Egan was born on January 31, 1939, in
Hartford, Connecticut. Playing for the basketball team at
Weaver High School, which won the New England high school basketball championship in 1956 and 1957, he was named to the
Parade All-America Boys Basketball Team. Egan attended
Providence College, where he played
college basketball for the
Providence Friars, and won the
1961 National Invitation Tournament. The
Detroit Pistons of the
National Basketball Association (NBA) selected Egan in the second round of the
1961 NBA draft. The
New York Knicks acquired Egan from the Pistons in a three-team trade on December 16, 1963. He was traded along with
Johnny Green,
Jim "Bad News" Barnes and cash from the
Knicks to the
Baltimore Bullets for
Walt Bellamy on November 1, 1965. The
Milwaukee Bucks selected Egan from the Bullets in the
1968 NBA expansion draft. Before the 1968–69 NBA season, the Bucks traded Egan to the
Los Angeles Lakers for a future draft pick. He became a key rotation player for the Lakers, who reached the
1969 NBA Finals but were beaten by the Boston Celtics in Game 7. as the Lakers again reached
the Finals but were beaten by the Knicks in Game 7. The
Cleveland Cavaliers selected Egan in the
1970 NBA expansion draft. He was acquired by the
San Diego Rockets from the Cavaliers for a third‐round pick in the
1971 NBA draft (41st overall–
Jackie Ridgle) and cash on December 8, 1970. Egan became one of the original
Houston Rockets when the team left San Diego in 1971. He was the shortest player in the NBA for most of his 11-year career. ==Coaching career==