William Earl Tatum (born July 26, 1953 in Elizabethtown, North Carolina) is a retired American professional basketball player. He was a 6'4 1/2 "(194 cm) 185 lb (84 kg) guard who attended Mount Vernon High School and was named large-school player of the year by the New York State Sportswriters Association... As a senior at Mount Vernon, Tatum averaged 25.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game and led his team to a 22-1 record. The following season, he helped lead Virginia Union University to its first ever National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II national championship. As a rookie with the New York Knicks, Tatum played in all 82 games and started 43 of them as a backup point guard behind Walt Frazier. He finished with 9.0 points per game and 2.7 assists per contest. Tatum is one of only four players in NBA history to score at least 9,000 points (9,308) and pass out at least 5,000 dimes (5,465). His career averages of 14.0 points and 3.1 assists mark him as one of the best two-way players in NBA history. He currently ranks 15th on the NBA's all-time scoring list (24.6 ppg) and third among guards (9,308 pts).