Last Updated on April 18, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

Here’s information about Norm Nixon:

Player Profile

  • Full Name: Norman Ellard Nixon
  • Nickname: Stormin’ Norman
  • Nationality: American
  • Date of Birth: October 11, 1955
  • Hometown: Macon, Georgia
  • Height: 6’2″ (1.88 m)
  • Weight: 170 lb (77 kg)
  • Wingspan: 6’3″ (1.91 m)
  • Shoe Size: Size 12 (US)
  • Jersey Number: College: No. 10 — Duquesne. NBA: No. 10 — Los Angeles Lakers; No. 10 — San Diego Clippers; No. 10 — Los Angeles Clippers.
  • Position: Point guard
  • High School: Southwest High School (Macon, Georgia) (thehistorymakers.org)
  • College: Duquesne (1973–1977)
  • NBA Draft: Los Angeles Lakers, 1977 NBA Draft, Round 1, Pick 22 (NBA)
  • Player Archetype: Fast, pass-first lead guard who could also score efficiently in transition and the mid-range.
  • Primary Offensive Role: Primary ball-handler, transition creator, drive-and-kick playmaker, and secondary scorer.
  • Defensive Role: Quick backcourt defender who generated steals and pressured opposing guards at the point of attack. (thehistorymakers.org)
  • Play Style: Smooth, fast, poised point guard who pushed tempo, created offense for teammates, and mixed playmaking with controlled scoring. (thehistorymakers.org)
  • Handedness / Shooting Hand: Right
  • Athletic Profile: Quick, agile guard with strong open-floor speed, balance, and burst rather than overpowering size.
  • Recruiting Status: Pre-modern recruiting rankings era; no reliable star ranking was available in the sources I checked.
  • Draft Status Detail: Senior guard from Duquesne who entered the NBA as a first-round pick and quickly became a starting-caliber playmaker.
  • Injury Status Category: Had major late-career injury setbacks, including a severe knee tendon injury in 1986 and a ruptured right Achilles in 1987. (Wikipedia)
  • Career Stage: Retired player; later worked as an agent, broadcaster, and businessman. (Wikipedia)
  • Comparison Style: Traditional fast-break floor general in the mold of a classic lead guard, with more scoring punch than a purely conservative table-setter.
  • Teams Played For:
    Los Angeles Lakers (1977–1983)
    San Diego Clippers (1983–1984)
    Los Angeles Clippers (1984–1989)
  • Championship Rings: 2 NBA championships — Los Angeles Lakers (1980, 1982) (thehistorymakers.org)
  • Parents: Mary Jo Nixon and Elmer Nixon (thehistorymakers.org)
  • Children: DeVaughn Nixon, Vivian Nixon, and Norman Nixon Jr. Public sources also note Tristan Fuller-Nixon. (Wikipedia)
  • Siblings: I could not verify a reliable public source listing his siblings.
  • Athlete Relatives: Norman Nixon Jr. played college basketball. (Wofford College Athletics)
  • Retirment Age: 33
  • Retirement Year: 1989

Player Archetype / Play Style

Norm Nixon’s player archetype was that of a fast, pass-first lead guard, the kind of floor general who could run a team cleanly while still hurting defenses with his own scoring. Defensively, he worked as a quick point-of-attack guard who created steals and applied ball pressure, while offensively he thrived as a transition creator, setup man, and slashing scorer who kept the game moving. At 6’2″ and 170 pounds, Nixon relied on speed, agility, and balance more than size, and that lighter physical profile fit his open-floor style. His play style was smooth and controlled, blending pace, vision, and smart decision-making in a way that made him one of the more effective guards of his era. (Basketball Reference)

Sources:

Basketball-Reference — Norm Nixon Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more
NBA.com — Norm Nixon
Wikipedia — Norm Nixon
The HistoryMakers — Norman Ellard Nixon’s Biography
Duquesne University Athletics — Sincere to Carry on the Legacy of No. 10
Wofford Athletics — 10 Norman Nixon – Men’s Basketball