One of the most popular faces in the NBA has a story behind it that is beyond imagination.
John Lucas II, who was the first NBA draft pick after the merger with the American Basketball Association in 1976, has a career and story that would see him balance basketball, a tennis career and a devastating drug problem.
John Lucas II was most recently a coach for the Houston RocketsGETTYLucas was selected as the No. 1 overall pick by the Houston Rockets, which would be the start of his 14-year career in the NBA.
He would play for nine teams across those 14 seasons before retiring in 1990, and would later become the San Antonio Spurs’ head coach in 1992.
Lucas then spent two years with the Philadelphia 76ers as their head coach between 1994 and 1995.
His last job as the top boss would be with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2002.
Lucas would still remain active in the league, keeping a presence in youth basketball before re-joining the Rockets as their assistant coach in 2016, where he would remain until 2023.
On the face of it, Lucas’ career seems pretty standard, as he went from player to coach.
However, as he would admit, it was anything but.
First, Lucas was a professional tennis player and was a standout one, too.
He was an All-American star in the sport while at Maryland and won the ACC singles championship twice in 1974 and 1976.
Lucas competed in four Grand Prix tennis tournaments, now known as ATP events.
His first came in 1973 at Louisville, where he lost in straight sets to two-time Grand Slam champion Geoff Masters.
Lucas spent 45 years in the NBAGETTY While Lucas is known for his basketball he also played professional tennisGETTYHis second tournament was in Haverford, where again he lost in straight sets.
Remarkably, Lucas played in two professional tennis tournaments while an active basketball player in 1979.
While he lost in the first round in both the San Jose tournament and the challenger event in Raleigh, his participation is still a stunning feat.
At the time, he was with the Golden State Warriors, playing 80 games in the 1978-79 season.
A promising professional tennis player and basketball star, things were going well for Lucas, it seemed, as in that same 1978-79 season, he scored a career-best 35 points for the Warriors.
However by 1982, his career was on the verge of collapsing, and in his last season with the Warriors he was suspended and became a free agent.
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This was a result of missing practice sessions, plane trips and games.
He was given a second chance by the Washington Bullets, but when he admitted he was addicted to cocaine prior to the 1982-83 season, things began to unravel, and the franchise waived him in 1983.
He would head up to Canada to spend time with the Lancaster Lighting before returning to the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs, but drug problems counted to plagued him.
When Lucas was back at the Rockets in 1984, he slowly began to re-establish himself and became a regular starter by the 1986 season.
However, after walking up from a blackout in the early morning of March 13, after spending the night drinking and doing cocaine, his career went downhill again.
He went on to fail two drug tests, and the Rockets would waive him, just before they embarked on a playoff run that took them to the NBA Finals
It was after that, Lucas embarked on a chance that would change his life forever.
Lucas left the Rockets in 2023GETTYFast forward to 2025, and Lucas is unrecognisable from the man who was once a drug addict and alcoholic.
Lucas went on to recover after being waived by the Rockets that year and went on to play four more years in the NBA.
The Milwaukee Bucks signed him to a 10-day contract in January 1987, which turned into a contract for the next 18 months.
He then went on to play for the Seattle SuperSonics before returning to the Rockets in 1990.
During his drug rehabilitation, he started his own program to help other players, something he has now done for the last 35 years.
“I’m so transparent about my own life. I know I can then help others with whatever is plaguing them in their life,” Lucas told the Crossover in 2021.
Lucas spent 12 years in total with the RocketsGETTY“God gave me a real gift when I got sober, and that’s the ability to see me in other people.”
“Maybe somebody who is smoking too much, who may be drinking too much. Don’t understand why they aren’t playing as much as they would like.
“I intuitively learned how to handle situations that used to baffle me, used to frustrate me.”
Lucas’ clinic is based in Houston, where he operates wellness and aftercare programs, offering a substance abuse recovery program for athletes.
Professional athletes across the NBA and NFL give up their phones, cash and keys, and spend 30 days in the clinic to detox and work on their behavioural skills.
“I tell the guys here all the time, you can’t fool somebody who has been everywhere you ever thought about going,” Lucas said.
Lucas remains a popular figure in HoustonGETTY“It’s made me much more appreciative about life and has given me insight and intuition to see things before they happen. I’ve lived the experience.”
Lucas’ expertise even saw him influence the NBA’s drug policies in the 1990s, working with the commissioner at the time, David Stern.
“I wrote all the drug policies because nobody knew what to do. We had not one rule in place. I put all the counsellors in each city. [Then-NBA] Commissioner David Stern let me put the program together,” he added.
While we don’t see much of Lucas’ face on the court anymore, his impact and legacy are one that still has effects today, even if it wasn’t forged on the court.
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