Ralph Simpson

Not to be confused with Ralph Sampson, who played in the NBA from 1983 to 1992

Ralph Simpson

File:Ralph Simpson.jpg
Personal information
Born	(1949-08-10) August 10, 1949 Detroit, Michigan
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight	200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school	Pershing (Detroit, Michigan)
College	Michigan State (1969–1970)
NBA draft	1972 / Round: 1 / Pick: 11th overall
Selected by the Chicago Bulls
Playing career	1970–1979
Position	Shooting guard / Small forward
Number	44, 10, 32,
Career history
As player:
1970–1976	Denver Rockets / Nuggets (ABA)
1976–1978	Detroit Pistons
1978	Denver Nuggets
1978–1979	Philadelphia 76ers
1979	New Jersey Nets
As coach:
1985–1987	Metro State (assistant)
Career highlights and awards
5× ABA All-Star (1972–1976) All-ABA First Team (1976) 2× All-ABA Second Team (1972, 1973) Third-team All-American – NABC (1970)
Career ABA and NBA statistics
Points	11,785 (16.7 ppg)
Rebounds	2,616 (3.7 rpg)
Assists	2,357 (3.3 apg)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Ralph Derek Simpson (born August 10, 1949) is a retired American basketball player. He played professionally in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1970 to 1980.

Basketball career

Simpson, a 6'6" guard/forward, was a star at Detroit's Pershing High School, where he teamed with Spencer Haywood to win the Michigan state championship in 1967. He was offered a tryout for the 1968 United States Olympic team, but turned it down. After two strong years at Michigan State University, he signed a professional contract with the ABA's Denver Rockets (later the Denver Nuggets), and he would represent the franchise in five ABA All-Star games.

Simpson had his finest season in 1971–1972, in which he averaged 27.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.1 assists. After the ABA-NBA merger in 1976, Simpson joined the Detroit Pistons, but his level of production dropped significantly, from 18 points per game in 1975–1976 to 11 points per game in 1976–1977, and after one-and-a-half seasons, he returned to the Denver Nuggets, now one of the ABA teams who had joined the NBA. However, he averaged only 5.5 points during his second tenure with the Nuggets, and after two more seasons as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets, he retired in 1980.

Simpson scored 11,785 combined ABA/NBA points in his ten-year career. His 9,953 points were the most for the Nuggets during the team's time in the ABA.

Personal

Simpson currently lives in Denver, Colorado. His daughter is Grammy Award-winning soul singer India.Arie.

External links

• Career stats at basketball-reference.com
• Ralph Simpson at Remember the ABA