AIR087: Mark Price - NBA All-Star, Cleveland Cavaliers legend and Hall of Fame candidate
Four-time NBA All-Star, All-NBA (1993) and Dream Team II (1994) member, Mark Price.
Mark Price rose to basketball prominence from humble beginnings. He starred at Enid High School in Oklahoma, breaking many records; serendipitously, equaling feats set by his famous father, Denny, decades earlier.
After high school, Mark played four years with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. To this day, his name is littered throughout the record books. As a freshman, he led the ACC in scoring (20.3 ppg) – an outstanding achievement, given the depth of talent in the conference. Prior to his sophomore campaign, he was a member of Team USA’s gold-medal winning squad at the 1983 Pan-American Games in Venezuela. Mark, and fellow teammate, John Salley, were named team co-captains as sophomores. As a junior, Mark led his team to a 27-8 record. Tech won the ACC Championship, Price was named Tournament MVP and also won (1985) ACC Player of the Year. Georgia Tech advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, before finally bowing out to the Patrick Ewing-led Georgetown Hoyas. Mark left Georgia Tech as the only player in school history to lead the team in scoring all four seasons.
Mark was selected by the Dallas Mavericks in the 1986 NBA Draft, before being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. We discuss Price’s transition from college to the pros, plus, how the Cavaliers franchise went from ‘cadavers’ to contenders in just two seasons. Mark breaks down each season in Cleveland and we touch on memorable moments from throughout his fantastic tenure with the Cavaliers, culminating with the team’s run to the 1992 NBA Eastern Conference Finals, where they met the Chicago Bulls – one of Mark’s five post-season series’ versus Chicago. Mark also talks about his trade from Cleveland to the Golden State Warriors and his season in Washington where he was teammates with his brother, Brent Price. Mark’s last season was spent in Orlando.
We conclude the conversation by discussing Mark’s journey on the sidelines, where he has a wealth of experience in a multitude of roles; most recently (September, 2018), where he was named an assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets.
This is a strong contender for my favourite episode of the show yet.
Links discussed (include):
* Mark’s (1983) Team USA wins gold at the Pan-American Games
* Mark recalls his historic 1989 Playoffs series versus Chicago
* Mark returns from a possible career-ending injury
* Dream Team II destroys all-comers; wins 1994 World Champs
* Price joins Denver Nuggets as an assistant coach
People mentioned in this episode, include: Craig Ehlo, Brad Daugherty, Ron Harper, Larry Bird, Drazen Petrovic, Lenny Wilkens, Mike Fratello, Wayman Tisdale, Chris Mullin, Spud Webb, Johnny Dawkins, Wayne Embry, Nate McMillan, Jim McIlvaine & Kenny Smith.
Editor's note: sign-up for my monthly newsletter - receive exclusive details on upcoming podcast episodes and future, high-profile guests to appear on the show.
I appreciate all feedback, FB Page 'Likes' and iTunes ratings / reviews.
Follow: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Subscribe: iTunes | Android | Spotify | Stitcher | Newsletter