Melvin Turpin
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born |
December 28, 1960 Lexington, Kentucky |
| Died | July 8, 2010 (aged 49) Lexington, Kentucky |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
| Listed weight | 240 lb (109 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Bryan Station (Lexington, Kentucky) |
| College | Kentucky (1980–1984) |
| NBA draft | 1984 / Round: 1 / Pick: 6th overall |
| Selected by the Washington Bullets | |
| Playing career | 1984–1990 |
| Position | Center |
| Number | 54, 50 |
| Career history | |
| 1984–1987 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 1987–1988 | Utah Jazz |
| 1988–1989 | Zaragoza |
| 1989–1990 | Washington Bullets |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
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| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 3,071 (8.5 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 1,655 (4.6 rpg) |
| Blocks | 348 (1.0 bpg) |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Melvin Harrison "Mel" Turpin (December 28, 1960 – July 8, 2010) was an American professional basketball player.
A 6'11" center, Turpin was born in Lexington, Kentucky and attended Fork Union Military Academy in Fork Union, Virginia from 1979–80. He was FUMA's most valuable player for the postgraduate squad under coach Fletcher Arritt, also being voted the number one player in the state for varsity basketball; he averaged 19 points, 12 rebounds and six blocked shots, being inducted into the Fork Union Military Academy Hall of Fame in 2000.
At the University of Kentucky, Turpin made the 1st Team All-SEC for 1982 and 1983, and was a starter for the NCAA Final Four Kentucky Wildcats team in 1983–84. In 1984, he was the Southeastern Conference scoring leader, holding the record for the most field goals made in SEC tournament play in addition to co-holding the honour of the most points scored in a single tournament game. Turpin scored 42 points in a game against University of Tennessee as a junior, making 18 of 22 shots from the field; he similarly dominated Louisiana State University as a senior, shooting 15 of 17 from the floor and five of six from the free throw line.
In 1984, Turpin was chosen as the sixth overall pick in the first round by the Washington Bullets in the NBA Draft, being immediately traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. As a professional, however, he struggled with his weight, and after six seasons with the Cavaliers, the Utah Jazz, CAI Zaragoza and the Bullets, he retired. Earning the derisive nicknames "Dinner Bell Mel" and "The Mealman", Turpin was considered one of the biggest busts in a draft class that included future greats such as Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and . In a 2004 Sports Illustrated article, Turpin quipped, "In my day, they thought the big man was supposed to be thin. They didn't know too much. It was medieval".
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