Larry Lawrence
Personal information
Born (1959-01-25) January 25, 1959
Macon, Georgia, U.S.
NationalityAmerican / French
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High schoolMount de Sales Academy
(Macon, Georgia)
CollegeDartmouth (1977–1981)
NBA draft1980: 8th round, 175th overall pick
Selected by the Atlanta Hawks
Playing career1982–2000
PositionSmall forward
Number6
Career history
1982–1983Rochester Zeniths
1983–1984Puerto Rico Coquis
1985–1988BCM Gravelines
1988–1991Le Mans
1991–1992BCM Gravelines
1992–1993Saint-Quentin
1993–1994ALM Évreux
1994–1995Étendard de Brest
1995–1996Tourcoing
1996–1997JA Vichy
1998–2000SLUC Nancy
Career highlights and awards

Larry O'Neal Lawrence (born January 25, 1959)[1] is an American-French former basketball player who spent 18 years playing professionally after a successful collegiate career at Dartmouth College. He was the 1981 Ivy League Player of the Year. Lawrence was born and raised in Macon, Georgia, United States.

Basketball career

College

After graduating from Mount de Sales Academy in Macon, where he was an all-state basketball player, Lawrence received an academic scholarship to play for Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.[2] He graduated high school at age 16 so he sat out his first two years at Dartmouth,[3][4] eventually joining the varsity squad in his redshirt sophomore season of 1977–78.[3][4] In his first collegiate season, Lawrence averaged 8.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game.[4]

As a junior in 1978–79, the small forward led Dartmouth in points (16.3) and rebounds (7.5) en route to a spot on the All-Ivy League First Team.[5] The following year, he was named a team captain but he broke his foot, which sidelined him for the entire 1979–80 season.[5]

During Lawrence's final season in 1980–81, he led not only the Big Green in scoring (21.4) but the entire Ivy League as well, while his 8.7 rebounds were also a team-high.[3] Lawrence became the first Dartmouth player in history to win the Ivy League Player of the Year award.[5] He earned a second All-Ivy League First Team selection, and the Associated Press tabbed him as an Honorable Mention All-American.[3] Lawrence finished his career with 1,122 points, good for 10th in school history at the time of his graduation.[3]

Professional

In June 1980, after the season ended in which Lawrence sat out due to the broken foot, the NBA's Atlanta Hawks selected him in the 1980 NBA draft in the eight round (175th overall).[3][6][7] Lawrence opted to return to school, making him an ineligible draftee.[6]

From 1982 until 2000, Lawrence's professional career saw him play in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and various leagues in France.[5][8][9] He won two championships overseas, and in 1988–89 he led LNB Pro B in scoring with 32.4 points per game.[5][9] He acquired French nationality in March 1998.[10]

Later life

According to a January 2023 Ivy League profile on him, "While still in France, Lawrence founded a charity, 'Les Enfants de la Terre' (Children of the Earth), dedicated to helping underprivileged youths in orphanages across France. He continues his charitable work to this day, having served on the Board of Directors of the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship and currently sitting on the board of the Black Heart Foundation."[5]

Upon returning to the United States, Lawrence pivoted into a successful career in finance.[3] He stayed in that industry in various capacities until September 2023, when he moved into information technology as a Senior Account Manager for Arteria AI.[3] Lawrence and his wife Arlene have a son, Lawrence Jr., and a daughter, Alyssa.[3][5]

References

  1. ↑ "1991-92 Wild Card #99 Larry Lawrence". tcdb.com. Trading Card Database LLC. 2023. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Class of 2004". MaconSportsHOF.com. Bibb Media, Inc. 2023. Retrieved September 15, 2023. Larry Lawrence lettered in football and basketball at Mt. de Sales. He was an All-State basketball player in 1976 and received a scholarship to Dartmouth College.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Dehmel, Will (March 31, 2023). "'We're all better when we help each other': United by basketball, the Lawrence family makes it their mission to give". TheDartmouth.com. Get SN Works. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 "Larry Lawrence". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2023. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Ivy League Basketball Legend Larry Lawrence, Dartmouth". IvyLeague.com. Ivy League. January 26, 2023. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  6. 1 2 "Larry Lawrence – Ineligible Draftee". TheDraftReview.com. The Draft Review. 2023. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  7. ↑ Harrington, Cliff (June 11, 1980). "Hawks Pleased With Selections". Ledger-Enquirer. Columbus, Georgia. p. 17. Retrieved September 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Larry Lawrence, Rochester Zeniths". NASLjerseys.com. NASL. 2023. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  9. 1 2 "Larry Lawrence professional teams". ProBallers.com. ProBallers Basketball Stats. 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  10. ↑ "JORF n° 0071 du 25 mars 1998 - Légifrance". www.legifrance.gouv.fr. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
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