.

the basketball player began his professional career with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Currently, the former athlete works for NBA TV as a studio analyst.

Early Life, and Family

Gail Goodrich was born on April 23, 1943, in the city of Los Angeles, California. Goodrich Sr. is his father.

The athlete’s mother’s name, on the other hand, is now unknown.

Despite this, the player and both of his parents had a nice relationship. His parents were enthusiastic about his basketball career.

Nonetheless, they instilled in their kid the value of education and urged him to treat his studies as seriously as he did his basketball.

Apart from that, the shooting guard’s father was a great college basketball player.

In the late 1930s, Goodrich Sr. played for the University of Southern California and thoroughly dominated the games.

Gail Sr. is well-known for his contributions to college basketball, despite not pursuing professional basketball.

As a result, Gail Jr. was probably introduced to basketball at a young age.

Furthermore, observing and learning dribbling from his father sparked his passion in basketball.

The former NBA player attributes his passion for basketball to his father. Gail Sr., on the other hand, is his greatest motivator and inspiration.

Education

The Hall of Famer also attended John H. Francis Polytechnic High School.

During this time, he served as the team’s starting point guard.

As a result, he averaged a huge number during this time.

Initially, the former Lakers shooting guard intended to attend USC, where his father had a successful career.

However, he had little success since USC recruiters questioned his ability and weren’t impressed by his 5-foot-8 height at the time.

UCLA head coach John Wooden, on the other hand, was ecstatic to have Goodrich join his squad.

Goodrich continued his study at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) as a result of Wooden’s dogged pursuit.

The NBA Champion became UCLA’s all-time top scorer and helped the team win two national championships during his tenure there.

His outstanding career eventually earned him a retired jersey at UCLA’s facility center.

To improve his skills, Goodrich frequently practiced with the finest players.

Throughout his basketball career, the commentator was regarded for being a team player.

Height, Weight, and Age

As of April 23, 2022, Gail Goodrich is 79 years old.

He still takes exceptional care of his health and diet as a former athlete.

Running, stretching, and a healthy diet are all part of the analyst’s daily training program.

Apart from that, Gail stands 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighs 170 pounds.

Facts of Gail Goodrich

Net Worth And Salary

Gail Goodrich’s net worth is esimated to be over $13 million.

Similarly, an average analyst earns a wage of $75,000 per year. With Gail’s knowledge and experience, he must earn a salary close to or over million dollars.

Career Opportunities After High School

The basketballer attended John H. Francis Polytechnic High School in high school. He quickly established himself as an attacking threat to the opposing squad.

Similarly, in the 1961 Los Angeles City high school basketball tournament, he averaged 29 points per game.

Furthermore, when he played basketball with a damaged ankle, he demonstrated his passion for the game.

Despite being wounded, the former Lakers star dominated the championship.

The shooting guard had his heart set on entering the University of Southern California after graduating from high school. He was overjoyed to be playing at his father’s alma mater.

USC had a cold-feet problem because he was 5 feet 8 inches tall

. As a result, when UCLA’s interest did not wane, the player eventually decided to attend their school.

He also participated in collegiate basketball for the UCLA Bruins men’s basketball team.

Furthermore, the retired player came off the bench for the team as a rookie.

Gail appeared in 29 of UCLA’s 30 games, averaging 10.4 points per game. Nonetheless, the story changed over the next two years.

Coach John Wooden kept him in the starting lineup as a point guard.

As a result, the athlete’s minutes per age increased, and his game improved dramatically.

As a sophomore, Goodrich played all 30 games averaging 21.5 points per game.

Therefore, due to his amazing performance, the team won the 1964 NCAA Tournament.

Further, the UCLA basketball team maintained their title run the next year. Here, the analyst played a much bigger role averaging 24.8 points per game.

For the finals in the 1965 NCCA Tournament, he scored 42 points. His points are considered the second-highest point scored in an NCAA Tournament till today.

Besides that, the NBA Champion was UCLA’s all-time leading scorer.

Los Angeles Lakers

After his junior year at UCLA, he entered the 1965 NBA Draft. The Los Angeles Lakers drafted him as a territorial pick.

Further, the champion was a reserve behind Jerry West and Walt Hazzard as a shooting guard.

Likewise, he was only 22 years old during this time.

