Archibald, Nate (1948-…), was one of the greatest guards in professional basketball history. He was known for his scoring and his skill as a playmaker and ball handler. Archibald was nicknamed “Tiny” because he was only 6 feet 1 inch tall (185 centimeters) and weighed 160 pounds (73 kilograms), small by basketball standards. But he made up for his lack of size with his quickness and speed.
Nathaniel Archibald was born on Sept. 2, 1948, in New York City. He attended Arizona Western College in 1966 and 1967 and then played for the University of Texas at El Paso from 1967 to 1970. Archibald was drafted by the Cincinnati Royals of the National Basketball Association (NBA) in the second round of the 1970 draft.
Archibald led the NBA in scoring for the 1972-1973 season with an average of 34 points a game. That season, he also led the league in assists with an average of 11.4 per game. Archibald was an outstanding free-throw shooter, leading the NBA in free-throw attempts twice and free throws made three times. He finished his career with a free-throw shooting average of 81 percent. He had a career regular season scoring average of 18.8 points. Archibald played in the NBA for 13 seasons, missing the 1977-1978 season with an injury. He retired after the 1983-1984 season. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991.
