Milwaukee Bucks (1976–1978) English was drafted by the
Milwaukee Bucks in the second round of the
1976 NBA draft with the 23rd pick. Playing behind notable
wings such as
Bob Dandridge,
Junior Bridgeman, and
Brian Winters, English struggled to break into coach
Don Nelson's rotation. Despite this, English showed promise during the
1978 NBA Playoffs, averaging 13.4 points per game (third highest of all Bucks players that postseason) off the bench while helping the Bucks past the Suns in the first round, before losing to the Nuggets in a seven-game western conference semifinals series.
Indiana Pacers (1978–1980) Frustrated with a lack of playing time, English signed with the
Indiana Pacers as a
free agent after the
1977–78 season. English became a starter in Indiana and began to establish a reputation as a scorer, averaging 16 points per game during the
1978–79 season on another rebuilding team. English went on to become a star player for the Nuggets. In the
1981–82 season, English averaged 25.4 points and the team advanced to postseason play. He earned a position on the
All-Star Team and
All-NBA Second Team. The following year, in
1982–83, English won the league scoring title with an average of 28.4 points per game, while teammate
Kiki Vandeweghe placed second averaging 26.7 points. Then in
1983–84 English placed fourth in the league in scoring. which required surgery and rendered him unable to play for the rest of the series. With the Nuggets already dealing with injuries to other players, English's injury was thought by some to have nearly ensured a Laker victory in the series. English later stated in a 2006 interview that "I think that if I had not broken my thumb [...] we had a chance to beat the Lakers." English recorded his career-best average of 29.8 points per game in the subsequent
1985–86 season, finishing third in the league behind
Dominique Wilkins and
Adrian Dantley. In the
1986 NBA All-Star Game, English set his All-Star career-high by scoring 16 points on 8-of-12 shooting in 16 minutes off the bench for the West squad. In the final game of the series, on May 8, 1986, English tied his own Nuggets single-game playoff points record with 42 during a 126-122 double overtime loss. In 1988, English received the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award for his community service efforts. On March 10, 1989, English scored 51 points, notably without attempting any three-point shots, and recorded nine assists during a 131–130 overtime loss to the
Miami Heat. After the
1989–90 season, in which English's scoring average dipped to 17.9 and he largely struggled to maintain his level of play compared to previous seasons, English became a free agent, and the Nuggets elected not to re-sign him. While in Denver, English made the NBA All-Star Team eight times and the All-NBA Second Team three times. During his Nuggets tenure, the team made the NBA playoffs nine consecutive times and won two Midwest Division titles. English retired with NBA career averages of 21.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. He was the first NBA player to score 2,000 points in eight consecutive seasons, and he has the distinction of being the top NBA scorer in the 1980s. English was elected to the
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1997. ==Coaching career==