William Edward Paultz (born July 30, 1948) is an American former professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player who played in the
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...
(NBA) and in the now defunct
American Basketball Association
The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger, American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, ...
(ABA). Nicknamed "the Whopper", He is a 3-time
ABA All-Star
The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist after merging with the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1976. In total, the league held nine all-star games, with al ...
1976
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...
.
Early life and collegiate career
Born in
River Edge, New Jersey
River Edge is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the borough’s population was 12,049, reflecting a 6.3% increase from the 11,340 enumera ...
, Paultz played high-school basketball at
River Dell Regional High School
River Dell High School is a four-year comprehensive regional public high school, part of the River Dell Regional School District, which is shared with the neighboring communities of Oradell and River Edge in Bergen County, New Jersey, United ...
Saint John's University St John's University may refer to:
*St. John's University (New York City)
** St. John's University School of Law
**St. John's University (Italy) - Overseas Campus
* College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University, St. Joseph, Minnesota and C ...
, and was selected in the seventh round of the
1970 NBA draft
The 1970 NBA draft was the 24th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on March 23, 1970, before the 1970–71 season. In this draft, 17 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball player ...
by the
San Diego Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team was established in 1967, and pl ...
and by the
Virginia Squires
The Virginia Squires were a basketball team based in Norfolk, Virginia, and playing in several other Virginia cities. They were members of the American Basketball Association from 1970 to 1976.
The team originated in 1967 as the Oakland Oaks, a ...
in the 1970 ABA Draft. Paultz opted to sign with the Squires. On August 11, 1970 the Squires traded his rights to the
New York Nets
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in exchange for a draft choice and cash.
Professional basketball
As a rookie, Paultz made his first postseason appearance in the
1971 ABA Playoffs The 1971 ABA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the American Basketball Association's 1970-71 ABA season, 1970-1971 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Division (ABA), Western Division champion Utah Stars defeating the Eastern D ...
with the
New York Nets
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
, during which he averaged 20.2 points, 15 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game. He spent his first five seasons, all of which resulted in trips to the playoffs, with the ABA Nets, and was a key player in their 1973–74 ABA championship season. He was then traded to the
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...
where he made four appearances in the playoffs, including one in an ABA championship final, from 1975 to 1979.
Although Paultz moved with a bulky stiffness, he was a very heady player.
During the middle of the 1979-1980 season, San Antonio traded Paultz to the
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...
, and due to the trade, he managed to play 84 games during an 82-game NBA season. The next year, Paultz teamed with
Moses Malone
Moses Eugene Malone (March 23, 1955 – September 13, 2015) was an American professional basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1974 through 1995. A cent ...
to make the
1981 NBA Finals
The 1981 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1980–81 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. It pitted the 62–20 Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics a ...
. In Game 1 of the series, Paulitz scored 14 points and grabbed 7 rebounds, during a 98-95 loss to the Celtics (who would win the series four games to two).1981 NBA Finals Game 1: Houston Rockets at Boston Celtics /ref> During the 1982–83 season without Malone, and with the Rockets in last place, he was placed on waivers and picked up by the playoff-bound Spurs. In 1984, he was a late season pickup by the playoff bound
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Sou ...
. He finished his career with the
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...
in 1985.
A three time ABA All-Star, Paultz led the ABA in blocked shots during the 1975–76 season.
About his play, Paultz stated, "I have realized that I'm not an overpowering type
center
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* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
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. I don't really know what my category is. I have always been the type of player that can do a little bit of everything."