Charles Washington Criss Jr. (born November 6, 1948) is an American former professional basketball player and coach.

Charlie Criss
Criss as a senior at NMSU
Personal information
Born (1948-11-06) November 6, 1948 (age 76)
Valhalla, New York, U.S.
Listed height5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Listed weight165 lb (75 kg)
Career information
High schoolGorton (Yonkers, New York)
College
NBA draft1970: undrafted
Playing career1972–1985
PositionPoint guard
Number14, 1, 15
Career history
As player:
1972–1974Hartford Capitols
1974–1975Cherry Hill Pros
1975–1977Scranton Apollos
19771981Atlanta Hawks
19811982San Diego Clippers
19821984Milwaukee Bucks
19841985Atlanta Hawks
As coach:
1991Atlanta Eagles
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points3,534 (8.5 ppg)
Rebounds592 (1.4 rpg)
Assists1,335 (3.2 apg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

A 5'8" guard from New Mexico State University, Criss began his professional career in the Eastern Basketball Association (EBA),[1] earning league Most Valuable Player honors with the Scranton Apollos in 1976, next playing for the Washington Generals.[2] He joined the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association the following year, and played eight seasons in the league with the Hawks, San Diego Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks.[3] When he entered the NBA, Criss was the league's shortest active player.[4]

In his NBA career, Criss averaged 8.5 points and 3.2 assists per game, with perhaps his best year being his first in 1978, posting averages of 11 points and 4 assists in 77 matches.[3] During the 1980 NBA playoffs, Criss averaged 14 points and 4.4 assists per game, as the Hawks eventually lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.[5] On February 20, 1982, while on the Clippers, Criss scored a career-best 34 points and recorded 8 assists during a 118–101 win over the San Antonio Spurs.[6] After retiring as a player, he worked as a golf instructor, an Atlanta Hawks television color commentator and a basketball summer camp coordinator.[4] Criss was head coach of the Atlanta Eagles in the United States Basketball League (USBL) during the 1991 season.[7]

NBA career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1977–78 Atlanta 77 - 25.1 .999 - .999 30.2 1.8 3.4 0.6 19.4
1978–79 Atlanta 54 - 16.3 .377 - .779 1.1 2.6 0.8 0.1 5.3
1979–80 Atlanta 81 - 22.1 .431 .059 .811 1.4 3.0 0.9 0.0 8.3
1980–81 Atlanta 66 - 25.9 .454 .048 .864 1.5 4.3 0.9 0.0 9.5
1981–82 Atlanta 27 0 20.4 .400 .250 .890 1.4 2.8 0.9 0.1 8.7
1981–82 San Diego 28 20 30.0 .479 .381 .884 1.6 4.0 0.8 0.1 12.9
1982–83 Milwaukee 66 0 14.0 .451 .194 .895 1.2 1.9 0.4 0.0 6.2
1983–84 Milwaukee 6 0 17.8 .367 .167 .636 1.5 2.8 0.8 0.0 5.0
1983–84 Atlanta 9 0 12.0 .409 .000 1.000 1.2 2.3 0.3 0.0 2.6
1984–85 Atlanta 4 2 28.8 .412 .000 .669 3.5 5.5 0.8 0.0 4.5
Career 418 22 21.4 .432 .179 .831 1.4 3.2 0.9 0.1 8.5

Playoffs

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1977–78 Atlanta 2 - 32.5 .417 - .778 2.0 1.5 2.0 0.5 13.5
1978–79 Atlanta 9 - 11.0 .414 - .900 0.6 1.8 0.3 0.0 3.7
1979–80 Atlanta 5 - 30.4 .492 .333 .917 1.0 4.4 1.2 0.0 14.0
1982–83 Milwaukee 9 - 12.9 .441 .000 .944 1.6 1.3 1.0 0.0 5.2
Career 25 - 17.3 .452 .250 .898 1.1 2.1 0.9 0.0 7.1

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Charlie Criss minor league basketball statistics". Stats Crew. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
  2. ^ Extinct Sports Leagues - Continental Basketball Association (1946 - present)
  3. ^ a b Stats at Basketball-Reference
  4. ^ a b Summer Basketball Camp 2004 - Camp Director Charlie Criss
  5. ^ Charlie Criss Per Game Playoffs
  6. ^ Charlie Criss scores a career high 34 points (1982)
  7. ^ "Charlie Criss minor league basketball coaching records". Stats Crew. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
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