John Long

Who is John Long?

John Eddie Long is a retired American professional basketball player.

After starring at the University of Detroit, the 6’ 5” shooting guard was selected by the Detroit Pistons in the second round of the 1978 NBA draft. The move was largely influenced by Dick Vitale, who coached Long at UD before going to the Pistons. He played eight seasons for the Pistons, and he averaged a career-high 21.9 points per game in 1981–82. Long was the original backcourt partner to point guard Isiah Thomas before Joe Dumars was drafted.

After Dumars was named the starter, Long later played for the Indiana Pacers, where he was backed up by Reggie Miller before playing for the Atlanta Hawks. After playing overseas and in the minor leagues for several years, Long signed with the Toronto Raptors for one season, and he retired in 1997 with 12,131 career points. At the time, the 41-year-old Long was the oldest player in the NBA, and had begun his professional career a year before then-teammate Tracy McGrady was born.

Two of John Long's nephews, Terry Mills and Grant Long, also played in the NBA. The nephews were teammates in Detroit during the 1996-1997 season.