John Postley (May 30, 1940 – July 31, 1970) was an American

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player. Despite not playing high school or

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, he played professionally for several years.

Playing career

Postley was discovered by John Chaney, and signed him with his team, the

Williamsport Billies Williamsport is a place name that may refer to the following places in the United States: *Williamsport, Arizona a ghost town and former steamboat landing on the Colorado River. *Williamsport, Indiana *Williamsport, Maryland *Williamsport, Michigan ...

in the

Eastern Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) (originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association) was a men's professional basketball m ...

, in 1963. In 1964, he signed with the

Camden Bullets The first Camden Bullets were an American basketball team based in Camden, New Jersey that was a member of the Eastern Professional Basketball League. The franchise was originally known as the Baltimore Bullets, where they had won the 1961 EPBL ...

but did not end up playing for the team. In September 1966, while a member of the

Allentown Jets The Allentown Jets were a minor league basketball team that played in the Eastern Professional Basketball League (later the Eastern Basketball Association and Continental Basketball Association) from 1958 to 1981. The team was one of the most succ ...

, Postley was stabbed by brothers Richard and Joseph L. Thomas at the

Liberty Bell Park Racetrack Liberty Bell Park was an American race track in Northeast Philadelphia that held harness racing and Thoroughbred horse racing from 1963 until 1986. The site, northeast of the intersection of Knights and Woodhaven Roads, was derived from several f ...

. In 1967, Postley signed with the

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of the

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) but was released before the start of the season. He later joined the

Pittsburgh Pipers Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylv ...

of the ABA where he appeared in one game before returning to the EBL and joining the

Wilkes-Barre Barons The Wilkes-Barre Barons were a basketball team from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The Barons played between 1933 and 1980 in different American leagues. The team won 11 titles during this time, including while playing in the American Basketball ...

. Prior to the 1968-1969 season, he signed with the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...

but was cut before the start of the season. He rejoined the Barrons and in 1968-69, he was one of the league leaders in rebounds and assists. The following season, Postley led the league in rebounds.

Boxing career

Postley was an amateur boxer and won 37 fights without a loss between 1960 and 1963.

Death

Postley collapsed and died from a heart attack in a pro-am league game on July 31, 1970, in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

at age 30.

References

External links

*
EBL statistics
at statscrew.com 1940 births 1970 deaths American men's basketball players Basketball players from Philadelphia Bethune–Cookman University alumni Centers (basketball) Forwards (basketball) Pittsburgh Pipers players Wilkes-Barre Barons players Williamsport Billies (basketball) players Sports competitors who died in competition Sports deaths in Pennsylvania {{1940s-US-basketball-bio-stub

Playing career

Boxing career

Death

See also

References

External links