Stan Washington

{{Infobox basketball biography

| name = Stan Washington

| image =

| image_size =

| caption =

| number = 20

| position = Point guard

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 4

| weight_lb = 190

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1952|1|23}}

| birth_place = Washington, D.C.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| nationality = American

| high_school = Spingarn (Washington, D.C.)

| college = San Diego (1971–1974)

| draft_year = 1974

| draft_round = 4

| draft_pick = 66

| draft_team = Capital Bullets

| career_start = 1970

| career_end = 1974

| years1 = 1970–1971

| team1 = Camden Bullets

| years2 = 1974

| team2 = Washington Bullets

| highlights =

}}

Stanley Washington (born January 23, 1952) is an American former professional basketball player for the Washington Bullets of the National Basketball Association (NBA).{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/washist01.html|title=Stan Washington NBA stats|website=Basketball Reference|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|accessdate=18 March 2025}} He played college basketball for the San Diego Toreros,{{cite news |title=Washington to direct USD attack again |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98068261/ |access-date=21 March 2022 |work=Imperial Beach Star-News |date=7 December 1972 |page=B-10|via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}} and left as the school's career scoring leader with 1,472 points, a record that stood for 34 years until it was broken by Gyno Pomare in 2008.{{cite news|first=Frank|last=Wesch|title=Low-key Pomare gives USD high output|date=January 22, 2009|newspaper=The San Diego Union-Tribune|page=D-1|url=https://sandiegouniontribune.newsbank.com/doc/news/1260C17DB1002C98|url-access=subscription|access-date=March 25, 2022|quote=On Dec. 30, he passed the 1,472 that Washington put up from 1971 to 1974, scoring 10 points in a victory at Mississippi State that started USD on the six-game winning streak it takes into tonight's contest.|via=NewsBank}}{{cite news |title=Washington Returns to USD as Part of Torero Legends |url=https://www.sandiego.edu/news/detail.php?_focus=74819 |access-date=16 March 2022 |work=University of San Diego |date=8 January 2020}}{{cite web|title=2008–09 West Coast Conference Men's Basketball|date=January 7, 2009|publisher=West Coast Conference|url=https://wccsports.com/documents/2018/6/27/21286_wcc_cstv_com_west_m_baskbl__mbbrelease-1-7-09.pdf|access-date=March 24, 2022}} Washington's career total of 451 assists was also a Toreros record until 1996, when it was broken by David Fizdale.{{cite news|first=Bill|last=Center|title=Toreros survive Cal Poly SLO scare to even record|date=February 28, 1996|newspaper=The San Diego Union-Tribune|page=D-7|url=https://sandiegouniontribune.newsbank.com/doc/news/116C490DF3470903|url-access=subscription|access-date=March 25, 2022|quote=Point guard David Fizdale, who a day earlier was named to the all-WCC team, had 10 assists to become the USD career leader with 452 -- surpassing Stan Washington by one.|via=NewsBank}}

Washington played high school ball in Washington, D.C., where he was recruited by Marquette, Detroit and Loyola Chicago. He instead chose to attend the University of San Diego (USD), believing that he could contribute more as a guard at a small-college school, which did not depend as much on big, dominant centers.{{cite news|first=Bill|last=Finley|title=Washington Wonders About His Future|date=February 20, 1974|newspaper=Evening Tribune|location=San Diego, California|page=D-1|url=https://sandiegouniontribune.newsbank.com/doc/image/v2:136E6CB81C5E443C@NGPA-CASD-18592172E40A8F8C@2442099-18591FD3D15BA6F4@64-18591FD3D15BA6F4@?search_terms|url-access=subscription|access-date=March 25, 2022|via=NewsBank}} Wanting to improve his skills to play professionally, he also thought that a large school would only value his shooting and not allow him to improve on defense.{{cite news|first=Chuck|last=Sawyer|title=Washington's Hope Rise|date=January 29, 1974|newspaper=The San Diego Union|page=C-4|url=https://sandiegouniontribune.newsbank.com/doc/image/v2:136E6A0F0DF56B38@NGPA-CASD-13CBFA1BF64553BA@2442077-13C60FD3F9059BF9@26-13C60FD3F9059BF9@?search_terms|url-access=subscription|access-date=February 25, 2022|via=NewsBank}} At the time, USD was an NCAA Division II affiliate. Washington played on the freshman team and then three years of varsity under Toreros coach Bernie Bickerstaff. As a senior in 1974, he broke the school career scoring record of 1,234 set by Russ Cravens over four seasons (1959–1963).

After college, Washington was selected by the Washington Bullets in the fourth round of the 1974 NBA draft with the 66th overall pick (the franchise changed its name from the Capital Bullets prior to the start of the 1974–75 season). He was reunited with Bickerstaff, who had left USD to become an assistant coach for the Bullets in 1973–74.{{cite news|title=Bullets Tab Washington|date=May 29, 1974|newspaper=The San Diego Union|page=C-2|url=https://sandiegouniontribune.newsbank.com/doc/image/v2:136E6A0F0DF56B38@NGPA-CASD-13CC0F2873ABC0C8@2442197-13C6101240477E01@29-13C6101240477E01@?search_terms|url-access=subscription|access-date=March 25, 2022|via=NewsBank}} Washington appeared in one regular season game for the Bullets on October 19, 1974, when he was scoreless in four minutes while attempting one shot.{{cite magazine|first=Lee|last=Jenkins|title='We can't play, but we can coach': The little school with the big NBA pipeline|date=April 7, 2015|magazine=Sports Illustrated|url=https://www.si.com/nba/2015/04/07/university-san-diego-nba-david-fizdale-mike-brown-bernie-bickerstaff-hank-egan#gid=ci02554dde90032511&pid=jeff-hornacek|access-date=March 24, 2022}} Four days later, he was released by the team so that they could sign Jimmy Jones, who had been a seven-year veteran and All-Star in the rival American Basketball Association (ABA).{{cite news|title=Jones Signs With Bullets|date=October 24, 1974|newspaper=The San Diego Union|page=C-1|agency=UPI|url=https://sandiegouniontribune.newsbank.com/doc/image/v2:136E6A0F0DF56B38@NGPA-CASD-13C6723D58AE864D@2442345-13C6653EE12F7124@28-13C6653EE12F7124@?search_terms|url-access=subscription|via=NewsBank|access-date=March 25, 2022}} After a few tryouts with ABA teams later that season, Washington retired from basketball.

Washington appeared in three games with the Camden Bullets of the Eastern Basketball Association (EBA) during the 1970–71 season.{{cite web |title=Stan Washington minor league basketball statistics |url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbasketball/stats/p-washista001 |website=Stats Crew |access-date=February 10, 2025}}

Washington is the only Torero to have played in the NBA.{{cite news|first=Don|last=Norcross|title=Senior Night bittersweet with Toreros about to lose nucleus of veteran team|date=February 22, 2019|newspaper=The San Diego Union-Tribune|url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/high-school-preps/sd-sp-usd-basketball-senior-night-20190222-story.html|access-date=March 21, 2022}} He was inducted into USD's athletics hall of fame in 2010.{{cite news|first=Nathan|last=Dinsdale|title=Mr. Washington Goes to the Hall|date=Spring 2010|work=USD Magazine|url=https://sites.sandiego.edu/usd-magazine/2010/01/mr-washington-goes-hall|access-date=March 24, 2022}}