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Player profile · ATL / LAL / STL
Lou Hudson
Lou Hudson stats, teams and career impact
#166 all-timeCareer averages · 20.2 PPG · 4.4 RPG · 2.7 APGPeak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
- Position
- Small forward
- Final NBA team
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Height / weight
- 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) · 210 lb (95 kg)
- Born
- July 11, 1944
- Died
- April 11, 2014 (69 yrs old)
- College
- Minnesota
- NBA seasons
- 13 seasons · 1966–67 to 1978–79
Career summaryLou Hudson was a small forward who played 13 NBA seasons, from 1966–67 through 1978–79.
- Career PPG
- 20.2
- Career RPG
- 4.4
- Career APG
- 2.7
- #12 in 1973–74
- #166 all-time
Best-Season Impact Rank
Career Impact Rank
Peak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
Career overview
Why Lou Hudson ranks #166 all time
Lou Hudson ranks #166 all time. Across his three best seasons, his average league finish was #14.7. His full-career value ranks #189, so this placement is driven more by dominance than longevity.
450+ minutes required per season
890 games · Career Value Rank #189
NBA honors6× All-Star · All-NBAContext only; honors are not model inputs.
Head to head
Compare Lou Hudson with…
Ten suggested matchups, selected from familiar debates, similar careers, and players from the same era. Compare career impact, peak seasons, and the numbers behind the result.
- Tayshaun Prince Similar career path
- James Worthy Similar career path
- Bob Dandridge Similar career path
- Steve Smith Similar career path
- Tom Gugliotta Similar career path
- Dennis Rodman Similar career path
- Earl Monroe Same-era comparison
- Jeff Mullins Same-era comparison
- Jerry Sloan Same-era comparison
- Paul Silas Same-era comparison
Full player detailsTeam history, career shooting and sources
Full team history
- Teams
- St. Louis Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, and Los Angeles Lakers
Career shooting
NBA regular season- Field goal
- 48.9%FG%
- Three-point
- —3P%
- Free throw
- 79.7%FT%
890 career games · 29,794 minutes
Sources and updateConventional stats and measurements: Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 13, 2026. hussEyquation ranking data through 2025–26. Life dates: Wikidata; conflicting dates checked against Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 17, 2026.
Traditional box score
Lou Hudson stats by season
Start with scoring and impact, then switch views for shooting or the full advanced picture. Career percentages use total makes and attempts.
Swipe for PPG · RPG · APG · Impact · Team · G · GS · MPG →
| 1978–79 | 9.8 | 1.8 | 1.8 | -1.17 | LAL | 78 | 0 | 21.6 | 51.7% | — | 88.7% | #148 | 30.7 |
| 1977–78 | 13.7 | 2.3 | 2.4 | -1.20 | LAL | 82 | 0 | 27.8 | 49.7% | — | 77.4% | #144 | 40.3 |
| 1976–77 | 16.7 | 2.2 | 2.7 | -1.25 | ATL | 58 | 0 | 30.1 | 45.6% | — | 84.0% | #152 | 28.7 |
| 1975–76 | 17.0 | 3.7 | 2.6 | +0.58 | ATL | 81 | 0 | 31.6 | 47.2% | — | 81.4% | #54 | 142.4 |
| 1974–75 | 22.0 | 4.3 | 3.6 | -0.18 | ATL | 11 | 0 | 34.5 | 43.1% | — | 84.2% | — | 15.3 |
| 1973–74 | 25.4 | 5.4 | 3.3 | +2.66 | ATL | 65 | 0 | 39.8 | 50.0% | — | 83.6% | #12 | 278.4 |
| 1972–73 | 27.1 | 6.2 | 3.4 | +1.58 | ATL | 75 | 0 | 40.4 | 47.7% | — | 82.5% | #25 | 257.0 |
| 1971–72 | 24.7 | 5.0 | 4.0 | +2.38 | ATL | 77 | 0 | 39.5 | 50.3% | — | 81.2% | #19 | 307.5 |
| 1970–71 | 26.8 | 5.1 | 3.4 | -0.02 | ATL | 76 | 0 | 41.0 | 48.4% | — | 75.9% | #62 | 150.5 |
| 1969–70 | 25.4 | 4.7 | 3.5 | +1.74 | ATL | 80 | 0 | 38.6 | 53.1% | — | 82.4% | #18 | 275.2 |
| 1968–69 | 21.9 | 6.6 | 2.7 | +2.09 | ATL | 81 | 0 | 35.4 | 49.2% | — | 77.7% | #14 | 278.3 |
| 1967–68 | 12.5 | 4.2 | 1.4 | +0.67 | STL | 46 | 0 | 21.0 | 45.4% | — | 73.2% | #38 | 61.1 |
| 1966–67 | 18.4 | 5.4 | 1.2 | -0.43 | STL | 80 | 0 | 30.6 | 46.7% | — | 70.6% | #41 | 94.3 |
| Career | 20.2 | 4.4 | 2.7 | — | ATL/LAL/STL | 890 | — | 33.5 | 48.9% | — | 79.7% | — | — |
Source: Basketball Reference regular-season totals, accessed Sep 13, 2026.
Film evidence
Lou Hudson highlights
Watch the selected footage or film analysis, then use the season record and impact data to put what happened on the floor in context.
Career retrospective
Lou Hudson Hall of Fame career retrospective
Lou Hudson's career retrospective adds visual context to the numbers on this page, especially his smooth scoring and shot-making in an era with limited surviving footage. The vetted footage complements the season tables and impact model.
