Sometimes a player can stay too long in the league and have their legacy washed away. This could be said what happened to Terry Cummings. One of the underrated players of the 80s who played 18 seasons in the NBA and is now forgotten by many, or if he is remembered it’s not for being a star. Cummings had an unremarkable first two years at DePaul before coming on his Junior season. In his junior season he averaged 22 points and 12 rebounds. He was selected as the second overall pick by the San Diego Clippers in 1982. He made an immediate impact on a team struggling to find it’s identity after relocating from Buffalo. Cummings won the 1983 rookie of the year award and averaged 24 points and 10 rebounds.

Cummings played two very productive years for the Clippers before the team traded him to the Bucks in 1984 in preparations for their move to Los Angeles.

Cummings would become a star with the Bucks. His first season there he averaged 24 points a game and made the all-star team. He would team with Ricky Pierce, Jack Sikma and Sidney Moncreif to make the Bucks one of the formidable teams of the 1980s. Many say the 80s Bucks were the most underrated team of the decade, but they are largely forgotten because of lack of playoff success.

Cummings averaged 20 or more points in all 5 of his seasons with the Bucks from 84 until 89 and twice made the All-star team. In 1989 as the Bucks began to rebuild Cummings was traded to the San Antonio Spurs.

Cummings once again put up solid numbers for the Spurs in his first three seasons. His numbers slowly dipped with the Spurs as he teamed up with David Robinson. In his first year he averaged 22 points, than fell to 18 and than 17.

In the summer of 1994 Cummings suffered a knee injury and was only able to play in 8 games that season. The injury dramatically effected his ability to play and he went from being a star caliber player to a reliable role player.

After six years with the Spurs Cummings went back to the Milwaukee Bucks for a season. Cummings from this point onward would become a journeyman making stops in several NBA cities. From the 1994-95 season he played in San Antonio, Milwaukee, Seattle, Philadelphia, New York and Golden State. Six teams in 7 years, and he played in more than 70 games only twice during this span.

Even though he was a journeyman he was highly prized. He was seen as a piece of the puzzle which could help teams which is why playoff contenders like Seattle and New York wanted him

He played his last two seasons with the Warriors before retiring.

#115                                         Main index                                         #117