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Best Notre Dame NBA Players of All Time

By Bobby Norell

Mar 22, 2015; Notre Dame, IN, USA; The Notre Dame Fighting Irish logo on a chair before the game against the DePaul Blue Demons at Edmund P. Joyce Center. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 22, 2015; Notre Dame, IN, USA; The Notre Dame Fighting Irish logo on a chair before the game against the DePaul Blue Demons at Edmund P. Joyce Center. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Orlando Woolridge – Small Forward

Woolridge starred for the Irish from 1977-1981. He was part of Notre Dame’s only Final Four team in 1978. He started every game for the Irish from his sophomore to senior season. In terms of statistics, Woolridge did not have the most productive collegiate career as he only averaged 10.6 points and five rebounds for his career. The stats may not have jumped out at the NBA scouts, but his pure athleticism did. Woolridge was drafted sixth overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 1981 NBA Draft.

Woolridge would enjoy a productive 12 year career. His most productive seasons came in Chicago as he averaged more than 20 points per game as a member of the Bulls. In 1986 he led the Bulls in scoring and was the last player to do so before Michael Jordan began his reign over the NBA. Aside from he Bulls, Woolridge played for the New Jersey Nets, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, Detroit Pistons, Milwaukee Bucks and the Philadelphia 76ers.

After his NBA career he played a few years overseas in Europe, where in 1995 he was named the MVP of the Italian league.

He finished his NBA career with 13,623 points (16 PPG), which is third most among Notre Dame NBA players.

Woolridge passed away in 2012 at the young age of 52 after a long battle with heart disease.

Next: Bill Laimbeer

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