Paul Joseph Arizin (April 9, 1928 – December 12, 2006), nicknamed "Pitchin' Paul", was an American
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 spent his entire
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, 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 i ...
(NBA) career with the
Philadelphia Warriors
The history of the Golden State Warriors began in Philadelphia in 1946. In 1962, the franchise was relocated to San Francisco, California and became known as the San Francisco Warriors until 1971, when its name was changed to the current Golden St ...
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
Villanova University is a private Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Augustinians in 1842 and named after Saint Thomas of Villanova. The university is the oldest Catholic university in Pennsy ...
before being drafted by the Warriors of the fledgling NBA.
Biography
Born 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. Since ...
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.
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 , 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
The National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the top rookie(s) of the regular season. Initiated following the 1952–53 NBA season, it confers the Eddie Gott ...
— 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
Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refl ...
during the
Korean War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Korean War
, partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict
, image = Korean War Montage 2.png
, image_size = 300px
, caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...
.
Arizin became famous for his line-drive
jump shots, and teamed with center
Neil Johnston
Donald Neil Johnston (February 4, 1929 – September 28, 1978) was an American basketball player and coach. A center, Johnston played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1951 to 1959. He was a member of the Philadelphia Warriors ...
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
Robert Lee Pettit Jr. (born December 12, 1932) is an American former professional basketball player. He played 11 seasons in the NBA, all with the Milwaukee/St. Louis Hawks (1954–1965). In 1956, he became the first recipient of the NBA's M ...
'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
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 ...
of the
Eastern Professional Basketball League
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 ...
, 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
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pres ...
in 1978, and was selected to the
50 Greatest Players in NBA History
The 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, also referred to as NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team, were chosen in 1996 to honor the 50th anniversary of the founding of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was the third anniversary team ...
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
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
.
NBA Hall of Famer Arizin dies at 78
/ref>
NBA career statistics
Regular season
Playoffs
See also
*
* 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 season scoring leaders
*
*Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pres ...
* List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise
References
External links
Basketball Hall of Fame profile
Extensive audio interview on Paul Arizin with his son Michael; from 6:50 mark
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arizin, Paul
1928 births
2006 deaths
All-American college men's basketball players
American men's basketball players
American people of French descent
Basketball players from Philadelphia
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees
National Basketball Association All-Stars
National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductees
Philadelphia Warriors draft picks
Philadelphia Warriors players
Shooting guards
Small forwards
United States Marines
Villanova Wildcats men's basketball players
United States Marine Corps personnel of the Korean War