What these measures mean
- Era-centered box impact
- Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average.
- Impact Rate Rank
- The player's place among qualified players in one season.
- Value contribution / Season Value
- Completed seasons use a fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. The live season instead uses Season Value, combining that season's impact with workload.
- Career Impact Rank
- An all-time rank weighted toward the player's best three, five, and ten seasons.
21.2 composite · lower is better
17.6 average league finish
1,960 total value
Career standing
How Lou Hudson ranks all time
These are league placements, not raw scores. Each season is judged against that season's qualified player pool.
Best in the league
Elite finishes
Upper-tier finishes
Tie-breaker across top-ten seasons
Career Composite Score21.2
Best 3, Best 5, and Best 10 average league finishes receive 50%, 30%, and 20% window weights. Missing seasons receive a replacement finish just below the player's typical qualified field. Lower is better.
- Best 3 effective weight
- 74%
- Missing-season finish
- —
- Qualified seasons
- 12
- All-time rank
- #166
Strongest seasons
Every season
Lou Hudson advanced stats by season
Era-centered box impact supports comparisons through time. Impact Rate and its rank compare players only within that season.
More advanced statsAge, minutes, impact, rank, value and data coverage
Scroll for more columns
| 1978–79Historical Defense Estimate | LAL | 34 | 78 | 1,686 | -1.17 | 35.2 | #148 | 30.7 | 39th | Broad |
| 1977–78Historical Defense Estimate | LAL | 33 | 82 | 2,283 | -1.20 | 39.4 | #144 | 40.3 | 47th | Broad |
| 1976–77Historical Defense Estimate | ATL | 32 | 58 | 1,745 | -1.25 | 37.9 | #152 | 28.7 | 42nd | Broad |
| 1975–76Historical Defense Estimate | ATL | 31 | 81 | 2,558 | +0.58 | 71.8 | #54 | 142.4 | 76th | Broad |
| 1974–75Historical Defense Estimate | ATL | 30 | 11 | 380 | -0.18 | — | — | 15.3 | — | Limited |
| 1973–74Historical Defense Estimate | ATL | 29 | 65 | 2,588 | +2.66 | 93.8 | #12 | 278.4 | 92nd | Broad |
| 1972–73Historical Defense Estimate | ATL | 28 | 75 | 3,027 | +1.58 | 86.0 | #25 | 257.0 | 88th | Modeled |
| 1971–72Historical Defense Estimate | ATL | 27 | 77 | 3,042 | +2.38 | 89.0 | #19 | 307.5 | 90th | Modeled |
| 1970–71Historical Defense Estimate | ATL | 26 | 76 | 3,113 | -0.02 | 63.5 | #62 | 150.5 | 73rd | Modeled |
| 1969–70Historical Defense Estimate | ATL | 25 | 80 | 3,091 | +1.74 | 87.9 | #18 | 275.2 | 91st | Modeled |
| 1968–69Historical Defense Estimate | ATL | 24 | 81 | 2,869 | +2.09 | 90.2 | #14 | 278.3 | 88th | Modeled |
| 1967–68Historical Defense Estimate | STL | 23 | 46 | 966 | +0.67 | 69.2 | #38 | 61.1 | 46th | Modeled |
| 1966–67Historical Defense Estimate | STL | 22 | 80 | 2,446 | -0.43 | 60.0 | #41 | 94.3 | 67th | Modeled |
Career movement
Lou Hudson's career impact by season
Peak +2.66 in 1973–74 · 13 seasons · 29,794 minutes
The same historical box-score model is used for every season, making the career shape comparable through time. The vertical scale adapts to this player's range and always includes zero.
Era-centered box impactMinutesModeled estimate
Player-specific impact scaleWorkload
Career comparison
Compare the shape, not the calendar
Align by NBA experience to compare season one with season one, or by age to compare players at the same stage of life.
Lou HudsonTayshaun Prince
| NBA season | Lou Hudson | Tayshaun Prince |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | -0.4 | 0.6 |
| 2 | 0.7 | 1.5 |
| 3 | 2.1 | 2.5 |
| 4 | 1.7 | 1.1 |
| 5 | -0.0 | 2.2 |
| 6 | 2.4 | 1.6 |
| 7 | 1.6 | 1.4 |
| 8 | 2.7 | 1.6 |
| 9 | -0.2 | -0.2 |
| 10 | 0.6 | -1.1 |
| 11 | -1.2 | -1.2 |
| 12 | -1.2 | -2.3 |
| 13 | -1.2 | -0.3 |
| 14 | Did not play | -3.4 |
NBA season number
Similar career arcs
Players with careers similar to Lou Hudson
The career-similarity score compares era-centered box impact, peak, prime, workload, career length, position, and experience-aligned trajectory. It describes career shape, not playing style, equal ability, or probability.
SF · All-Time Career #511
Tayshaun Prince
94career similarity score
92/100 closest-season score · 1973–74 ↔ 2007–08SF · All-Time Career #283James Worthy
94career similarity score
94/100 closest-season score · 1973–74 ↔ 1989–90SF · All-Time Career #211Bob Dandridge
93career similarity score
96/100 closest-season score · 1973–74 ↔ 1975–76Impact Rate shows how strong a player was compared with everyone else that season. Season Value adds how much he played; completed player-profile rows instead show each season's fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. Career Impact Rank rewards a high peak, a long prime, and repeated seasons near the top. Older seasons use clearly labeled estimates where the NBA did not record today's full set of statistics. Read how every ranking works →