Jerry Graves

Jerry Lynn Graves (September 12, 1938 – February 7, 2021) was an American basketball player. He was banned from the National Basketball Association (NBA) for his involvement in the 1961 college basketball point shaving scandal during his senior season playing for the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Graves played at Lexington High School in his hometown of Lexington, Tennessee, where he set a state record for points scored in a season with 1,156 during his senior year. Graves played college basketball for the Mississippi State Bulldogs from 1958 to 1961 and was a two-time first-team All- Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection. He was voted "Mr. Mississippi State" as the university's most popular student in 1960 and led the Bulldogs to the SEC regular season championship in 1961.

Graves was selected by the newly-formed Chicago Packers as the 19th overall pick in the 1961 NBA draft but elected to sign with the Chicago Majors of the American Basketball League (ABL). On April 27, 1961, he was alleged to have been involved in a point shaving scandal during his senior season. He refused the allegation and said he "played isbest for Coach McCarthy in every game". However, Graves admitted that he accepted $4,750 in bribes from gamblers who bet on Bulldogs games and paid him if he won. He was expelled from Mississippi State University and banned from the NBA.

Graves worked as a teacher, principal, coach and superintendent for 42 years.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Graves, Jerry
1938 births
2021 deaths
American men's basketball players
Banned NBA players
Basketball players from Tennessee
Chicago Packers draft picks
Forwards (basketball)
Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball players
People from Lexington, Tennessee