Gerald James Paddio (April 21, 1965 – April 4, 2026) was an American professional basketball player who was a small forward for three seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for five teams—the Cleveland Cavaliers, Seattle SuperSonics, Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks, and Washington Bullets. He played college basketball for the UNLV Runnin' Rebels and was selected by the Boston Celtics in the third round of the 1988 NBA draft with the 74th overall pick.
In his NBA career, Paddio appeared in 129 games and scored a total of 715 points. His most notable year as a professional was during the 1990–91 NBA season as a member of the Cavaliers when he appeared in 70 games and averaged 7.2 ppg.
College
During his college playing days at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, he was coached by Jerry Tarkanian. Paddio was a starting forward the 1987 UNLV team that reached the Final Four. Before UNLV, he was named a first-team junior college All-American at Seminole State.
Death
Paddio died in a single-vehicle traffic collision in Rayne, Louisiana, on April 4, 2026, at the age of 60.
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
NBA
Source
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990–91 | Cleveland | 70 | 22 | 16.9 | .419 | .250 | .796 | 1.7 | 1.3 | .3 | .1 | 7.2 |
| 1992–93 | Seattle | 41 | 3 | 7.5 | .447 | .250 | .667 | 1.2 | .8 | .3 | .1 | 3.9 |
| 1993–94 | Indiana | 7 | 1 | 7.9 | .391 | – | .500 | .7 | .6 | .1 | .0 | 2.7 |
| New York | 3 | 0 | 2.7 | .400 | – | – | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 1.3 | |
| Washington | 8 | 0 | 9.3 | .344 | .000 | .571 | 1.4 | .9 | .4 | .0 | 3.8 | |
| Career | 129 | 26 | 12.6 | .421 | .242 | .746 | 1.4 | 1.0 | .3 | .1 | 5.5 | |
