Billy Knight
A versatile forward whose smooth scoring touch bridged the ABA and NBA eras, later shaping teams from the front office.
Born 1952 (age 74)·American basketball player and executive·Birthday: June 9·Baby Boomers
Biography
Billy Knight emerged from the University of Pittsburgh as a polished scorer, his jersey number 34 eventually retired by the school. His professional career took off with the Indiana Pacers in the flamboyant American Basketball Association, where his reliable mid-range game and team-first approach made him an All-Star. When the ABA merged with the NBA, Knight seamlessly transitioned, earning another All-Star nod and proving his skills translated to the bigger league. After his playing days, he didn't leave the game, moving into front office roles where his keen eye for talent came to the fore. As an executive, most notably with the Memphis Grizzlies and the Atlanta Hawks, he was instrumental in building competitive rosters, applying the lessons learned from his years on the hardwood to the complex chess match of team management.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Billy was born in 1952, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Billy Was Born
The biggest hits of 1952
#1 Movie
The Greatest Show on Earth
Best Picture
The Greatest Show on Earth
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Billy's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1952Born
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1957Started school
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1965Became a teenager
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1968Could drive
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1970Could vote
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Turned 21
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1982Turned 30
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1992Turned 40
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 50
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 60
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2022Turned 70
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
2026Age 74 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Selected as an All-Star in both the ABA (1976) and the NBA (1977).
- Averaged over 20 points per game in three consecutive NBA seasons with the Pacers.
- Had his No. 34 jersey retired by the University of Pittsburgh.
- Served as the General Manager of the Atlanta Hawks from 2003 to 2008.
Did You Know?
He was a teammate of Hall of Famer Billy Cunningham on the Indiana Pacers.
Knight earned a degree in economics from the University of Pittsburgh.
He was the first-ever draft pick of the Indiana Pacers in the 1974 NBA Draft after playing a season in Italy.
As Hawks GM, he drafted Josh Smith and Marvin Williams.
“My job is to make the right decision for the team, not the popular one.”
