Anthony George Kappen (April 13, 1919 – December 18, 1993) was an American 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. A 5'10" guard who did not attend college and had previously attended Forest Hills High School in

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

, Kappen played for the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

and the Pittsburgh Ironmen during the 1946–47 BAA season. He averaged 6.5 points per game during the season on 23.8% shooting. Kappen and Celtics teammate

Connie Simmons Cornelius Leo "Connie" Simmons (March 15, 1925 – April 15, 1989) was an American professional basketball player. He was born in Newark, New Jersey. A 6'8" forward/center from Flushing High School in New York City, Simmons played ten seasons (19 ...

were the first players in the BAA (later known as the

NBA 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 St ...

) who did not have any college experience. Kappen had previously played in the American Basketball League for the

New York Gothams The New York Giants were a Major League Baseball team in the National League that began play in the season as the New York Gothams and were renamed in . They continued as the New York Giants until the team relocated to San Francisco, Californ ...

and Brooklyn Gothams. Celtics PR director Howie McHugh said that Kappen "was one of the few guys n the 1946–47 Celticswho were serious about playing". However, Kappen was traded midseason to the Pittsburgh Ironmen for Moe Becker, who had become available after a falling-out with his coach.Charley Rosen. ''The First Tip-Off''. McGraw-Hill, 2008. 87-88.

BAA career statistics

Regular season

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kappen, Tony 1919 births 1993 deaths American Basketball League (1925–1955) players American men's basketball players Boston Celtics players Forest Hills High School (New York) alumni Guards (basketball) Pittsburgh Ironmen players