 Steele led the NBA in steals in the 1973–74 NBA season—the first year steals were recorded by the league with 2.68 swipes per game.He played 20.7 MPG on the 1977 championship team (starting nine games) averaging a career high 10.3 points per game.During his nine-year NBA career, all with the Trail Blazers, he averaged 8.2 points, 2.9 assists, 1.39 steals and 24.2 minutes while starting 337 games.