Fred Saunders

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James Frederick Saunders, born June 13, 1951 in Columbus, Ohio, is a former NBA player. Standing 6'7" tall and weighing 210 pounds, he played as a small forward. He went to Mohawk High School in Columbus and started college basketball at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (1970–1973), averaging 6.5 points per game. He transferred to Syracuse for his final year (1973–1974), where he averaged 9.8 points per game as a power forward. Syracuse finished 17-9 and reached the NCAA tournament, and Saunders earned the nickname "Chocolate Thunder" for his skyhook. He was drafted in the 1974 NBA draft in the second round, 31st overall, by the Phoenix Suns. Saunders played in the NBA from 1974 to 1978, wearing numbers 30, 20, and 12 for the Suns, Celtics, and Jazz. His career totals are 1,107 points (5.3 ppg), 624 rebounds (3.0 rpg), and 224 assists (1.1 apg).