John M. "Brooms" Abramovic Jr. (February 9, 1919 – June 9, 2000) was an American professional basketball player. He played in the

Basketball Association of America The Basketball Association of America (BAA) was a professional basketball league in North America, founded in 1946. Following its third season, 1948–49, the BAA absorbed most of National Basketball League (NBL) and rebranded as the National Ba ...

(BAA) for the

Pittsburgh Ironmen The Pittsburgh Ironmen were a charter member of the Basketball Association of America (a forerunner of the National Basketball Association). The team was based in Pittsburgh and played at Duquesne Gardens. They ended their only season in the BAA i ...

St. Louis Bombers The St. Louis Bombers were a National Basketball Association team based in St. Louis from 1946 to 1950. Franchise history The St. Louis Bombers were originally part of the Basketball Association of America (BAA) in 1946. The BAA merged wit ...

and Baltimore Bullets.

Early life and college career

Abramovic grew up in

Etna, Pennsylvania Etna is a Borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. Hist ...

, and graduated from high school in 1937. He worked in his family's plant manufacturing brooms for two years. Abramovic was offered a scholarship through his high school coach to attend Salem College (now Salem University) in Salem, West Virginia, where he played from 1939 to 1943. Abramovic's 2,170 points made him the first college basketball player to score more than 2,000 points in a career. Abramovic spent three years in the United States Navy during World War II.

Professional career

Abramovic returned to Pennsylvania in 1946 to play for the

of the newly formed

(BAA). Abramovic averaged 11.2 points per game during his only season with the team before it folded. He played professionally for one more season and then retired from basketball to join the family broom and mop business in Etna. Abramovic officiated prep and college sports for over 25 years.

Legacy

Abramovic was inducted into the West Virginia Sportswriters Hall of Fame in 1971, and the Salem University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1984.

BAA career statistics

Regular season

References

External links

* 1919 births 2000 deaths All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players American people of Croatian descent Baltimore Bullets (1944–1954) players Basketball players from Pennsylvania People from Etna, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh Ironmen players Salem Tigers men's basketball players Small forwards St. Louis Bombers (NBA) players Syracuse Nationals players United States Navy personnel of World War II {{1910s-US-basketball-bio-stub