Gregory Ballard was born on January 29, 1955, in Los Angeles, and died on November 9, 2016.

He was an American professional basketball player and NBA assistant coach.

He attended the University of Oregon where he played at the collegiate level at the forward position.

Ballard was drafted by the Washington Bullets in the 1st round (4th pick) of the 1977 NBA draft and won an NBA Championship with the Bullets in 1978.

Ballard played for the Golden State Warriors for the 1986 and 1987 seasons.

Ballard finished his career with the Seattle Super Sonics in 1989 with career stats of 12.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.

Ballard turned to coaching after his playing career wound up, and in 1989 he moved to Italy to serve as an assistant coach for Il Messaggero Roma.

Before his death, he was an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks.

He died from prostate cancer.