John Lambert (basketball)

{{Short description|American former professional basketball player}}

{{Infobox basketball biography

| name = John Lambert

| image = John Lambert (basketball), 1975.jpg

| width =

| caption = Lambert in 1975

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 10

| weight_lb = 225

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1953|01|14}}

| birth_place = Berkeley, California

| nationality = American

| high_school = Berkeley (Berkeley, California)

| college = USC (1972–1975)

| draft_year = 1975

| draft_round = 1

| draft_pick = 15

| draft_team = Cleveland Cavaliers

| career_start = 1975

| career_end = 1983

| career_number = 24

| career_position = Center / power forward

| years1 = {{nbay|1975|start}}–{{nbay|1980|start}}

| team1 = Cleveland Cavaliers

| years2 = {{nbay|1980|start}}–{{nbay|1981|end}}

| team2 = Kansas City Kings

| years3 = {{nbay|1981|end}}

| team3 = San Antonio Spurs

| years4 = 1982–1983

| team4 = Reyer Venezia

| highlights =

| stats_league = NBA

| stat1label = Points

| stat1value = 1,688 (3.8 ppg)

| stat2label = Rebounds

| stat2value = 1,493 (3.3 rpg)

| stat3label = Assists

| stat3value = 248 (0.6 apg)

| bbr = lambejo01

}}

John Edward Lambert (born January 14, 1953) is an American former professional basketball player born in Berkeley, California. In high school at Berkeley, he played basketball and was a member of The State Champs Berkeley High Yellowjackets, which included Glenn Burke, a professional baseball player.{{Cite web |url=https://web.kitsapsun.com/archive/1995/01-24/302821_he_can_sing__too.html |title=He can sing, too |last=Mosher |first=Terry |date=January 24, 1995 |website=web.kitsapsun.com |publisher=Kitsap Sun |language=en |access-date=May 1, 2018 |archive-date=May 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180501093303/https://web.kitsapsun.com/archive/1995/01-24/302821_he_can_sing__too.html |url-status=dead }} In 2007 he was inducted into the school's new Athletic Hall of Fame.{{Cite web |url=http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2007-06-08/article/27233 |title=Berkeley High {{as written|Inag|urates [sic]}} Sports Hall of Fame. Category: Features from The Berkeley Daily Planet |last=Bhattacharjee |first=Riya |date=June 8, 2007 |website=www.berkeleydailyplanet.com |publisher=Berkeley Daily Planet |language=en |access-date=May 1, 2018}}

A 6'10" center at the University of Southern California, Lambert played varsity basketball at USC for three years.{{Cite web |title=John Lambert College Stats |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/john-lambert-1.html |access-date=2023-08-07 |website=College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com |language=en}} He graduated with honors with a BA in Journalism and Public Relations.

Professional career

Lambert played in the National Basketball Association from 1975 to 1982.

In the 1975 NBA draft, he was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers as their first pick,{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Kyle |date=November 17, 2020 |title=A history of Cleveland Cavaliers NBA draft picks |url=https://www.beaconjournal.com/picture-gallery/sports/pro/cavs/2020/11/18/cleveland-cavaliers-draft-history-teams-first-round-picks/6318991002/ |access-date=2023-08-07 |website=Akron Beacon Journal |language=en-US}} and number 15 overall.{{Cite web |url=http://usctrojans.com/news/2007/6/28/USC_Juniors_Young_And_Pruitt_Selected_In_The_2007_NBA_Draft.aspx?path=mbball |title=USC Juniors Young And Pruitt Selected In The 2007 NBA Draft |date=June 28, 2007 |website=University of Southern California Official Athletic Site |language=en |access-date=May 1, 2018}} He signed a multi-year contract in July 1975, and again in September 1979. In November 1980, Cleveland activated Lambert from the injured reserve list; he had been on the list since the beginning of the season, because of back spasms.{{Cite news |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1980/11/17/The-Cleveland-Cavaliers-Monday-waived-forward-Jerome-Whitehead-and/4537343285200/ph |title=The Cleveland Cavaliers Monday waived forward Jerome Whitehead and... |date=November 17, 1980 |work=UPI |access-date=May 1, 2018 |language=en}}

In December 1980, Cleveland placed Lambert on waivers; he became a free agent and was signed that month by the Kansas City Kings. In February 1982, Kansas City sent Lambert to the San Antonio Spurs for a third round draft selection in 1984, plus cash.{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/02/17/sports/sports-people-cavaliers-get-robinson.html |title=Cavaliers Get Robinson |date=February 17, 1982 |work=The New York Times |access-date=May 1, 2018 |language=en}} In August 1982 he again was placed on waivers and became a free agent.

In his NBA career, Lambert averaged 3.8 points per game and 3.3 rebounds per game,{{cite basketball-reference |id=l/lambejo01 |name=John Lambert NBA|accessdate=April 8, 2025}} playing in a total of 446 games.{{Cite web |last=Resnick |first=Steven |date=May 29, 2010 |title=NBA Draft Busts Of the 70's and 80's |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/398447-draft-busts-of-the-70s-and-80s |access-date=2023-08-07 |website=Bleacher Report |language=en}}

Post-NBA career

In 1986, Lambert began his career in the financial services industry. From 2001 to 2009, he was a Principal with KCM Investment Advisors, where he focused on its high net worth and institutional business. He left in 2009 to join Neuberger Berman; in September 2010 he was promoted to the position of West Coast regional director for that company's wealth management business.{{Cite news |url=https://www.sfgate.com/business/moversandshakers/article/John-Lambert-promoted-at-Neuberger-Berman-3175483.php |title=John Lambert promoted at Neuberger Berman |date=September 8, 2010 |work=San Francisco Chronicle |access-date=May 1, 2018}}

Lambert left Neuberger Berman in 2014 and joined Morgan Stanley as the producing branch manager of their San Francisco, California office. He later moved his high net worth practice to Morgan Stanley's Santa Rosa, California office;{{Cite web |title=John Lambert - Santa Rosa, CA - Morgan Stanley |url=https://fa.morganstanley.com/john.lambert/index.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180625162638/https://fa.morganstanley.com/john.lambert/index.htm |archive-date=June 25, 2018 |access-date=2018-04-30 |website=Morgan Stanley}} he retired in February 2021.