The Story of Raymond Townsend, the First Filipino-American to Play in the NBA
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We often take for granted how Jordan Clarkson or Jalen Green have represented Filipino heritage in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for years. It wasn't too long ago that Asian-Americans had trouble getting into the league. In Filipino-Americans' case, however, there had already been a cager by the name of Raymond Townsend who would make history as the first player from the community to make it to the NBA. Not only that, he would come to be one of the pillars of Filipino Heritage Month for a long time.
Early Life and Playing Days
Born on December 20, 1955, Raymond Anthony Townsend would become the first player in the NBA with Filipino heritage. Growing up in the Bay Area, Townsend would experience the hardships of mixed-race families at the time.
His mother, Virginia, who was an immigrant who came from Balayan, Batangas, would often find herself excluded in the neigborhood. Filipino-American heritage also wasn't a thing during the '60s or '70s. His father, Ray Sr., on the other hand, would play professional baseball before becoming an icon of high school basketball, serving as a coach most of his life. There, the younger Townsend would flourish as a star.
He would grow up in San Jose, California, where he soon blossomed into a star guard at Camden High School and Archbishop Mitty High School. Townsend was so good that he would average about 28 a game in his senior year. It makes it all the more impressive that there wasn't a three-point line at the time.
Townsend was one hell of a recruit coming out of high school. He was said to have received roughly 125 offers from different colleges and universities. Eventually, he joined the University of California, Los Angeles Bruins under the tutelage of the legendary National Collegiate Athletics Association head coach John Wooden. The 10-time champion would teach a young Townsend the fundamentals of the game. Suffice it to say, he had a productive time with the Bruins, having won a title with them in 1075 and earning all-conference honors in the Pacific-8 as a senior.
When he declared for the draft, Townsend would be selected by the Golden State Warriors with the 22nd pick in the 1978 NBA draft. He remains the first Filipino-American drafted in the first round of the NBA draft (trailing only Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green, who was the 2nd overall pick in 2021). Unfortunately, he would see little to no playing time on the court, as he would be a third-stringer off the bench. Former Celtics star Jojo White and John Lucas would get a bulk of the rotation minutes.
The Filipino-American stalwart would join the Indiana Pacers next. Unfortunately, he would end his NBA playing days in 1982. During his time in the association, he recorded season averages of 4.8 points, 1.4 assists, and 1.0 rebounds through 154 games. After Townsend's NBA career, he would bounce around across different leagues overseas, including stints in Brazil and Italy. With Italy's Banco Roma, he even won the 1984 edition of the FIBA Intercontinental Cup with the team.
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Contributions to the Sport
Interestingly, Townsend also helped the league establish Filipino Heritage Night, games when teams are decked out in Filipino-themed gear. In an interview with ESPN back in 2020, the former Warriors guard spoke about the NBA's efforts to further support the Fil-Am community.
"So I started with this prototype of what I did which I think was back in 2007, and now, you look at the NBA with 20 cities. I get invited to most of them," he said. "I wanted to get to Brooklyn, and it's carried on and it's still going strong as Golden State is doing it two times a year. And I'm very grateful to have been in the initial planning stage, and whether I get credited or not, it doesn't matter to me. I know Filipinos are up close and personal with NBA players."
