{"id":705303,"date":"2026-04-08T13:50:54","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T13:50:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/705303\/"},"modified":"2026-04-08T13:50:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T13:50:54","slug":"hall-of-fame-nuggets-forward-alex-english-continues-to-make-a-difference-in-native-south-carolina","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/705303\/","title":{"rendered":"Hall of Fame Nuggets forward Alex English continues to make a difference in native South Carolina"},"content":{"rendered":"

COLUMBIA, S.C. \u2014 Four decades ago, Alex English played the role of basketball star Amazing Grace in the film \u201cAmazing Grace and Chuck.\u201d Three decades ago, he appeared as head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the movie \u201cEddie.\u201d<\/p>\n

Soon, the former Nuggets star forward expects to be in another film. This time, he plans to play himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m looking to put a documentary together with my son,\u2019\u2019 English said of working with Alex English Jr., a filmmaker in Los Angeles, about the story of his life.<\/p>\n

Yes, there will be on-the-court action shown of the smooth Hall of Famer, who starred for the Nuggets from 1980-90 and remains their all-time leading scorer with 21,645 points. But there also will be plenty of off-the-court material.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will be about basketball and all the stuff I\u2019ve done,\u2019\u2019 English said in an interview with The Denver Gazette at his alma mater, the University of South Carolina, down the road from the farm in Blythewood, S.C., where he lives with his wife Vanessa.<\/p>\n

\"\"Alex English, shown here as a star at South Carolina, remains the Nuggets\u2019 all-time leading scorer. (Photo courtesy of University of South Carolina)<\/p>\n

English, 72, has done plenty in his life outside of basketball. Since 2020, he has served on the Board of Trustees at South Carolina, where in 1972 he had become the school\u2019s second Black varsity basketball player.<\/p>\n

English is a successful businessman who once owned two Wendy\u2019s franchises in Columbia and now uses his farm to produce industrial hemp. He is a humanitarian, with his Let\u2019s Share Foundation having raised plenty of money over the years for the underserved.<\/p>\n

English has been an actor. In addition to being in 1987\u2019s \u201cAmazing Grace and Chuck\u201d and 1996\u2019s \u201cEddie,\u201d he has several other movie and television credits. He even once appeared in a \u201cHootie & the Blowfish\u201d video.<\/p>\n

English, appropriately, was an English major in college and has had his poetry published. He has been an ambassador for basketball, having traveled around the world as part of NBA\u2019s Basketball Without Borders. That included meeting Nelson Mandela in South Africa.<\/p>\n

\"\"Former Nuggets star Alex English, right, meets South Africa president Nelson Mandela, with NBA commissioner David Stern left and son Alex Jr. in 1993. (Photo courtesy of NBA)<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing surprises me about what Alex has done,\u2019\u2019 said Bill Hanzlik, a Nuggets forward from 1982-90. \u201cAlex is a really unique and special person. He\u2019s not like your average NBA player. I mean, there\u2019s so much more to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

English, though, doesn\u2019t deny that basketball helped pave the way for him to do much more in life.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, basketball has been a vehicle for me,\u2019\u2019 he said. \u201cSo I appreciate and honor that. \u2026 But I feel even better about (his post-basketball career), being able to have an effect on the world. \u2026 I\u2019ve always loved my hometown (of Columbia). It\u2019s a beautiful city, but there\u2019s a lot of work to be done, and I wanted to be part of that work to make it better, and serving on the Board of Trustees at the university, I get an opportunity to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

English has been back in South Carolina since he concluded an 11-year run as an NBA assistant with a 2012-13 stint for Sacramento. English was born in Columbia on Jan. 5, 1954, in an era of segregation.<\/p>\n

English was raised by his grandmother, Estelle Ruff. That\u2019s because his parents, James and Johnnie Mae English, went to New York for jobs.<\/p>\n

\u201cBack then, the South was very segregated and (Blacks) weren\u2019t able to get good jobs and they were living under an apartheid of a racist system, so (his parents) moved north to get better jobs,\u2019\u2019 English said. \u201cThey would send money back to my grandmother.<\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up in my grandmother\u2019s house and there were like 12 of us, all her grandkids. It was a three-room house with four beds and we all shared beds. But it was great. I wouldn\u2019t have had it any other way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Alex English, right, shown with South Carolina teammate Mike Dunleavy and legendary coach Frank McGuire during English\u2019s college days from 1972-76. (Photo courtesy of the University of South Carolina) <\/p>\n

