M. L. Carr

Michael Leon Carr (born January 9, 1951) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for nine seasons with the Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics. He won two NBA championships with the Celtics in 1981 and 1984. He also played in the Eastern Basketball Association, European Professional Basketball League, and American Basketball Association. After retiring from playing, Carr returned to the Celtics as general manager during the 1994–95 season and head coach from 1995 to 1997.

Playing career In Teachey, North Carolina, Carr was the first African-American member of Wallace-Rose Hill High School's basketball team. Afterwards, he played four years at Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina, and won the NAIA championship in 1973. He was selected by the Kansas City Kings of the National Basketball Association with the seventh pick of the fifth round of the 1973 NBA draft, though he never played for the team. He subsequently signed with the Kentucky Colonels but was one of the final roster cuts the Colonels made in camp, and was released.

Carr spent the 1973–74 season with the Hamilton Pat Pavers of the Eastern Basketball Association (EBA) where he averaged 15.0 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. He started the following season with the Scranton Apollos but departed in December 1974 to join the European Professional Basketball League (EPBL). Carr played in Israel for the American-owned Israel Sabras in the short-lived EPBL. For leading his team to the championship, leading the league in scoring, and emerging second in rebounding, he was named Most Valuable Player.

During the 1975–76 ABA season, Carr played for the Spirits of St. Louis, averaging 12.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, and was named to the ABA's All-Rookie Team. During the 1976-77 NBA season, Carr played all 82 games and averaged the second most points of any Piston at 13.3, behind only Bob Lanier. The 1977 NBA Playoffs marked Carr's first postseason appearance, though Detroit, then in the Western Conference, were eliminated in the first round by the Golden State Warriors. On December 27, 1978, Carr set a career high with 36 points scored in a win against the Houston Rockets.

After being selected to the All-Defense second team at the conclusion of the 1979 season, for leading the league in steals at a career best 2.5 steals per game, Carr was signed as a free agent by the rebuilding Boston Celtics. Pistons coach Dick Vitale responded by saying, "We just had the heart and soul ripped from our team."

Coaching career Carr later became the general manager of the Celtics in 1994. He later took over as coach for the 1995–96 and 1996–97 seasons. In his last year as coach, the Celtics had the worst record in team history, winning just 15 games and losing 67 in a tactical effort to get a stronger draft position and poise the team for a comeback under famed college coach Rick Pitino. He was replaced at the end of season by Pitino, who was unable to restore the team to the glory of Carr's playing days. After the 1997 season, Carr became the Celtics' director of Corporate Development.

Carr later became president of the WNBA's Charlotte Sting as part of a failed attempt to become the owner of an expansion NBA team in Charlotte, North Carolina, along with Steve Belkin and former teammate Larry Bird. Carr was given a small investment stake in the Charlotte Bobcats when Bob Johnson was selected to own the NBA franchise in Charlotte. Subsequently, Johnson sold the team to end Carr's relationship with the club.

Carr and his wife, Sylvia live in Massachusetts, where he is a partner of New Technology Ventures, a tech-focused venture capital firm based in Newton.

Coaching record

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs