Former NBA player Robert Reid, who spent most of his 13-year career with the Rockets, has died at 68 years old.
Reid died after a battle with cancer, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Reid was a small forward on the Rockets teams that made it to the NBA finals during the 1980-81 and 1985-86 seasons.
“It is with great sorrow that my family and I received the news of the passing of Rockets legend, Robert Reid,” Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta tweeted Tuesday afternoon.
“I have had the privilege of knowing Robert for over 40 years, and his presence always brought joy and positivity to any room he entered.”
Reid manned up on Larry Bird in the 1981 NBA Finals, and was given something of a backhanded compliment in Bird’s 1989 autobiography, “Drive,” when Bird recalled being held to eight points in both Game 3 and Game 4 in Houston in the series.
“I scored eight points in both games down there. All of a sudden, Robert Reid is this great defensive force,” Bird wrote, as covered by the Chronicle. “Robert is a good defensive player, but he’s no Michael Cooper. I couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about. I couldn’t hit a shot, but otherwise, I thought I was playing good basketball.”
As pointed out by SB Nation Rockets writer Lachard Binkley, Reid hit a 3-pointer in Game 5 of the 1986 Western Conference Finals against the Showtime Lakers, which tied the game at 112-112, before Ralph Sampson hit a legendary buzzer-beater to put the Rockets in the Finals.
Reid’s NBA career spanned from 1977-91.
He stepped away from a $300,000 annual contract in 1982 to devote his time to the Pentecostal church.
“You have loved ones who are not interested in money and fame, they’re just concerned about your soul,” Reid told the LA Times in 1985, of his decision to walk away from basketball. “I decided to quit. I was through with professional basketball. It just wasn’t important to me. I made my decision and I felt good.”
He ultimately decided to return to the NBA the following year.
After playing 10 seasons on the Rockets, he also spent time with the Hornets, Blazers and briefly the 76ers.