Mark McNamara

Mark McNamara
Personal information
Born(1959-06-08)June 8, 1959
San Jose, California, U.S.
DiedApril 27, 2020(2020-04-27) (aged 60)
Nevada, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High schoolDel Mar (San Jose, California)
College
NBA draft1982: 1st round, 22nd overall pick
Selected by the Philadelphia 76ers
Playing career1982–1993
PositionCenter / power forward
Number31, 35
Career history
1982–1983Philadelphia 76ers
1983–1984San Antonio Spurs
1984–1985Kansas City Kings
1985–1986Cortan Livorno
1986–1988Philadelphia 76ers
1988–1990Los Angeles Lakers
1990Orlando Magic
1991Murcia
1991Real Madrid
1992–1993Rapid City Thrillers
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference

Mark Robert McNamara (June 8, 1959 – April 27, 2020) was an American professional basketball player who was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round (22nd pick overall) of the 1982 NBA draft.

A 6'11" power forward-center from the University of California, Berkeley, McNamara played in eight NBA seasons from 1982 to 1985 and from 1986 to 1991. He played for the 76ers, San Antonio Spurs, Kansas City Kings, Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic. McNamara also dabbled in acting and appeared in the 1985 TV movie "Ewoks: The Battle for Endor".[1]

NBA career

Drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers, he spent his rookie season with the team. Playing alongside Moses Malone, McNamara averaged 2.2 points and 2.1 rebounds per game across 36 games, and earned his only NBA championship with the 76ers.

McNamara's best statistical year as a professional came during the 1983–84 season as a member of the Spurs, appearing in 70 games and averaging 5.5 ppg and 4.5 rpg.

In his NBA career, McNamara played in 278 games and scored a total of 980 points.

Post-NBA

McNamara was an assistant coach of the boys' basketball team at Haines High School in Haines, Alaska, and led the team to two state titles.[2] McNamara helped with basketball camps around Alaska.

Death

McNamara died on April 27, 2020, at age 60. He reportedly died of heart failure, culminating from years of cardiac issues.[2]

NBA career statistics

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
 †  Won an NBA championship

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1982–83† Philadelphia 36 2 5.2 .453 – .444 2.1 .2 .1 .1 2.2
1983–84 San Antonio 70 3 14.8 .621 – .471 4.5 .4 .2 .2 5.5
1984–85 San Antonio 12 0 5.3 .667 – .500 1.4 .0 .2 .1 2.8
1984–85 Kansas City 33 0 6.4 .483 – .523 1.7 .2 .2 .2 2.4
1986–87 Philadelphia 11 1 10.3 .467 – .368 3.3 .2 .1 .0 3.2
1987–88 Philadelphia 42 18 13.8 .391 – .727 3.7 .4 .1 .3 3.6
1988–89 L.A. Lakers 39 0 8.2 .500 – .628 2.6 .3 .1 .1 2.9
1989–90 L.A. Lakers 33 1 5.8 .442 – .650 1.9 .1 .1 .0 3.1
1990–91 Orlando 2 0 6.5 .000 – – 2.0 .0 .0 .0 .0
Career 278 25 9.7 .512 – .548 3.0 .3 .1 .1 3.5

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1983† Philadelphia 2 0 1.0 1.000 – – .5 .0 .0 .0 2.0
1987 Philadelphia 1 0 2.0 1.000 – – 1.0 .0 .0 .0 2.0
1989 L.A. Lakers 3 0 2.3 .500 – .500 .3 .0 .0 .0 1.0
1990 L.A. Lakers 2 0 2.5 .250 – – .5 .0 .0 .0 1.0
Career 8 0 2.0 .556 – .500 .5 .0 .0 .0 1.4

Film

McNamara worked as a stand-in for Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca on the set of Return of the Jedi.[3]

References

  1. ^ "Mark McNamara". IMDb.
  2. ^ a b Curtis, Jake (April 29, 2020). "Cal Basketball: Former Bears Star Mark McNamara Dies at Age 60". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  3. ^ Fox Sports