World B. Free Inducted in 1997
World B Free
Lloyd Bernard Free, better known as World B. Free was born in Atlanta, Georgia, but grew up in Brooklyn, and attended Canarsie High School in Brooklyn.Free played for Guilford College in North Carolina where he led Guilford's basketball team to the NAIA National Championship and was named MVP of the NAIA Tournament.
Becoming Free, on December 8, 1981, before his 28th birthday, he legally changed his first name to World. According to Free, "the fellas back in Brownsville gave me the nickname 'World' when I was in junior high... they just started calling me 'all-world', because all-city and all-county and things like that weren't good enough. Finally, they just started calling me World... I'm still the same guy I was when I was Lloyd, though. I'll say what I'm going to do, and then I'll go out and do it."
Professionally from 1975-1987, he played in the NBA for the Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Houston Rockets(1987-88). In the United States Basketball League (USBL) for the Miami Tropics (1987). In 1991, Free played for the Atlanta Eagles of the USBL and then retired. Career highlights NBA All-Star (1980), All-NBA Second Team (1979), USBL champion (1987), and USBL Playoffs MVP (1987).
Becoming Free, on December 8, 1981, before his 28th birthday, he legally changed his first name to World. According to Free, "the fellas back in Brownsville gave me the nickname 'World' when I was in junior high... they just started calling me 'all-world', because all-city and all-county and things like that weren't good enough. Finally, they just started calling me World... I'm still the same guy I was when I was Lloyd, though. I'll say what I'm going to do, and then I'll go out and do it."
Professionally from 1975-1987, he played in the NBA for the Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Houston Rockets(1987-88). In the United States Basketball League (USBL) for the Miami Tropics (1987). In 1991, Free played for the Atlanta Eagles of the USBL and then retired. Career highlights NBA All-Star (1980), All-NBA Second Team (1979), USBL champion (1987), and USBL Playoffs MVP (1987).