Eric Piatkowski
A sharpshooting specialist who carved out a 14-year NBA career as a reliable long-range threat, most famously with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Born 1970 (age 56)·American basketball player·Birthday: September 30·Generation X
Biography
In an era before the three-point shot dominated strategy, Eric Piatkowski was a pure shooter who understood his role and excelled at it. The son of a former ABA player, 'Pike' leveraged a standout career at Nebraska into a first-round draft pick. He found his longest home with the Los Angeles Clippers, where over nine seasons he became a fixture off the bench, known for his quick release and consistency from beyond the arc. He wasn't a flashy star, but a professional's professional—a player coaches could trust to space the floor and knock down open shots. His 14-year journey through the league, with stops in Houston, Chicago, and Phoenix, is a testament to the value of a specific, elite skill and the work ethic required to sustain a lengthy career as a role player.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Eric was born in 1970, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Eric Was Born
The biggest hits of 1970
#1 Movie
Love Story
Best Picture
Patton
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Eric's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1970Born
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
1975Started school
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1983Became a teenager
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1986Could drive
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1988Could vote
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1991Turned 21
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2000Turned 30
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 40
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 50
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 56 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Played 14 seasons in the NBA, with his longest tenure being nine years with the Los Angeles Clippers franchise.
- Finished his career with a 39.9% shooting percentage from the three-point line, ranking among the best marks of his era.
- Set the Los Angeles Clippers' franchise record for career three-pointers made, a record that stood for several years.
Did You Know?
His father, Walt Piatkowski, played in the American Basketball Association (ABA) for the Pittsburgh Pipers and Minnesota Pipers.
He was a first-round draft pick (15th overall) by the Indiana Pacers in the 1994 NBA Draft but was immediately traded to the Los Angeles Clippers.
He still holds several three-point shooting records at the University of Nebraska.
“My job was simple: be ready to shoot when the ball comes your way.”
