Steve Patterson (basketball)

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For the former team president of the Portland Trail Blazers, see Steve Patterson (sports executive).

Steve Patterson
Position	Center
Height	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Weight	225 lb (102 kg)
Nationality	United States
Born	June 24, 1948 Riverside, California
Died	July 28, 2004 (aged 56) Phoenix, Arizona
College	UCLA
Draft	2^nd round, 18^th overall, 1971 Cleveland Cavaliers
Pro career	1971–1976
Former teams	Cleveland Cavaliers (1971–1975) Chicago Bulls (1975–1976)

Steven J. Patterson (June 24, 1948 – July 28, 2004) was an American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association for five seasons. A 6'9"/2.06 m center from UCLA, Patterson spent his first year of athletic eligibility (1968-69, the third of the Bruins' unprecedented string of seven consecutive national titles) as the backup to Lew Alcindor, later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He then was the starting center for the Bruins' 1970 and 1971 championship teams.

After his time at UCLA, he played for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls from 1971 to 1976. Patterson then went into coaching, eventually becoming the head men's basketball coach at Arizona State from 1985 through 1989. He was also the chairman of Phoenix's organizing committee for Super Bowl XXX (1996) and commissioner of the Continental Basketball Association in 1997.

Patterson spent the last years of his life organizing youth and community sports programs in Arizona until his death from lung cancer.

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Arizona State Sun Devils Head Basketball Coaches

Adams • Schaeffer • Cooper • Wills • McCreary • Shipkey • Lavik • Pomeroy • Lavik • Kajikawa • Wulk • Weinhauer • Patterson • Frieder • Newman • Evans • Sendek