Carroll Dawson, a longtime general manager and assistant coach for the NBA’s Houston Rockets, has died, the team announced Monday. He was 86.
No details of Dawson’s death were immediately available.
“The Rockets family mourns the loss of beloved former coach and general manager, Carroll Dawson, affectionately known as ‘CD,’” the team wrote in a post to X. “For nearly three decades, CD was a cornerstone of our organization, instrumental in shaping the careers of stars like Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson.
“A proud Texas native, CD served as the only coach to be present for all four of Houston’s NBA Finals appearances, including the back-to-back championship teams. As general manager, he brought iconic talents to Houston including Charles Barkley, Steve Francis, Yao Ming, and Tracy McGrady, while also assembling the four-time WNBA champion Houston Comets.”
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Born May 3, 1938, in Alba, Texas, Dawson spent nearly three decades with the Rockets from 1980 to 2007. He served as the team’s assistant coach under four different coaches from 1980 to 1997, and is the only person in franchise history to coach on all four of the Rockets’ trips to the NBA Finals in 1981, 1986, 1994 and 1995 – the latter two of which were wins.
He then served as the Rockets’ general manager from 1996 to 2007, when he hired former Rockets GM and current Philadelphia 76ers GM Daryl Morey as his successor. When Dawson retired in 2007, the Rockets hung a banner with the initials “CD” from the rafters at the team’s home arena Toyota Center in Houston.
Prior to his time with the Rockets, Dawson served as head coach for his alma mater Baylor Bears men’s basketball from 1973 to 1997, compiling a record of 44-51. He was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.
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