Henry Bibby Bio: NBA, Stats, UCLA, Relationship & Net Worth

Charles Henry Bibby is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association for different teams.

Once the deed is done, what’s hardest is to imprint oneself in others’ memory for the long run! Even after the imprinting, are you a vague or crystal clear memory?

Bibby is a legendary former NBA player who also served as a coach and devoted almost 48 years to basketball.

He started his professional NBA career in 1972, which lasted up until 1981. After which, he started his coaching career with Lancaster Lightning as an assistant.

During his time as a player, Henry collected experience from five different teams; New York Knicks, New Orleans Jazz, Philadelphia 76ers, Lancaster Lightning, and San Diego Clippers.

As a coach, he last served for the Tijuana Zonkeys, a Mexican professional basketball team based in Tijuana, Baja, California.

He wasn’t the “perfect” one that everyone would set their eyes upon; however, he was the “imperfectly perfect” one.

We will discover more about this former player and a coach in this article. But first, let’s start with the quick facts;

Quick Facts

Early Life, Family & Education

Henry Bibby (full name Charles Henry Bibby) was born to parents, Evelyn Bibby and Charlie Bibby, on November 24, 1949, in Franklinton, North Carolina.

Bibby lost both his parents; his father passed away in 1983, while his mother died in 2003.

Although both of the parents’ death cause was not disclosed, it is said that Henry’s mother was struggling with some health for a very long time.

Therefore, at 83, Evelyn took her last breath, and a funeral service was scheduled at First Baptist Church in Franklinton.

As for siblings, he had an older brother, James (Jim) Blair Bibby.

Jim Bibby (Brother)

Talking about his older brother, Jim Bibby (October 29, 1944 – February 16, 2010), played as a pitcher in Major League Baseball.

Jim played professional baseball from 1972 to 1984 and pitched for teams like St. Louis Cardinals, Texas Rangers, Cleveland Indians, and Pittsburgh Pirates.

As a fun fact, Jim was the only graduate of Fayetteville State University to reach the major leagues.

Notably, he also became a member of the 1979 World Series Champions. After his career as a pitcher, Jim became a coach and spent 16 years as a pitching coach in the minor league.

On February 16, 2010, Jim Bibby took his last breath in Central Lynchburg General Hospital, aged 65, due to bone cancer.

Education And Amateur Career 

Henry Bibby attended the Person-Albion High School, and after graduation, he enrolled at the University of California.

Bibby started playing basketball for his high school team and later was a part of UCLA men’s basketball.

As a freshman at UCLA, Bibby bagged the 1969 MVP honors alongside guard Andy Hill.  Following it, Bibby became the starting point guard for the team under head coach John Wooden.

During his tenure, he led the team to three straight NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championships in 1970, 1971, and 1972.

Till the end of his senior year, Bibby was named the first-team All-American, becoming the one among the four playing in the NCAA championship.

Besides, in the 1972 NBA draft, Bibby was drafted by the New York Knicks in the fourth round and the second round of the 1972 ABA draft by the Carolina Cougars. However, he opted to play for the New York Knicks.

Professional Career

Basketball Career

Henry Bibby started playing for the Knicks in the NBA after being drafted with the 58th overall pick.

After two seasons with the Knicks, the former point guard went to play with the New Orleans Jazz for two seasons.

Additionally, he played for the Philadelphia 76ers for four years and then moved to play with Lancaster Lightning and San Diego Clippers for a single season each. 

Altogether, Bibby played in 675 games and averaged 8.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game.

Career Stats

Coaching Career 

After retiring as a player, Bibby found another way to stay connected to the NBA and started serving as a coach. He first started coaching in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA). 

Bibby commenced as an assistant coach for his former team, Lancaster Lightning, for a year before moving to Arizona Wildcats.

He coached the team for three years, where he won his first CBA championship as an assistant coach in 1982, and his second CBA title came in 1989 with Savannah Spirits.

The former NBA player also coached the Winnipeg Thunder and worked with various other teams like Baltimore Lightning, Springfield Fame, New Jersey Jammers, Savannah Spirits / Tulsa Fast Breakers, and Oklahoma City Cavalry.

Later, his breakthrough point as a coach came in 1996 after working with the  University of Southern California (USC) men’s basketball team.

Alongside the team, he posted an overall won-loss record of 131-111 during nine seasons.

Afterward, he appeared as the Los Angeles Sparks’ head coach in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) in April 2005.

