John Shumate

Biography

John Henry Shumate (April 6, 1952 – February 3, 2025) was an American professional and college basketball player and coach. Shumate played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Phoenix Suns, Buffalo Braves, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, and Seattle SuperSonics from 1975 to 1981. He was the fourth overall selection in the 1974 NBA draft. In addition to missing a full college season when he was 19 years old, Shumate's professional playing career was cut short by a blood clotting disorder that led him to miss over 2½ NBA seasons by age 28. Shumate played college basketball for the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He averaged 22.4 points and 13 rebounds per game on the freshman team, but missed the next season with a life-threatening blood clotting condition. Shumate was able to play the following two seasons, averaging 22.6 points and 11.6 rebounds per game over that time.

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