Andrew Toney is somewhat overlooked today, which is really a shame.
Drafted out of the University of Lousiana by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1980, Toney quickly established himself as a superb offensive guard.
He was particularly lethal against the Boston Celtics, to the point where Beantown media called him The Boston Strangler.
He was a key part of the 1983 Philadelphia championship team, starting alongside Maurice Cheeks, Bobby Jones, Moses Malone, and Julius Erving.
Sadly for Toney, his career ran
into real problems after about five years. He was having serious pain in his feet, and he and the Sixer disagreed about the cause. Ultimately, he was found to have stress factures in both feet, and the last three years of his career were difficult, personally and professionally. His relationship with the 76ers deteriorated and has never fully recovered.
He retired in 1988, because he never recovered from his feet problems.
His contemporaries knew how good he was. Charles Barkley said he was the best player he ever played with, and since he was teammates with Malone and Erving, that’s really saying something. Larry Bird and Sidney Moncrief thought he was right there with Michael Jordan.
Here are some of his career highlights. Keep in mind that Toney was just 6-3 and most of his scoring was not near the basket. Nonetheless, he shot 50% for his career.
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