Ex-UCLA All-American, longtime pro David Greenwood dies

Former UCLA standout and longtime NBA player David Greenwood has died. He was 68.

According to UCLA, Greenwood died Sunday in Riverside, Calif., after a battle with cancer.

Greenwood was the No. 2 overall pick of the 1979 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls. The Los Angeles Lakers won the coin toss for No. 1 pick and picked legendary Magic Johnson.

Greenwood was a four-year starter for the Bruins and averaged 14.8 points and 8.7 rebounds in 118 games at UCLA. He was one of the final recruits of legendary coach John Wooden but the "Wizard of Westwood" retired months before Greenwood stepped on campus in the fall of 1975.

Greenwood was a two-time conference player of the year and a two-time first-team All-American, stemming his strong junior and senior campaigns. He averaged 17.5 and 11.4 rebounds as a junior in 1977-78 and followed up with averages of 19.9 points and 10.3 rebounds.

He still ranks fourth on the school's all-time rebounding list with 1,022. According to the school, Greenwood ranks third in program history with 52 games of 10 or more rebounds, topped only by legends Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) with 78 and Bill Walton with 75. Greenwood's 49 double-doubles also stand third.

Greenwood was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021, and the Pac-12 Hall of Honor in 2017.

In the NBA, Greenwood averaged 10.2 points and 7.9 rebounds in 823 games (582 starts) and was a member of the Detroit Pistons' NBA title team in 1990.

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— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) June 11, 2025

"We are saddened to learn of the passing of former Piston, David Greenwood, a member of the 1990 NBA Championship team," the Pistons said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones at this time."

He played with four teams, including six seasons with the Bulls (1979-85). He averaged a career-high 16.3 points as a rookie and averaged more than nine rebounds as a game on five occasions in his NBA career.

Greenwood also played for the San Antonio Spurs for 4 1/2 seasons over two stints and the Denver Nuggets.

--Field Level Media