English attended Dreher High School, where in 1972 he was part of the second desegregated graduation class. He then received a scholarship to South Carolina.<\/p>\n

As a freshman in 1972-73, English roomed with Casey Manning, who was then a senior guard and was the school\u2019s first Black basketball player. Manning, who went on to become a judge in South Carolina and just completed his 33rd\u00a0season as the Gamecocks\u2019 radio analyst, has been best friends with English for 54 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was like a little brother,\u2019\u2019 Manning said of his one year being English\u2019s teammate. \u201cThere was a lot of issues to work through at that time. \u2026 He was thinking about leaving (the school) his freshman year, going somewhere else. I talked him out of that. I kind of suggested to him that over the course of his life, the best place for him was South Carolina. He was born and raised here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Staying at South Carolina proved to be an excellent decision. English went on to average 22.6 points as a senior in 1975-76 and was selected in the second round of the 1976 draft by Milwaukee.<\/p>\n

It took some time for English to find his NBA footing. With the Bucks well stocked at small forward, he averaged just 5.2 points as a rookie and 9.6 his second season.<\/p>\n

\"\"Former Denver Nuggets star Alex English holds up a replica jersey from his playing days on Feb. 21, 2026, after South Carolina defeated Mississippi State at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C. English is on South Carolina\u2019s Board of Trustees after having starred for the Gamecocks from 1972-76 and later with the Nuggets from 1980-90. (Photo by Chris Tomasson\/The Denver Gazette)<\/p>\n

Things began to change after English signed as a free agent with Indiana in 1978. He averaged 16 points for the Pacers in 1978-79 and 14.9 to start the next season before being traded to Denver on Feb. 1, 1980, with a first-round pick for forward George McGinnis.<\/p>\n

It turned out to be the greatest trade in Nuggets history. McGinnis, who was then 29 and was returning to the team he had once starred for in the ABA, fell off in a hurry and was out of the NBA by 1982. And the 6-foot-8 English, with his smooth midrange jumper and low-key demeanor, became a full-fledged star.<\/p>\n

English averaged 21.3 points in the final 24 games in 1980 under head coach Donnie Walsh. Then Doug Moe arrived in 1980-81 as an assistant before becoming head coach midway through the season.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe had a game that fit hand and glove with Doug Moe and his system,\u2019\u2019 Hanzlik said of Moe\u2019s motion offense. \u201cHe was a great player, but I don\u2019t think there\u2019s any question Alex wouldn\u2019t have averaged 25 points a game for a decade with some other team.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"FILE \u2013 Former Denver Nuggets head coach Doug Moe pleads with his team during a timeout in the closing seconds of an NBA game against the Houston Rockets in May 1986. (AP Photo\/Ed Andrieski, File)<\/p>\n

English averaged 25.9 points in his 11 Denver seasons, including an NBA-high 28.4 in 1982-83, while being the league\u2019s leading scorer in the 1980s. The 1997 Hall of Fame inductee averaged 25 or more points for eight straight seasons from 1981-89, earning all eight of his All-Star Game berths then.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis offense gave me an opportunity to really expound on my game because the limitations, the rules, were really simple,\u201d English said about Moe, who died last month at age 87. \u201cEverybody (on the team) knew what we were going to do and we did it that way and we were very successful.\u201d<\/p>\n

After Moe was fired in 1990, English wasn\u2019t re-signed by Denver as a free agent. He spent one uneventful season with Dallas before retiring and eventually getting into coaching. He was head coach of the North Charleston Lowgators in the now-named NBA G League in 2001-02 before a 2002-13 tenure as an NBA assistant that included stints with Atlanta, Philadelphia and Toronto.<\/p>\n

In the 1996-97 season, the NBA, through a voting panel, named the top 50 players in the league\u2019s first 50 years. English, though, did not make it.<\/p>\n

\"\"Toronto Raptors assistant coach Alex English looks on from the bench in the first quarter of the Raptors\u2019 NBA game against the Denver Nuggets in Denver on Monday, Jan. 23, 2006. English is the all-time leading scorer in the history of the Denver Nuggets. (AP Photo\/David Zalubowski)<\/p>\n

