Erwin Mueller

This is an article about the basketball player. For the physicist, see Erwin Wilhelm Müller.

Erwin Louis Mueller (March 12, 1944 – June 7, 2018) was an American basketball player. A 6'8" forward/center,he attended the University of San Francisco where he was All-Coast, All Conference & All-America and was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the second round (10th pick overall) of the 1966 NBA draft.

Erwin Mueller

Personal information
Born	(1944-03-12)March 12, 1944 Livermore, California
Died	June 7, 2018(2018-06-07) (aged 74) North Las Vegas, Nevada
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight	230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High school	Livermore (Livermore, California)
College	San Francisco (1963–1966)
NBA draft	1966: 2nd round, 20th overall pick
Selected by the Chicago Bulls
Playing career	1966–1973
Position	Power forward / center
Number	14, 34, 6, 24, 51, 35
Career history
1966–1968	Chicago Bulls
1968	Los Angeles Lakers
1968–1969	Chicago Bulls
1969	Seattle SuperSonics
1969–1972	Detroit Pistons
1972–1973	Virginia Squires
1973	Memphis Tams
Career highlights and awards
NBA All-Rookie First Team (1967)
Career NBA and ABA statistics
Points	3,287 (7.4 ppg)
Rebounds	2,100 (4.7 rpg)
Assists	881 (2.0 apg)
Stats at Basketball Reference

During his first season, Mueller averaged 12.7 points per game for the Bulls and earned NBA All-Rookie Team honors. He was traded midway through his second season to the LA Lakers for Jim Barnes and a draft choice on January 9, 1968. Mueller would return to the Bulls for the start of the 68–69 season by way of another trade through the Lakers sending Keith Erickson to LA for Erwin on September 23, 1968. However his tenure in Chicago would not last through the season. On January 31, 1969, Mueller was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics for a draft choice and cash.

In his seven-season (1966–1973) NBA career, he also played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Seattle SuperSonics, and Detroit Pistons and scored 3,248 total points. He spent parts of the 1972–73 and 1973–74 seasons in the rival American Basketball Association as a member of the Virginia Squires and Memphis Tams.

Career statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

NBA/ABA

Source

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	STL	BLK	PPG
1966–67	Chicago	80	26.7	.441		.658	6.2	1.6			12.7
1967–68	Chicago	35	23.3	.387		.561	4.8	2.2			6.5
1967–68	L.A. Lakers	39	24.9	.520		.592	5.7	2.0			8.3
1968–69	Chicago	52	16.8	.335		.511	3.7	2.4			3.8
1968–69	Seattle	26	18.6	.431		.597	4.0	2.4			7.0
1969–70	Seattle	4	17.3	.406		.444	3.5	1.5			7.5
1969–70	Detroit	74	30.9	.467		.728	6.3	2.7			10.3
1970–71	Detroit	52	23.5	.408		.556	4.3	2.2			6.0
1971–72	Detroit	42	14.4	.345		.581	3.5	1.4			4.3
1972–73	Detroit	21	3.8	.290		.714	.7	.3			1.1
1972–73	Virginia (ABA)	17	12.1	.321	–	.300	2.8	1.5			2.2
1973–74	Memphis (ABA)	3	6.6	.000	–	.400	1.0	.7	.0	.0	.7
Career (NBA)		425	22.4	.429		.627	4.8	2.0			7.6
Career (ABA)		20	11.2	.298	–	.333	2.5	1.4	.0	.0	2.0
Career (overall)		445	21.9	.426	–	.623	4.7	2.0	.0	.0	7.4

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	PPG
1967	Chicago	3	28.0	.308		.714	4.7	3.0	8.7
1968	L.A. Lakers	14	17.9	.339		.357	3.9	1.3	3.2
1973	Virginia (ABA)	5	22.4	.278	1.000	.857	3.8	3.0	3.4
Career (NBA)		17	19.6	.329		.536	4.0	1.6	4.2
Career (overall)		22	20.3	.320	1.000	.600	4.0	1.9	4.0

External links

• Career statistics