Arvid Kramer (born October 3, 1956) is a retired American professional basketball player, mostly known for being the first overall pick by the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA) in the 1988 expansion draft at the age of 31, and furthermore being the only player to be selected in two expansion drafts and never playing for the teams that drafted him.[1] He is 6 feet 9 inches (2.06 m) tall and 220 pounds (100 kg) and played at the center position during most of his basketball career.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 3, 1956 Fulda, Minnesota |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Fulda (Fulda, Minnesota) |
| College | Augustana (South Dakota) (1975–1979) |
| NBA draft | 1979: 3rd round, 45th overall pick |
| Selected by the Utah Jazz | |
| Playing career | 1979–1996 |
| Position | Center |
| Number | 41 |
| Career history | |
| 1979–1980 | Anchorage Northern Knights |
| 1980 | Denver Nuggets |
| 1980–1981 | Antonini Siena |
| 1982–1983 | Bayer Giants Leverkusen |
| 1995–1996 | Telekom Baskets Bonn |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Professional career
editAnchorage Northern Knights (1979–1980)
editKramer was drafted by the Utah Jazz in the 3rd round (1st pick, 45th overall) of the 1979 NBA draft in his senior year. After the draft, the Jazz made a 2-for-1 trade involving Bernard King, which left no room for Kramer on their roster, so they waived him. He played for the Anchorage Northern Knights of the Continental Basketball Association during the 1979–80 season.[2]
Denver Nuggets (1980)
editKramer was signed to a 10-day contract by the Denver Nuggets on February 28, 1980, and was later signed for the remainder of the season.[3] He only played eight games with the Nuggets during the 1979–80 season.
Telekom Baskets Bonn (1995–1996)
editThe expansion Miami Heat of the NBA made Kramer the first overall pick in the 1988 expansion draft at the age of 31. The Dallas Mavericks wanted to make sure that their players Uwe Blab, Steve Alford or Bill Wennington, who were left unprotected, would not be selected, so they offered the Miami Heat the rights to Arvid Kramer and their first choice (No. 20) in the college draft (which later would turn out to become Kevin Edwards).[4] He never played for the Heat.
Kramer later played for Telekom Baskets Bonn during the 1995–96 season. He retired as a player in 1996 and worked as a general manager for the Baskets in Bonn, Germany from 1996 to 2004.[5]
Personal life
editKramer's son Dennis Kramer was also a basketball player. He was killed in a road traffic incident on 27 August 2023.[6]
References
edit- ^ "Hoopsanalyst". Archived from the original on July 8, 2004. Retrieved July 8, 2004.
- ^ "Arvid Kramer minor league basketball statistics". StatsCrew. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
- ^ "Arvid Kramer Stats".
- ^ Goldaper, Sam (June 24, 1988). "Miami Chooses 'Who?' First". The New York Times.
- ^ "The San Diego Union-Tribune – San Diego, California & National News".
- ^ "Ehemaliger Basketball-Profi Kramer stirbt bei Autounfall". Zeit online. August 28, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2023.