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Player profile · CIN / CLE / KCK / KCO / NJN

Illustrated portrait of NBA player Sam Lacey

Sam Lacey

Sam Lacey stats, teams and career impact

#114 all-timeCareer averages · 10.3 PPG · 9.7 RPG · 3.7 APGPeak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded

Position
Center
Final NBA team
Cleveland Cavaliers
Height / weight
6 ft 10 in (208 cm) · 235 lb (107 kg)
Born
March 28, 1948
Died
March 14, 2014 (65 yrs old)
College
New Mexico State
NBA seasons
13 seasons · 1970–71 to 1982–83

Career summarySam Lacey was a center who played 13 NBA seasons, from 1970–71 through 1982–83.

Career PPG
10.3
Career RPG
9.7
Career APG
3.7
Best-Season Impact Rank
#18 in 1979–80
Career Impact Rank
#114 all-time
Peak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded

Career overview

Why Sam Lacey ranks #114 all time

Sam Lacey ranks #114 all time. Across his three best seasons, his average league finish was #11.0. His full-career value ranks #134, so this placement is driven more by dominance than longevity.

Peak#6 in 1973–74

Best league finish

Sustained excellence1 top-ten finish

450+ minutes required per season

Career breadth13 seasons

1,002 games · Career Value Rank #134

NBA honorsAll-StarContext only; honors are not model inputs.

Head to head

Compare Sam Lacey with…

Choose any two players →

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  4. Sam Lacey vs. Rich Kelley Defensive and passing centers
  5. Sam Lacey vs. Al Jefferson Similar career path
  6. Sam Lacey vs. Chris Bosh Similar career path
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  9. Sam Lacey vs. Andre Drummond Similar career path
  10. Sam Lacey vs. Brad Miller Similar career path
Suggested comparisons, not a ranking of search traffic.
Full player detailsTeam history, career shooting and sources

Full team history

Teams
Cincinnati Royals, Kansas City–Omaha Kings, Kansas City Kings, New Jersey Nets, and Cleveland Cavaliers

Career shooting

NBA regular season
Field goal
44.1%FG%
Three-point
18.8%3P%
Free throw
73.8%FT%

1,002 career games · 31,873 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

Sam Lacey 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 →

1982–834.23.92.0-4.19CLE603320.542.0%22.2%78.4%#246-54.9
1981–822.91.91.4-2.24KCK/NJN56712.043.5%0.0%73.0%#202-3.5
1980–816.97.14.9+2.67KCK82027.244.2%20.0%78.6%#22219.4
1979–809.28.05.7+3.36KCK81029.844.8%0.0%74.1%#18277.7
1978–7910.68.65.2+3.12KCK82032.050.2%—73.9%#15300.5
1977–788.68.33.9+2.58KCK77027.744.9%—71.7%#24219.8
1976–7710.69.04.7+2.61KCK82031.642.2%—76.2%#23265.3
1975–7612.812.64.7+1.91KCK81038.140.1%—75.9%#27265.8
1974–7511.514.25.3+3.08KCO81041.742.7%—75.4%#12373.2
1973–7414.213.43.8+2.99KCO79039.347.6%—74.9%#6342.8
1972–7313.511.82.4-0.33KCO79037.147.4%—70.8%#73109.4
1971–7211.612.02.1-0.86CIN81035.042.2%—70.4%#8373.6
1970–7113.511.31.4-1.21CIN81032.741.8%—68.7%#11051.9
Career10.39.73.7—CIN/CLE/KCK/KCO/NJN1002—31.844.1%18.8%73.8%——

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.
Best 5#122

14.6 average league finish

Career Value Rank#134

2,441 total value

Career standing

How Sam Lacey ranks all time

These are league placements, not raw scores. Each season is judged against that season's qualified player pool.

Number-one seasons0

Best in the league

Top-five seasons0

Elite finishes

Top-ten seasons1

Upper-tier finishes

Top-10 Impact Margin1.6

Tie-breaker across top-ten seasons

Career Composite Score15.9

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
229.0
Qualified seasons
13
All-time rank
#114
Strongest seasons

Every season

Sam Lacey 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
1982–83Historical Defense EstimateCLE34601,232-4.193.2#246-54.92ndBroad
1981–82Historical Defense EstimateKCK/NJN3356670-2.2420.9#202-3.522ndStandard
1980–81Historical Defense EstimateKCK32822,228+2.6791.5#22219.489thBroad
1979–80Historical Defense EstimateKCK31812,412+3.3692.6#18277.794thBroad
1978–79Historical Defense EstimateKCK30822,627+3.1293.8#15300.594thBroad
1977–78Historical Defense EstimateKCK29772,131+2.5890.3#24219.889thBroad
1976–77Historical Defense EstimateKCK28822,595+2.6190.9#23265.392ndBroad
1975–76Historical Defense EstimateKCK27813,083+1.9186.2#27265.892ndBroad
1974–75Historical Defense EstimateKCO26813,378+3.0894.1#12373.296thBroad
1973–74Historical Defense EstimateKCO25793,107+2.9997.2#6342.897thBroad
1972–73Historical Defense EstimateKCO24792,930-0.3358.1#73109.468thModeled
1971–72Historical Defense EstimateCIN23812,832-0.8650.0#8373.658thModeled
1970–71Historical Defense EstimateCIN22812,648-1.2134.7#11051.946thModeled

Career movement

Sam Lacey's career impact by season

Peak +3.36 in 1979–80 · 13 seasons · 31,873 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.

Open full comparison →
Sam LaceyAl Jefferson
Era-centered box impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average · dashed marker means the player did not play
Sam Lacey and Al Jefferson era-centered impact values by NBA season number
NBA seasonSam LaceyAl Jefferson
1-1.2-2.7
2-0.9-2.3
3-0.30.8
43.02.0
53.12.5
61.91.0
72.60.8
82.63.4
93.12.3
103.44.1
112.73.1
12-2.20.4
13-4.2-1.3
14Did not play1.0

NBA season number

Similar career arcs

Players with careers similar to Sam Lacey

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.

How to read this page

Impact 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 →