What he did: When Atlanta was getting introduced to the NBA in the early 1970's, Jim Washington was one of the team's more popular players. He looked awfully good in a uniform, some calling him "Smooth" as he galloped down the court. And he could also almost jump out of the gym. Washington, who is 6-foot-6, spent many nights going over the backs of big men like Wilt Chamberlain and Bob Lanier.
Washington came off the streets of Philadelphia, playing at West Catholic High Schoolm even though he didn’t start organized basketball until he made the junior varsity as a sophomore. His mother then fell sick and he had to work during his junior year but made varsity as a senior and started the second half of the season. He went unrecruited but later received a call from the freshman coach at nearby Villanova, who offered him a scholarship that Washington still believes had previously been turned down by another player.
He was productive on Villanova’s freshman team, focusing on improving his skills, and he blossomed as a strong sophomore rebounder. Playing for coach Jack Kraft, the Wildcats went 24-4 and lost in the NCAA regional semifinals to Duke. Villanova went 23-5 during Washington’s junior season and then 18-11 his senior year. He finished his college career with over 1,000 points and 1,200 rebounds and was named to some All-American teams.
During the 1965 NBA draft, Washington thought he was going to be taken by Philadelphia with the fifth pick but the 76ers took North Carolina’s Billy Cunningham and Washington went sixth overall to the St. Louis Hawks.
There, he met player-coach Richie Guerin for the first time, a relationship that is still strong today. Washington joined a talented Hawks team but mainly came off the bench, playing in 65 games and averaging 5.4 rebounds. But he was left unprotected for an expansion draft after the season and was taken by Chicago.
He again came off the bench in his first season with the Bulls but during the 1967-68 season, he was moved to center, the shortest player at his position in the league, and he averaged 12.5 points and 10.1 rebounds. He returned to forward his next year and had the most productive season of his career, averaging 14 points and 10.6 rebounds.
Then in a surprise move, he was traded to Philadelphia with Bob Kaufman for Shaler Halimon and Chet Walker. Washington played with the 76ers in his backyard for two-plus seasons before going to Atlanta in November 1971 in a deal for forward Bill Bridges.
Washington rejoined Guerin for his first of five seasons with the Hawks. On a team that had veteran center Walt Bellamy and the fabulous backcourt of Lou Hudson and Pete Maravich, Washington fit right in at power forward. The team went only 36-46 but made it to the playoffs, losing to Boston in the first round.
Washington showed his dominance on the boards after the Hawks replaced Guerin coach Cotton Fitzsimmons for the following year, the Hawks going 46-36 during the 1972-73 season during their first year in the Omni. Again, they would lose to Boston in the opening round but Washington averaged 10.4 points and 10.7 rebounds while Hudson and Maravich were arguably the best backcourt in the NBA.
The expectations for the 1973-74 season were high but the year was a disaster. Washington held his own with 10.1 rebounds and 10.1 points. But the team’s shooting was miserable and the Hawks finished 35-47 and out of the playoffs. After the season, Maravich was traded to New Orleans and Washington would last only three months into the 1974-75 season before he was dealt to Buffalo for a draft pick.
He finished the season with the Braves and retired after only one game the next year. He finished his career with 8,168 points and 6,637 rebounds in 774 games. He made the playoffs eight times in his 10 full seasons.
Washington returned to Atlanta and, with the help of famed builder Herman Russell, opened a beer distributorship. He then opened an installation company and turned that into a paper recycling plant before going to work for the city of Atlanta under Mayor Andrew Young as the director of recreation. He was with the city for nine years, opening the popular Camp Best Friends during the summer, and then spent a few years managing his own properties before becoming the director of community affairs for the Hawks for eight years.
Where he lives: Washington, who is single, lives in southwest Atlanta off Cascade Road. He had two daughters, Kelly and Tiffany, and seven grandchildren.
What he does now: Washington, 72, is retired. He still goes to a lot of Hawks games and loves to play golf.
On how he became a big jumper: "When I was first learning how to dunk, I used to throw the ball against the backboard and dunk it that way. That is how I learned to dunk and how I developed my leg muscles.''
On being drafted by the St. Louis Hawks: "When it came around to the draft, I was told I was going to be taken by Philly, which would have been great because it would have been the chance to go back home right away. But they took Billy Cunningham, which ended up being a good pick for them. The St. Louis pick was a good pick for me. Bob Petit had just retired and I am told that he had something to do with the Hawks taking me. I got to play with a lot of veterans there and learned a lot and Richie was our player-coach and that worked out good for me down the road with the Hawks.''
On not being protected after his rookie season: "The story behind that was Chicago wanted Richie Guerin so they ended up protecting him.''
On his seasons with the Bulls, his best in the NBA: "I got a lot of opportunity there, especially my second year when they put me at center and then my third year at power forward. I was at the top of my game then and in really good shape. Then I got traded to my hometown where we would have been really good if we had a big man.''
On playing with Maravich and Hudson: "Boy, their styles were different. That first year, we had fun but we didn't win a lot of games. There was a lot of pressure on Pete. His style of play was very flamboyant and flashy. Richie Guerin was old school.''
On whether, as was reported, the African-American players had problems with Maravich: "I didn't see that. I don't recall any tension because of race among our players and I was close with Pete. Now, living in Atlanta was different. Back then we didn't have the option of moving to Buckhead and north Atlanta because we were not welcome there and couldn't afford it. Atlanta is my home and I have my concerns about this city. I live in a predominately black neighborhood and I wish it was not like that. I would like to see more togetherness in our community.''
On playing one season at Georgia Tech while the Omni was being built: "It was terrible. They had concrete floors and it was the worst place in the world for a jumper.''
On being traded to Buffalo: "I remember it to this day as I was in Boston, relaxing for a game. And Cotton Fitzsimmons called me and said I had bad news. I thought there are two places NBA players don't want to go and that is Cleveland and Buffalo. But we had a very talented team and the fans were great. But after that, I realized it was over and was very glad to get back to Atlanta and made my home here ever since.''
On reconnecting with the Hawks: "The team is doing a good job with former players as they provide us two tickets and a parking pass for the games. I was supposed to be an honorary captain the other night but I got to the game late because of the traffic. But the club is really trying to recapture the Hawks past and give us recognition.''
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