Joe Kopicki


Joseph Gerard Kopicki is a former American basketball player. At and, he played the power forward position.

Biography

Kopicki played basketball at Fitzgerald High School in Warren, Michigan, his hometown. He was named to the First Team Class A All-State squad and selected as Macomb County Player of the Year in 1978. During his career at the University of Detroit, Kopicki tallied 1,410 points and 771 rebounds.
Kopicki was drafted in the third round of the 1982 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks. However, he was waived by the Hawks on October 19. He signed as a free agent with the Indiana Pacers three days later, but was again waived on October 27 before the start of the season. After a season with the Wisconsin Flyers of the CBA, he signed with the Washington Bullets on March 9, 1983 and finally played in the NBA. Kopicki played with the Bullets for the remainder of the and all of the seasons, averaging 3.8 points per game off the bench, but did not make the final roster for the season. He then started negotiations with the Kansas City Kings, but was convinced by the Denver Nuggets to sign on October 31, 1984, just days into the season. Kopicki replaced Russell Cross, who had a weak left knee, on the Nuggets roster. His playing time increased when Bill Hanzlik suffered an injury. After the season, he then decided to play in Europe, where he spent the rest of his career on teams in Italy and Spain. In Europe he was a seven-time All-Star.
Kopicki is now the head coach of the boys' basketball team at his high school alma mater, Fitzgerald.

Honors

Kopicki's number 34 has since been retired by his high school. He was inducted into the Detroit Titans Sports Hall of Fame in 2010. Kopicki received the 2011 Matt Dobek Special Recognition Award from the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame.

Personal

Kopicki has been married to his wife Jennifer since 1986. They have raised three children, Jessica, Joseph and Matthew. Kopicki is of Polish descent.