As a reserve, the Hall of Famer got to average 15.5 minutes per game.

He played 65 games averaging 7.8 points per game.

The Lakers did go to the NBA finals that year but lost to the Boston Celtics.

Furthermore, he got into the team’s rotation in the following season. Hence his playing time increased to 23.2 minutes per game.

The retired athlete averaged 12.4 points per game while playing 77 games.

Besides that, he had two thirty-plus games against Baltimore Bullets and Chicago Bulls.

However, the Lakers lost to the San Francisco Warriors in the semifinals Of the Western Conference.

For his third season with the lakers, his minutes per game increased to 26 minutes.

He averaged 13.8 points per game in 79 games.

Although he helped his team in multiple ways, they lost the 1967-68 NBA Finals to the Boston Celtics.

Rejoining the Lakers And NBA Championship

After losing Gail in the expansion draft, the Lakers acquired him again for the 1970-71 season.

Further, this time Gail was in the starting lineup as a shooting guard.

In the same season, they make it to the NBA finals. But the narrative ends as they lose to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Milwaukee Bucks.

Furthermore, the 1971-72 season truly showed his true potential.

The former Laker played all 82 games, averaging a career-high 25.9 points per game.

Not to mention, he scored thirty-plus points in 28 different games. Goodrich secures his first NBA championship in the same season by destroying the New York Knicks.

Moreover, the retired athlete averaged series leading 25.6 points per game.

Additionally, he became an offensive machine by leading the Lakers in scoring for four seasons starting from 1971 to 1975.

For the 1972-73 season, the team again successfully reaches the NBA Final.

Nonetheless, they receive the same beat down from The New York Knicks in the Finals as they did a year ago.

Likewise, the NBA champion again faced defeat at the hands of the New York Knicks in the 1973-74 season.

Although he was first-team All-NBA and second-time all-star, the time still lost the NBA finals second in a row.

On top of that, the retired player was on a tear with his scoring. But the team still couldn’t rise to the championship level in the 1974-75 season.

The next season brought some changes in the professional player’s playing style.

He played the point guard position this time.

Even though wonders were done as of this switch, in the end, they failed to seal the deal. Finally, the basketballer became a free agent.

Phoenix Suns

The Lakers lost Goodrich to the newly formed Phoenix Suns in the 1966 expansion draft.

Further, he quickly became the star of the franchise.

Hence, for the first time in his career, he was a full-time starting point guard.

The NBA champion averaged 23.8 points per game in 40.0 minutes for 81 games.

Not to mention, the athlete also erupted for forty-plus games in the same season against the Bulls, Warriors, and Rockets.

Furthermore, this outstanding performance earned him a spot in the 1969 NBA All-Star Game.

The basketballer played for 6 minutes scoring 5 points in a loss against the Eastern Team. However, the next season the average slightly decreased.

Goodrich averaged 20.0 points per game in 39.9 minutes for 81 games. Nevertheless, this average was still top on the team.

Despite Goodrich’s best effort, the team had a minus record. As a result, the Suns traded him back to the Lakers for center Mel Counts.

New Orleans Jazz

After his second stint with the Lakers, he signed a three-year contract with Utah Jazz. The contract was reportedly worth $1.4 million.

Although he didn’t thrive much initially with the Jazz, he performed his best in the 1977–78 season.

Besides that, Gail sustained an Achilles injury in his first season with the New Orleans team.

Goodrich played his last NBA season in the 1978–79 season.

Following that, he officially retired from the basketball league after playing 14 seasons with three different teams.

Marriage, Wife, And Kids

Gail Goodrich is married to Toni Goodrich. However, she is his second wife.

He was previously married to Frances Caldwell.

Furthermore, the former couple has three kids altogether. Goodrich has a son named Brien and twin daughters named Jaime and Linsay.

Frances and Gail separated with a divorce when their kids were quite young.

Nevertheless, they maintained a cordial relationship to ensure the proper growth of their children.

Besides that, he and Toni live near Greenwich, Connecticut.

His wife is known for her yoga studio in the neighborhood.

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Social Media Presence

The former athlete is not active on any social media platforms.

Hence, he does not have a Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter account.

Gail is old school and likes to enjoy his life at the moment.

Similarly, his wife and kids are also not much active on social media.