Detroit Pistons: The wild and tragic story of Reggie Harding

Detroit Pistons: The bitter end for Reggie Harding

After going to Chicago, Reggie Harding never found his footing and was finished with the Bulls after one season. He finished his career with 9.0 points 9.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists in the NBA after just four seasons.

He made a quick stop in the ABA league, playing for Pacers in the 1968 season, when he averaged 13.4 points and 13.4 rebounds per game with the red white and blue ball. However his violent streak was on full display as a member of the Pacers. He pulled a gun on a teammate, accusing him of being a racist and another time he threatened a coach at halftime over playing time, and much more, subsequently ending his playing career professionally.

After basketball, Harding extended his criminal record doing prison time for a weapons charge. He cleaned up his life during his stint in Jackson State Prison and tried to make a comeback, although teams felt he was too much of a risk, which sent him back into the life of crime, leading to him being shot twice in the legs while attempting to flee the scene of a robbery.

His biological mother Lily Mae Thomas eventually entered his life, building a relationship. Trauma and pain hit Reggie when she was murdered by her spouse. At the funeral it’s said he stared at her coffin speechless for approximately fifteen minutes before giving his requests for his own funeral arrangements. Shortly after, Reggie Harding’s life came to a tragic ending in similar fashion. Gunned down by a once friend after a altercation between the two men,  he died September 2nd, 1972 at the youthful age of thirty.

This is one of most heartbreaking stories in league history. The story of Reggie Harding has been taught to incoming rookies entering the league, creating a silver lining in his story as a learning tool for others. His life went full circle from a kid on Detroit’s eastside, to the NBA, then back to the same streets he roamed as child. Many fans never heard of Reggie Harding, but his legacy is now the lessons learned from his troubled life. That’s the true story behind the first high school player ever drafted.