David Greenwood, who played six of his 12 NBA seasons with the Chicago Bulls after they selected him with the No. 2 pick in the 1979 draft, died of cancer Sunday in Riverside, Calif. He was 68.
Greenwood, a two-time All-American at UCLA after starring at Verbum Dei High in Los Angeles, averaged 16.3 points and 9.4 rebounds as a Bulls rookie and 12.6 points and 9.1 rebounds over his six seasons in Chicago.
Bulls forward David Greenwood, left, swipes at the Celtics’ Larry Bird in 1984. (Ed Wagner Jr./Chicago Tribune)
Greenwood was part of a 1979 draft that helped shape the Bulls and NBA for decades.
Back then, the teams with the worst records in each conference flipped a coin for the first pick. The Bulls lost the flip to the Los Angeles Lakers, who selected Magic Johnson at No. 1.
Playing alongside stars Artis Gilmore and Reggie Theus, Greenwood started every game his first three seasons with the Bulls but never replicated the production from his stellar rookie campaign. Still, he averaged at least 10 points and 8.8 rebounds in each of his first five years before injuries limited his sixth and final season in Chicago to 61 games.
The 6-foot-9 forward was traded to the San Antonio Spurs for future Hall of Famer George “Iceman” Gervin in October 1985, then played for the Denver Nuggets and Detroit Pistons before finishing his career with the Spurs in 1991. Greenwood won a championship ring as a Pistons reserve in 1990.
Greenwood committed to UCLA before legendary coach John Wooden surprisingly stepped down after winning 10 national championships in 27 years. Greenwood kept his commitment and was a four-year starter for the Bruins, averaging 14.8 points and 8.7 rebounds in 118 career games. He was enshrined in the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in November 2021.
After he retired, Greenwood later coached at his high school alma mater, leading Verbum Dei to state titles in 1998 and 1999.
The Los Angeles Times first reported Greenwood’s death. He is survived by his brother, Al; sister, Laverne; son, Jemil; and daughter, Tiffany, along with his former wife, Joyce.
Associated Press contributed.