Best league finish
Menu
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…
Suggested matchups from basketball rivalries, comparable roles, and similar careers. Compare career impact, peak seasons, and the numbers behind the result.
- Rich Kelley vs. Sam Lacey Defensive and passing centers
- Rich Kelley vs. Tom Boerwinkle Defensive and passing centers
- Rich Kelley vs. Nate Thurmond Defensive and passing centers
- Rich Kelley vs. Bill Walton Defensive and passing centers
- Rich Kelley vs. Clifford Ray Similar career path
- Rich Kelley vs. Willis Reed Similar career path
- Rich Kelley vs. Clyde Lovellette Similar career path
- Rich Kelley vs. Dan Issel Similar career path
- Rich Kelley vs. Kyle Anderson Similar career path
- Rich Kelley vs. Dave Cowens Similar career path
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.
Swipe for PPG · RPG · APG · Impact · Team · G · GS · MPG →
| 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
- 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.
25.9 composite · lower is better
17.6 average league finish
1,350 total value
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
| 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 career impact by season
Peak +4.12 in 1978–79 · 11 seasons · 17,711 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 impactMinutes
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 →