| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1926-01-25)January 25, 1926 The Bronx, New York, U.S.[1] |
| Died | February 3, 2010(2010-02-03) (aged 84) Huntington, New York, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Listed weight | 180 lb (82 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | La Salle Academy (New York City, New York) |
| College |
|
| BAA draft | 1949: 1st round, 7th overall pick |
| Selected by the New York Knicks | |
| Playing career | 1949–1960 |
| Position | Point guard |
| Number | 15 |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1949–1957 | New York Knicks |
| 1957–1960 | Detroit Pistons |
| As coach: | |
| 1959–1963 | Detroit Pistons |
| 1965–1968 | New York Knicks |
| 1972–1979 | New York Knicks (assistant) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
As player:
As assistant coach: | |
| Career statistics | |
| Points | 5,921 (8.0 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 2,784 (4.2 rpg) |
| Assists | 4,205 (5.7 apg) |
Stats  at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Basketball Hall of Fame as player | |
| College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2006 | |
Richard Joseph McGuire (January 26, 1926 – February 3, 2010) was an American professional basketball player and coach. McGuire was one of the premier guards of the 1950s, playing 11 seasons in the NBA (1949–60), eight with the New York Knicks and three with the Detroit Pistons. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993. His number 15 jersey was retired by the Knicks in 1992.
McGuire led the league in assists during his rookie season with a then-record 386 assists,[2] and was among the league's top ten playmakers for ten of his 11 seasons.[3] He was an NBA All-Star seven times (1951,'52, '54-'56, '58, '59), and was named to the All-NBA Second Team in 1951.[3] Dave Cobert portrayed him in the 2023 movie Sweetwater.
McGuire became player-coach for the Pistons in his last season (1959–60), and coached them until 1963. He also coached the Knicks for three seasons, beginning in 1965. He compiled a 197-260 coaching record.[4] McGuire was working as a senior consultant for the Knicks when he died on February 3, 2010, of a ruptured aortic aneurysm at age 84.[5]
McGuire's brother Al was also a prominent figure in basketball who coached Marquette University to the 1977 NCAA basketball championship. They are the only pair of brothers inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.[2] His nephew, Allie, also played in the NBA.
The Knicks retired number 15 a second time for McGuire in 1992 (six years earlier, it had been retired for Earl Monroe).
McGuire was inducted into the Suffolk Sports Hall of FameonLong Island in the Basketball Category with the Class of 1994.
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| * | Led the league |
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949–50 | New York | 68 | – | .337 | .652 | – | 5.7 | 8.6 |
| 1950–51 | New York | 64 | – | .371 | .649 | 5.2 | 6.3 | 8.4 |
| 1951–52 | New York | 64 | 31.5 | .430 | .631 | 5.2 | 6.1 | 9.2 |
| 1952–53 | New York | 61 | 29.2 | .381 | .569 | 4.6 | 4.9 | 7.2 |
| 1953–54 | New York | 68 | 34.5 | .408 | .638 | 4.6 | 5.2 | 9.1 |
| 1954–55 | New York | 71 | 32.5 | .389 | .644 | 4.5 | 7.6 | 9.1 |
| 1955–56 | New York | 62 | 27.2 | .347 | .637 | 3.5 | 5.8 | 6.9 |
| 1956–57 | New York | 72 | 16.5 | .383 | .644 | 2.0 | 3.1 | 5.3 |
| 1957–58 | Detroit | 69 | 33.5 | .373 | .667 | 4.2 | 6.6 | 8.1 |
| 1958–59 | Detroit | 71 | 29.1 | .427 | .740 | 4.0 | 6.2 | 9.2 |
| 1959–60 | Detroit | 68 | 21.6 | .445 | .617 | 3.9 | 5.3 | 7.1 |
| Career | 738 | 28.3 | .389 | .644 | 4.2 | 5.7 | 8.0 | |
| All-Star | 7 | 21.6 | .387 | .417 | 3.3 | 5.4 | 4.1 | |
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | New York | 5 | – | .423 | .731 | – | 5.4* | 12.6 |
| 1951 | New York | 14 | – | .313 | .453 | 5.9 | 5.6* | 5.3 |
| 1952 | New York | 14 | 39.0 | .449 | .570 | 5.1 | 6.4* | 10.4 |
| 1953 | New York | 11 | 32.7 | .407 | .636 | 5.7 | 6.4* | 7.5 |
| 1954 | New York | 4 | 17.0 | .250 | .600 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 2.8 |
| 1955 | New York | 3 | 25.0 | .316 | .667 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 6.7 |
| 1958 | Detroit | 7 | 33.7 | .417 | .708 | 4.7 | 5.7 | 9.6 |
| 1959 | Detroit | 3 | 36.3 | .625* | .636 | 5.7 | 6.3 | 15.7 |
| 1960 | Detroit | 2 | 21.0 | .417 | .333 | 2.0 | 4.5 | 5.5 |
| Career | 63 | 32.6 | .410 | .593 | 4.9 | 5.6 | 8.3 | |
