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Player profile · DEN / NJN / NOJ / PHO / SAC / UTA
Rich Kelley
Rich Kelley stats, teams and career impact
#196 all-timeCareer averages · 7.6 PPG · 7.0 RPG · 2.6 APGPeak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
- Position
- Center
- Final NBA team
- Sacramento Kings
- Height / weight
- 7 ft 0 in (213 cm) · 235 lb (107 kg)
- Born
- March 23, 1953 (73 yrs old)
- College
- Stanford
- NBA seasons
- 11 seasons · 1975–76 to 1985–86
Career summaryRich Kelley was a center who played 11 NBA seasons, from 1975–76 through 1985–86.
- Career PPG
- 7.6
- Career RPG
- 7.0
- Career APG
- 2.6
- #5 in 1978–79
- #196 all-time
Best-Season Impact Rank
Career Impact Rank
Peak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
Career overview
Why Rich Kelley ranks #196 all time
Rich Kelley ranks #196 all time. Across his three best seasons, his average league finish was #12.3. His full-career value ranks #325, so this placement is driven more by dominance than longevity.
1 top-ten finishes
814 games · Career Value Rank #325
Head to head
Compare Rich Kelley with…
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- Rich Kelley vs. Clifford Ray Similar career path
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Full player detailsTeam history, career shooting and sources
Full team history
- Teams
- New Orleans Jazz, New Jersey Nets, Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, and Sacramento Kings
Career shooting
NBA regular season- Field goal
- 48.8%FG%
- Three-point
- 0.0%3P%
- Free throw
- 78.3%FT%
814 career games · 17,711 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
Rich Kelley 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.
Box impact is an estimate in points per 100 possessions, not the 0–100 Impact Rate score. Zero is league average; higher is better. Rate rank is a league place: No. 1 is best.
Swipe for PPG · RPG · APG · Box impact · Team · G · GS · MPG →
| pts/100 · higher is better | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985–86 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 1.2 | -1.55 | SAC | 37 | 0 | 8.8 | 57.1% | 0.0% | 81.8% | — | 3.1 |
| 1984–85 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 1.6 | -1.94 | UTA | 77 | 34 | 16.6 | 47.7% | 0.0% | 75.0% | #181 | 1.7 |
| 1983–84 | 5.2 | 6.5 | 2.1 | -1.66 | UTA | 75 | 30 | 22.3 | 50.0% | — | 76.5% | #173 | 12.3 |
| 1982–83 | 5.7 | 5.8 | 2.0 | -0.68 | DEN/UTA | 70 | 23 | 19.2 | 44.4% | — | 81.1% | #131 | 40.4 |
| 1981–82 | 7.9 | 6.1 | 3.6 | +0.26 | PHO | 81 | 39 | 23.4 | 46.7% | 0.0% | 74.9% | #87 | 88.6 |
| 1980–81 | 7.0 | 5.4 | 3.5 | +2.57 | PHO | 81 | 0 | 20.8 | 50.6% | 0.0% | 75.8% | #24 | 168.1 |
| 1979–80 | 8.8 | 6.4 | 2.2 | +0.76 | NJN/PHO | 80 | 0 | 23.0 | 47.3% | 0.0% | 78.7% | #61 | 112.0 |
| 1978–79 | 15.7 | 12.8 | 3.6 | +4.12 | NOJ | 80 | 0 | 33.8 | 50.6% | — | 81.4% | #5 | 374.7 |
| 1977–78 | 10.2 | 9.3 | 2.8 | +3.21 | NOJ | 82 | 0 | 25.8 | 50.5% | — | 77.9% | #18 | 249.0 |
| 1976–77 | 6.9 | 7.7 | 2.7 | +2.41 | NOJ | 76 | 0 | 19.8 | 47.7% | — | 79.2% | #27 | 148.4 |
| 1975–76 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 2.1 | +3.07 | NOJ | 75 | 0 | 17.9 | 48.5% | — | 77.6% | #14 | 151.7 |
| Career | 7.6 | 7.0 | 2.6 | — | DEN/NJN/NOJ/PHO/SAC/UTA | 814 | — | 21.8 | 48.8% | 0.0% | 78.3% | — | — |
Source: Basketball Reference regular-season totals, accessed Sep 13, 2026.
