Once again we return to the 1970-71 ABA All-Star 5 x 7 Picture Pack. This set consists of a dozen ABA All-Stars with Rick Barry, the first card in the set alphabetically, being the highlight. We’ve looked at ten of these cards and I really wanted to continue on to #11, John Roche. Roche’s inclusion in this set is a bit unusual since he was actually drafted into the ABA in 1971, and this is a 1970-71 set. Both the Phoenix Suns (NBA) and the Kentucky Colonels (ABA) drafted him in 1971. The New York Nets obtained rights to him from the Kentucky Colonels. This card marks the very beginning of his career with those New York Nets in the ABA. He had a solid start making the ABA All-Rookie First Team. But let’s zoom ahead and get to the really unique fact about John Roche…
Remember, he was also drafted in the NBA by the Phoenix Suns, and the Suns transferred their rights to him to the Los Angeles Lakers. Well, fast forward ahead to the 1975-76 season, and he jumped over there to the Lakers. The Lakers didn’t really want him too bad, so he decided to become a lawyer, going to the law college at the University of Denver. But he also resumed his career with the Denver Nuggets starting in 1979. He finished up his law studies shortly after in 1981, still playing for Denver. So, here we have the only licensed lawyer to ever play in the NBA!!!
Was he good? He could shoot… With the Nuggets in 1979-80, he was fourth in the league in three-point percentage and 10th in free throw percentage. And he’s the first person in NBA history to make seven three’s in one quarter!
If this is the first of these cards in this set you’ve encountered, you’ll notice that they’re actually just pieces of 5″ x 7″ paper. The backs are completely blank. Fortunately, authenticity isn’t much of an issue with this set, but if you’re worried, you can compare image quality to a known sample but known samples aren’t easy to find. More likely, you’ll need to check the stock and color of the paper against plain white. There’s a nice simplicity to the “cards” which are simple black-and-white photos with the player and team names underneath. There’s no numbering on the cards, but this John Roche is #11 of 12 if ordering alphabetically by last name.
So really cool card here, the only NBA player who was simultaneously a lawyer. Despite the “cards” being paper, as well as being off-the-beaten-path for basketball cards, they are an excellent source of history for a collection. And a reminder to be grateful for even the commons in your collection, lots of fun and history in every card!
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