Luther Burden
A lightning-fast guard whose scoring prowess in the ABA and NBA left a lasting mark on the game's New York roots.
1953–2015 (age 62)·American basketball player·Birthday: February 28·Baby Boomers
Biography
Luther 'Ticky' Burden was a New York City playground legend before he ever stepped onto a professional court. A scoring machine at the University of Utah, he brought that explosive offensive talent to the American Basketball Association's Virginia Squires, where his quickness and knack for putting the ball in the hoop made him an immediate standout. His game was pure asphalt poetry—a blur of motion and a deadly mid-range jumper. When the ABA merged with the NBA, Burden brought his talents to the New York Knicks, fulfilling a destiny for the local star. While his professional career was relatively brief, his style embodied the flash and substance of 1970s basketball. He remained a revered figure in the city's rich hoops tapestry, remembered for his electric play and the distinctive nickname that echoed his rapid-fire moves.
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.
Luther was born in 1953, 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 Luther Was Born
The biggest hits of 1953
#1 Movie
Peter Pan
Best Picture
From Here to Eternity
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Luther's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1953Born
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1958Started school
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1966Became a teenager
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1969Could drive
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1971Could vote
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Turned 21
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1983Turned 30
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
1993Turned 40
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2003Turned 50
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 60
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2015Died at 62
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
Key Achievements
- Averaged 18.0 points per game during his ABA Rookie of the Year campaign with the Virginia Squires in 1975.
- Scored a career-high 58 points in a single game for the Virginia Squires in 1976.
- Played for his hometown New York Knicks during the 1976-77 NBA season following the ABA-NBA merger.
- Named to the All-ABA Second Team in 1976 for his outstanding performance with the Squires.
- His jersey number 1 was retired by the University of Utah, where he was a two-time All-American.
Did You Know?
His nickname 'Ticky' came from his grandmother, who said he was 'always tickin' around' as a hyperactive child.
He was drafted in the 3rd round of the 1975 NBA draft by the New Orleans Jazz but chose to sign with the ABA.
He once scored 40 points in a single half during a game for the Virginia Squires.
After basketball, he worked for the New York City Department of Corrections.
He is a member of the University of Utah's 'All-Century Team' for basketball.
“I learned to score on the asphalt courts of Harlem.”
