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Paul Arizin
Paul Arizin 50-62.JPG
Arizin with the Philadelphia Warriors
Personal information
Born (1928-04-09)April 9, 1928
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died December 12, 2006(2006-12-12) (aged 78)
Springfield Township, Pennsylvania, U.S.
High school La Salle (Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania)
Listed height 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight 190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
College Villanova (1947–1950)
NBA Draft 1950 / Pick: territorial pick
Selected by the Philadelphia Warriors
Pro career 1950–1965
Career history
1950–1952,
1954–1962		 Philadelphia Warriors
1962–1965 Camden Bullets
Career highlights and awards
  • NBA champion (1956)
  • 10× NBA All-Star (1951, 1952, 1955–1962)
  • NBA All-Star Game MVP (1952)
  • 3× All-NBA First Team (1952, 1956, 1957)
  • All-NBA Second Team (1959)
  • 2× NBA scoring champion (1952, 1957)
  • NBA anniversary team (25th, 50th, 75th)
  • EBA Most Valuable Player (1963)
  • EBA champion (1964)
  • Helms Foundation Player of the Year (1950)
  • Sporting News Player of the Year (1950)
  • Consensus first-team All-American (1950)
  • NCAA season scoring leader (1950)
  • No. 11 retired by Villanova Wildcats
Career statistics
Points 16,266 (22.8 ppg)
Rebounds 6,129 (8.6 rpg)
Assists 1,665 (2.3 apg)
Paul J. Arizin, 1953 (13083903393)
Paul J. Arizin in his Quantico Marine basketball uniform

Paul Joseph Arizin (April 9, 1928 – December 12, 2006), nicknamed "'Pitchin Paul", was an American basketball player who spent his entire National Basketball Association (NBA) career with the Philadelphia Warriors from 1950 to 1962. He retired with the third highest career point total (16,266) in NBA history, and was named to the NBA's 25th, 50th and 75th anniversary teams. He was a high-scoring forward at Villanova University before being drafted by the Warriors of the fledgling NBA.

Early life

Paul Joseph Arizin was born on April 9, 1928, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to French immigrants. Arizin did not play basketball at La Salle College High School, failing to make the team in his only tryout as a senior. Arizin graduated just a year before another Basketball Hall of Famer, Tom Gola, entered La Salle College High School as a freshman.

College career

During his freshman year at Villanova, Arizin played CYO (Catholic Youth Organization) basketball in Philadelphia. Late in that season, Al Severance, then the Villanova varsity basketball coach, attended one of Arizin's CYO games. Afterwards, Severance approached Arizin and asked him if he would like to go to Villanova, to which Arizin answered: "I already go to Villanova."

Arizin made the team in 1947, his sophomore year, and played for three years. In 1950 he was named the collegiate basketball player of the year after leading the nation with 25.3 points per game. During a game on February 12, 1949, Arizin scored 85 points against the Naval Air Materials Center roster. Arizin also scored at least 100 points in a game while playing for Villanova, but the game is not recognized by the NCAA because the opponent was a junior college.

Professional career

Philadelphia Warriors (1950–1962)

After being selected by the Warriors with their first pick in the 1950 NBA draft, Arizin averaged 17.2 points per game in his rookie season and was named NBA Rookie of the Year — a designation not currently sanctioned by the NBA for the 1950–51 season. He became one of the greatest NBA players of the 1950s, leading the league in scoring during the 1951–52 and 1956–57 seasons and leading in field goal percentage in 1951–52. Arizin sat out the 1952–53 and 1953–54 NBA seasons while serving in the Marines during the Korean War.

Arizin became famous for his line-drive jump shots, and teamed with center Neil Johnston to form the best offensive one-two punch in the NBA at the time, leading the Warriors to the 1956 NBA title. He also played with scoring star Joe Fulks early in his career, and with Philadelphia legends Tom Gola and Wilt Chamberlain toward the end of his career in the early 1960s. Arizin chose to retire from the NBA rather than move with the Warriors to San Francisco. At the time of his retirement, no player had retired from the game with a higher scoring average (21.9 points per game) in his final season. This record would stand until Bob Pettit's retirement in 1965 following a season in which he averaged 22.5 PPG.

Arizin played in a total of 10 NBA All-Star Games (he was the 1952 NBA All-Star Game MVP) and was named to the All-NBA First-Team in 1952, 1956, and 1957.

Camden Bullets (1962–1965)

After retiring from the NBA, Arizin played for three seasons with the Camden Bullets of the Eastern Professional Basketball League, who won the 1964 title. Averaging over 20 points per game each season, he was named the EBL MVP in 1963, was named to the EBL All-Star First Team in 1963 and 1964 and to the EBL All-Star Second Team in 1965.

Legacy

Arizin was named to the NBA 25th Anniversary Team in 1971. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978, and was selected to the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996. In October 2021, Arizin was honored as one of the league's greatest players of all time by being named to the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team. He was inducted into the inaugural class of the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. Arizin died in his sleep at age 78 on December 12, 2006, in Springfield, Pennsylvania.

NBA career statistics

Legend
  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

Regular season

Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1950–51 Philadelphia 65 — .407 .793 9.8 2.1 17.2
1951–52 Philadelphia 66 44.5* .448* .818 11.3 2.6 25.4*
1954–55 Philadelphia 72 41.0* .399 .776 9.4 2.9 21.0
1955–56† Philadelphia 72 37.8 .448 .810 7.5 2.6 24.2
1956–57 Philadelphia 71 39.0 .422 .829 7.9 2.1 25.6*
1957–58 Philadelphia 68 35.0 .393 .809 7.4 2.0 20.7
1958–59 Philadelphia 70 40.0 .431 .813 9.1 1.7 26.4
1959–60 Philadelphia 72 36.4 .424 .798 8.6 2.3 22.3
1960–61 Philadelphia 79 37.2 .425 .833 8.6 2.4 23.2
1961–62 Philadelphia 78 35.7 .410 .805 6.8 2.6 21.9
Career 713 38.4 .421 .810 8.6 2.3 22.8
All-Star 9 22.9 .466 .806 5.2 0.7 15.2

Playoffs

Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1951 Philadelphia 2 — .519 .813 10.0 1.5 20.5
1952 Philadelphia 3 40.0 .453 .879 12.7 2.7 25.7
1956† Philadelphia 10 40.9 .450 .838 8.4 2.9 28.9*
1957 Philadelphia 2 11.0 .375 .600 4.0 0.5 4.5
1958 Philadelphia 8 38.6 .391 .778 7.8 2.0 23.5
1960 Philadelphia 9 41.2 .431 .873 9.6 3.7 26.3
1961 Philadelphia 3 41.7 .328 .697 8.7 4.0 22.3
1962 Philadelphia 12 38.3 .375 .863 6.7 2.2 23.2
Career 49 38.6 .411 .829 8.2 2.6 24.2

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Paul Arizin para niños

  • List of individual National Basketball Association scoring leaders by season
  • List of National Basketball Association career free throw scoring leaders
  • List of basketball players who have scored 100 points in a single game
  • List of NCAA Division I men's basketball players with 60 or more points in a game
  • List of NCAA Division I men's basketball season scoring leaders
  • List of National Basketball Association annual minutes leaders
  • Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
  • List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise
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