Bird Averitt

William Rodney "Bird" Averitt (July 22, 1952 – December 12, 2020) was an American professional basketball player in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA). Born in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, he played college basketball for the Pepperdine Waves, where he was named player of the year in the West Coast Conference.

Averitt was selected in the second round of the 1973 ABA Draft by the San Diego Conquistadors and in the fourth round of the 1973 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. He began his professional career in the ABA, playing for the San Antonio Spurs in 1973–74 and the Kentucky Colonels from 1974 to 1976. With the Colonels he won the 1975 ABA championship, appearing in 236 ABA games over his career.

After the Colonels were disbanded as part of the ABA–NBA merger, Averitt joined the Buffalo Braves through the 1976 ABA dispersal draft, playing the 1976–77 season there before moving to the New Jersey Nets for the 1977–78 season. He appeared in 130 NBA games across those two teams. Averitt died on December 12, 2020, at age 68.