However, after coaching the team for just 28 games, he was replaced by his assistant coach. And He moved to the next team, Philadelphia 76ers, as an assistant coach.

After working for a season with the 76ers, he was hired as an assistant coach by the Memphis Grizzlies.

Following it, he joined the Detroit Pistons, where he served for a season and took a few years gap before joining the Tijuana Zonkeys for a short stint in 2020.

Replaced By Joe Bryant

After being hired as the head coach for the team Los Angeles Sparks, Henry hired Kobe Bryant‘s dad, Joe Bryant as an assistant coach.

However, later there was news that after 28 games, Joe replaced Henry as the head coach of the team.

Some merely speculated that Kobe must have asked the team’s owner, Dr. Buss, to give his dad a job, or maybe the Lakers wanted Kobe to stay on the team with his best behavior.

Achievements And Honors

Bibby is quite known for his court vision and skill to know the development of the gameplay.

In general, the former WNBA coach focuses more on an effective game than spectacular gameplay.

Glancing into his career stats, Henry Bibby has maintained 5,775 points, 1,581 rebounds, and 2,259 assists. 

Achievements As A Player

• NBA champion (1973)
• 3× NCAA champion (1970–1972)
• Consensus first-team All-American (1972)
• Second-team All-Pac-8 (1972)

Achievements As A Coach 

• 2× CBA champion (1982, 1989)
• USBL Coach of the Year (1986)

Net Worth 

As of 2024, Henry Bibby has an estimated net worth of $3 million. Unfortunately, the player hasn’t disclosed his figures in a detailed format. 

The athlete resides in Coachella Valley after he sold his old house in Palm Desert, which was a one-story French-style designed mansion with high ceilings, a swimming pool, a spa, and lush landscapes, for $620,000.

The house extending over 2,339 square feet, included a modern-style kitchen, a living room with a fireplace, a dining room, three bedrooms, and 3.5 bathrooms.

Basketball Camp

Henry Bibby not only aims to excel solely professionally but also is inclined to make this world a better place for living.

In 2016, a quick question hit his mind, “Where are all the homeless kids?” Well, this question led him to commit to an inspiring new act.

He had noticed the homeless children in downtown Los Angeles long ago but did not pay that much attention. But one specific day, he surely wondered where they were.

To his knowledge, there were 26,000 homeless kids in Orange Country alone, and he decided to do something warm and helpful for them.

And then, voila, he held a free basketball camp at the Asics Gym in Irvine.

Henry also planned to establish similar camps at USC and EI Segundo as a part of his Henry Bibby Star Athletes program.

Personal Life & Relationship 

Bibby was once a married man. However, after his divorce from a Trinidad and Tobago native girl, Virginia Bibby, he is living his life as a divorcee.

During their time together, Virginia had been supportive and was always with him. But, the duo’s marriage fell apart, and they parted ways.

The former couple has a son, Mike Bibby, born on May 13, 1978. Furthermore, their separation did cause a stir between father and son for the time being, and Mike ended up living with his mother. 

Mike Bibby (Son)

Michael “Mike” Bibby is a basketball coach and former player. Following his father’s footsteps, Mike had featured in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

He has played for several professional teams, including Sacramento Kings, Atlanta Hawks, Washington Wizards, Miami Heat, and New York Knicks.

As per sources, Mike is estimated to have a net worth of $60 million as of 2024.

Father-Son Relationship

Apparently, at some point, Henry and Mike didn’t have a healthy relationship.

To elaborate, Mike gives all his credit to his mother and believes his father only messed up their lives.

As per the sources, Bibby was absent most of Mike’s childhood, and his mother, Virginia, was the one who did everything for him.

Therefore, he doesn’t regard his father as a part of his family. Additionally, Mike also had talked about his parent’s estranged relationship and its effects on him and his career.

After Henry got divorced from Virginia, Mike got cold and even publicly stated, “My father is not part of my life,” after winning the NCAA title.

However, in 2002, the father and son made amends and now have a sound relation between them. Indeed, it took some time for their relationship to heal.

As explained by Henry, he wanted to save his relationship with his son at any cost and now even shares gifts with his grandchildren. 

“I sent his kids some gifts; I let them know I loved them. AND, I kept reaching out, and Mike started reaching back. Also, I knew one thing for sure. I would always be his dad.”
-Henry Bibby

Popularity

Having played in the NBA and served as a coach in WNBA, Henry Bibby is popular among the NBA and WNBA fans.

The above graph gives brief information about the popularity of Henry Bibby based on Google searches in the United States over a year.

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