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Bob Lanier, who passed away earlier this month, was one of the best big men of all time.
Born in Buffalo, New York, in 1948, Lanier was a contemporary of Mike Krzyzewski’s and their collegiate playing time overlapped.
Their lives after college diverged. Coach K became, well, a coach, while Lanier became a Piston.
At the time he seemed like an enormous player at 6-10 and 250, more or less the size of Paolo Banchero.
Unlike Banchero, Lanier was strictly a power post player. He was never a great athlete but he had a very refined game featuring a beautiful hook shot.
Knee problems slowed Lanier down and pursued him nearly to the end: he had his last knee procedure in 2017.
He’d probably have trouble succeeding today, given what 6-10 guys are expected to do, but in his day, he was one of the very best in the game.
Fun trivia: Lanier wore a size 22 shoe.
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