What these measures mean
- Box impact
- Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average, from the historical box-score model. Zero is league average; higher is better. Historical defense estimates are included where labeled. This is not the live model's lineup-adjusted estimate.
- Impact Rate
- A 0–100 score comparing performance within one season. Higher is better. This is a score, not points per possession.
- Impact estimate
- The season model's final estimated points per 100 possessions above league average, before conversion to the 0–100 Impact Rate score. It includes lineup evidence where available. Zero is league average; higher is better.
- Impact Rate rank
- The player's place among qualified players in that season's Impact Rate ranking. No. 1 is best. This is a rank, not an impact score.
- 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.
25.9 composite · lower is better
17.6 average league finish
1,350 total value
- Impact Rate
- 0–100 score within one season. Higher is better.
- Box impact
- Estimated points per 100 possessions above league average, from the historical model. Zero is average; higher is better.
Career standing
How Rich Kelley 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 Score25.9
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
- 247.5
- Qualified seasons
- 10
- All-time rank
- #196
Strongest seasons
Every season
Rich Kelley 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
| pts/100 · higher is better | 0–100 · higher is better | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985–86Historical Defense Estimate | SAC | 32 | 37 | 324 | -1.55 | — | — | 3.1 | — | Limited |
| 1984–85Historical Defense Estimate | UTA | 31 | 77 | 1,276 | -1.94 | 28.9 | #181 | 1.7 | 29th | Broad |
| 1983–84Historical Defense Estimate | UTA | 30 | 75 | 1,674 | -1.66 | 30.6 | #173 | 12.3 | 33rd | Broad |
| 1982–83Historical Defense Estimate | DEN/UTA | 29 | 70 | 1,345 | -0.68 | 48.6 | #131 | 40.4 | 49th | Broad |
| 1981–82Historical Defense Estimate | PHO | 28 | 81 | 1,892 | +0.26 | 66.1 | #87 | 88.6 | 66th | Broad |
| 1980–81Historical Defense Estimate | PHO | 27 | 81 | 1,686 | +2.57 | 90.7 | #24 | 168.1 | 82nd | Broad |
| 1979–80Historical Defense Estimate | NJN/PHO | 26 | 80 | 1,839 | +0.76 | 74.0 | #61 | 112.0 | 68th | Broad |
| 1978–79Historical Defense Estimate | NOJ | 25 | 80 | 2,705 | +4.12 | 98.2 | #5 | 374.7 | 98th | Broad |
| 1977–78Historical Defense Estimate | NOJ | 24 | 82 | 2,119 | +3.21 | 92.8 | #18 | 249.0 | 91st | Broad |
| 1976–77Historical Defense Estimate | NOJ | 23 | 76 | 1,505 | +2.41 | 89.3 | #27 | 148.4 | 78th | Broad |
| 1975–76Historical Defense Estimate | NOJ | 22 | 75 | 1,346 | +3.07 | 93.1 | #14 | 151.7 | 77th | Broad |
Career movement
Rich Kelley's box impact by season
Peak box impact +4.12 points per 100 possessions in 1978–79 · 11 seasons · 17,711 minutes
Box impact estimates points per 100 possessions above each season's league average. Zero is average; higher is better. Rank labels show Impact Rate league places, not ranks on this chart's box-impact scale.
Box impact · points per 100 possessionsMinutes
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.
Rich KelleyClifford Ray
| NBA season | Rich Kelley | Clifford Ray |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3.1 | 3.6 |
| 2 | 2.4 | 4.2 |
| 3 | 3.2 | 3.0 |
| 4 | 4.1 | 1.5 |
| 5 | 0.8 | 1.8 |
| 6 | 2.6 | 1.1 |
| 7 | 0.3 | 1.6 |
| 8 | -0.7 | -0.7 |
| 9 | -1.7 | -1.4 |
| 10 | -1.9 | -6.4 |
| 11 | -1.5 | Did not play |
NBA season number
Similar career arcs
Players with careers similar to Rich Kelley
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.
C · All-Time Career #172
Clifford Ray
93career similarity score
94/100 closest-season score · 1978–79 ↔ 1973–74C · All-Time Career #96Willis Reed
91career similarity score
93/100 closest-season score · 1978–79 ↔ 1968–69C · All-Time Career #73Clyde Lovellette
90career similarity score
90/100 closest-season score · 1978–79 ↔ 1957–58Impact 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 →