A second-round pick of the Phoenix Suns in 1974, 31st overall, Saunders played power forward for the Suns and Boston Celtics during the decade, with his New Orleans Jazz stop coming in 1977-78. He began college at Louisiana-Lafayette, then transferred to Syracuse for his senior year and helped the 17-9 Orangemen reach the NCAA tournament.
Syracuse fans knew the Columbus, Ohio native by an unusual nickname, Chocolate Thunder, earned by his unique skyhook. He averaged 9.8 points a game in his one Orangeman season after 6.5 across three years in Louisiana.
HOW HE CAME & WENTBoston traded him to New Orleans on February 1, 1978 for a second-round pick that became Jeff Judkins. The Jazz waived him that October.
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| SEASON | TEAM | G | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977–78 | NOJ | 30 | 13.3 | 5.0 | 2.5 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.3 | .483 | — | .632 |
| JAZZ TOTAL | 1 SEASON | 30 | 13.3 | 5.0 | 2.5 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.3 | .483 | — | .632 |
Season by season, regular season, with this franchise only. More info: Basketball-Reference ↗ · Wikipedia ↗