Brantley basketball legend Chuck Person turns 49

Chuck Person of Brantley, Ala.

Hardcore Auburn basketball fans in the reading audience will know that yesterday (Thursday) was Chuck Person’s 49th birthday. Person was born on this day in 1964 and is arguably one of the greatest hoops players to ever come from the state of Alabama.

Person went to high school just a short drive from Conecuh County, graduating from Brantley High School in Crenshaw County before moving on to Auburn in 1982. Person was a living legend at Auburn and would eventually be selected in the first round of the 1986 draft by the Indiana Pacers. He was the fourth overall pick in the draft that year and went on to play 15 years in the NBA.

During his time in the NBA, the six-foot-eight small forward played for the Pacers, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the San Antonio Spurs, the Charlotte Hornets and the Seattle SuperSonics. He was the Rookie of the Year in 1987 and was also named a first team member of the NBA All-Rookie Team that season. During his career, he amassed 13,858 total points (14.7 per game), 4,763 rebounds (5.1 per game) and 2,645 assists (2.8 per game).

After his playing career, Person served as an assistant coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Pacers, the Sacramento Kings and the Los Angeles Lakers. He was an assistant with the Lakers between 2009 and 2013 and helped lead the team to a NBA title in 2010. It’s interesting to note that he served on the Lakers’ staff through the tenure of three head coaches – Phil Jackson, Mike D’Antoni and Mike Brown, who let Person go at the end of last season.

Many of you will also be familiar with Chuck Person’s little brother, Wesley Person, who turned 42 back in March. Wesley also graduated from Brantley High School before following in his brother’s footsteps to Auburn, where he played from 1990 to 1994. He was also selected in the first round of the NBA draft, but went a little lower in the order than his older brother. The Phoenix Suns picked him 23rd overall.

Wesley played in the NBA from 1994 to 2005 for such teams as the Suns, the Cavaliers, the Memphis Grizzlies, the Portland Trail Blazers, the Atlanta Hawks, the Miami Heat and the Denver Nuggets. Wesley was always a threat to sink a shot from beyond the three-point line, and he finished his pro career with a .418 three-point shooting percentage. In all, he scored 8,192 career points as a pro.

Wesley’s son, Wesley Person Jr., will be a senior next year at Brantley High School, and, as they say, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Last year, as a 6-foot-2 guard, Wesley Jr. helped the Bulldogs finish as the Class 1A runner-up in the state tournament, and he was named the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s Class 1A Player of the Year. Don’t be shocked if he ends up playing at Auburn and in the NBA a few years down the road.