In the 2021-22 season, the NBA named the top 75 players on its 75th\u00a0anniversary. While 76 actually were chosen due to a tie in the voting, English again was excluded.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was an insult earlier (with the top 50) and again when it came the 75,\u2019\u2019 English said. \u201cI felt bad about being left out of the top 50 and 25 years later I\u2019m still on the outside. People say, \u2018Well, you were quiet and you weren\u2019t boisterous and you didn\u2019t have a flair.\u2019 But that shouldn\u2019t be what it is. It should be your record, and my record stood for itself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Atlanta Hawks\u2019 Spud Webb (4) sails up and almost over Denver Nuggets\u2019 Alex English (2) as he tries for two points in the first period of their NBA game, March 11, 1986, in Atlanta\u2019s Omni. (AP Photo\/Joe Holloway, Jr.)<\/p>\n

English has expressed his frustration on social media. In a posting last December, he included a picture of an ESPN graphic showing Stephen Curry, Michael Jordan, English and LeBron James as NBA players with the most 35-point games past the age of 30. He wrote, \u201cCan you guess who wasn\u2019t selected as one of the top NBA 75 players of all time?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a disservice to Alex without question,\u2019\u2019 said Rick Barry, a former star forward who made both the top 50 and top 75 and is a longtime Colorado Springs resident. \u201cThey had people voting who never saw Alex play. His stats were as good or better than a lot of guys in the top 75. I respected him as a player because this was a guy who didn\u2019t call attention to himself. He just went about his business, and he was a really good player.\u201d<\/p>\n

Barry, who played in the NBA and ABA from 1965-80, continues to keep up with English. He has sent text messages to English saying he should have made the top 75.<\/p>\n

\"\"Alex English was a star player at the University of South Carolina before becoming the face of the Nuggets\u2019 franchise and the NBA\u2019s leading scorer in the 1980s. (Photo courtesy of the University of South Carolina)<\/p>\n

Also miffed at English\u2019s omission has been former star guard George Gervin, who also made both the top 50 and top 75. Gervin played in the ABA and NBA from 1972-86. While with San Antonio in the NBA from 1976-85, Gervin made 11 All-Star Games, including being English\u2019s Western Conference teammate for four.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe deserves it,\u2019\u2019 Gervin said from San Antonio. \u201cHe was one of the best I ever played against. A guy like him deserves his due. For him not to make (the top 75), the world ain\u2019t fair. He was such a great basketball player and a great person.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gervin\u2019s final All-Star Game was in 1985 in Indianapolis. Before the game, English was able to convince the 12 players on the West team and the 12 on the East to donate their All-Star shares to Ethiopia famine relief. With the NBA matching their donations, more than $200,000 was raised.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was a beautiful thing,\u2019\u2019 Gervin said. \u201c(English) had that kind of personality. That was a cause he really felt was deserving.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Former University of South Carolina and Denver Nuggets star Alex English at halftime during a game in Columbia, S.C., on Feb. 4, 2023, during South Carolina\u2019s Legends\u00a0Weekend. (Chris Tomasson\/The Denver Gazette)<\/p>\n

With that in mind, English was asked to name the top highlight of his Nuggets career. His answer wasn\u2019t the career-high 54 points he scored against Houston in 1985-86. It didn\u2019t have anything to do with having nine playoff seasons with Denver, including reaching the 1985 Western Conference finals.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would go with being able to rally the All-Stars to give their money together to help feed the hungry people of Ethiopia,\u201d English said.<\/p>\n

English\u2019s philanthropic missions continued after that. Following his retirement, he joined the likes of then-NBA commissioner David Stern and Hall of Famers Lenny Wilkens, Wes Unseld and Dikembe Mutombo in traveling to nations for Basketball Without Borders, the NBA\u2019s global basketball development and community outreach program.<\/p>\n

\"\"University of South Carolina trustee Alex English watches a broadcast of legislators voting to keep him on the school\u2019s board on March 3, 2021, in Columbia, S.C. The former basketball star\u2019s election was a rare win for diversity in an overwhelmingly Republican state. (AP Photo\/Jeffrey Collins)<\/p>\n

English went to countries in Europe, South America and Asia, including China, and Africa. It was in South Africa in 1993 when he met Mandela, who would be elected the nation\u2019s president the following year. The NBA has distributed a photo showing English shaking hands with Mandela while Stern and English Jr., then 10, looked on.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was awesome,\u2019\u2019 English said. \u201cEvery birthday Mandela (who died in 2013) has, my son Alex, who took a picture with him, he posts the picture.\u201d<\/p>\n

In South Carolina, English\u2019s Let\u2019s Share Foundation has raised money to benefit those in underserved communities in what it terms \u201cthree core areas (of) educational access, cultural empowerment and safe family support.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has his (charity) golf tournament every year,\u2019\u2019 said Manning, who calls English a \u201chometown hero.\u201d \u201cHis foundation raises money for homeless people. \u2026 He\u2019s given back to the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Former University of South Carolina and Denver Nuggets star Alex English attends a game in Columbia, S.C., on Feb. 4, 2023, during South Carolina\u2019s Legends\u00a0Weekend. (Chris Tomasson\/The Denver Gazette)<\/p>\n

English also is a savvy businessman. On his 50-acre farm in Blythewood, 18 miles north of downtown Columbia, about 10 are now used to grow hemp.<\/p>\n

English plans to use about 20 more acres for hemp growth. It is sold to various companies to make products.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do industrial hemp for clothing, ropes, parachuting material,\u2019\u2019 English said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got a full freezer of hemp now that needs to be processed.\u201d<\/p>\n

The hemp also is used for medicinal purposes. English markets on the internet a pain cream called Hall of Fame CBD by Alex English.<\/p>\n

English said with pride that Las Vegas Aces star A\u2019ja Wilson uses the cream. Wilson played at South Carolina and English\u2019s daughter, Jade-Li English, is her agent.<\/p>\n

When it comes to serving on the board of trustees, that is an unpaid position. English first served on the 20-person board for two years during the 1990s as a term replacement appointed by South Carolina\u2019s governor. Now, after having initially been selected by the governor as a term replacement, he is in the midst of a four-year term after being elected by the South Carolina General Assembly.<\/p>\n

\"\"Former University of South Carolina and Denver Nuggets star Alex English talks to the crowd in Columbia, S.C., on Feb. 4, 2023, during halftime of South Carolina\u2019s game during Legends Weekend against Arkansas. (Photo by Travis Bell\/Sideline Carolina)<\/p>\n

\u201cYou help guide the university in all aspects,\u2019\u2019 English said of the role. \u201cWe want to educate our people here. South Carolina education-wise has been like on the bottom of the totem pole for a long time and we\u2019re changing that. We\u2019ve got a lot of things going on here. We\u2019ve got some of the top colleges as far as nursing and business.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vice chair Rose Newton called English a key addition to the board of trustees.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith his demeanor, his leadership ability, he has been just an outstanding board member,\u2019\u2019 she said. \u201cHe is a great ambassador not only for South Carolina athletics but for the university as a whole and the state as a whole.\u201d<\/p>\n

While English hasn\u2019t played basketball for 35 years, he is still well remembered in the state for his athletic career.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s so fun to see just the thrill of people when they have the opportunity to shake his hand at a meeting,\u2019\u2019 Newton said.<\/p>\n

English has continued over the years to sign autographs at shows around the country. He has returned to Denver on several occasions in recent years and been introduced at Ball Arena, where his retired No. 2 jersey hangs from the rafters. He has met star center Nikola Jokic and been impressed with his humility.<\/p>\n

\"\"Retired Denver Nuggets forward Alex English, left, is welcomed to the court by team mascot Rocky the mountain lion during the team\u2019s 50th anniversary celebration before the second half of an NBA game Oct. 21, 2017, in Denver. The Nuggets won 96-79. (AP Photo\/David Zalubowski)<\/p>\n

For years, English was regarded as the top player in Nuggets history. He now has no problem with having ceded that designation to Jokic.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine with it,\u2019\u2019 English said. \u201cHis body of work will surpass a lot of people. He\u2019s one of the best ever. He\u2019s legendary in the sense he\u2019s an anomaly for a (center). He uses his body so well and he sees the floor so well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jokic has 17,972 career points. The three-time league MVP is on pace to top English\u2019s Nuggets scoring mark of 21,645 points in about two years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been the leading scorer for so long, and I got my accolades for that, but I\u2019m not going to be heartbroken,\u2019\u2019 said English, whose overall total of 25,613 points ranks 28th\u00a0in NBA history.<\/p>\n

After all, there has been plenty more for English in his life than basketball. Stay tuned for it to be chronicled in a documentary.<\/p>\n


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