Darrall Tucker Imhoff (October 11, 1938 – June 30, 2017) 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. He spent 12 seasons in the

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), playing for six teams from 1960 to 1972. He made an

NBA All-Star The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game. It is the main event of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Originally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of ...

team, and was also an

Olympic Gold medalist This article lists the individuals who have won at least four gold medals at the Olympic Games or at least three gold medals in individual events. List of most Olympic gold medals over career This is a partial list of multiple Olympic gold medalis ...

. He is perhaps best remembered for being one of the defenders tasked with guarding

Wilt Chamberlain Wilton Norman Chamberlain (; August 21, 1936 – October 12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player who played as a center. Standing at tall, he played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 years and is widely reg ...

during his famed 100-point game in 1962.

Early life

Darrall Imhoff was born October 11, 1938 to Clark and Lorraine (Tucker) Imhoff. He grew up in San Gabriel, California and attended Alhambra High School,

Alhambra, California Alhambra (, , ; from "Alhambra") is a city located in the western San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, United States, approximately eight miles from the Downtown Los Angeles civic center. It was incorporated on July 11 ...

College career

After making the team as a walk-on at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant un ...

, Imhoff was a two-time All-American and was the top rebounder on the 1959

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

championship team and hit the winning basket with :17 remaining. He was the leading scorer and rebounder on the 1960 NCAA runner-up Berkeley team and was a member of the gold medal-winning 1960 Olympic basketball team. As a collegian, Imhoff was feared as a shot blocker, and was a respected rebounder who was the hub around which coach Pete Newell built his

champion

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, University of Califor ...

team. The Golden Bears edged

Jerry West Jerome Alan West (born May 28, 1938) is an American basketball executive and former player. He played professionally for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His nicknames included "Mr. Clutch", for his ability ...

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State Coll ...

team in 1959, with Imhoff rated by some the best college player in the country. In 1960, leading the nation's top-rated defense from his center spot, the 6'10" 235-pounder led Cal back to the NCAA finals before losing to

Jerry Lucas Jerry Ray Lucas (born March 30, 1940) is an American former basketball player. He was a nationally awarded high school player, national college star at Ohio State, and 1960 gold medal Olympian and international player before later starring as a p ...

and

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

. He was a two-time First Team All-American and a member of Berkeley's Nu chapter of

Phi Kappa Tau Phi Kappa Tau (), commonly known as Phi Tau (), is a collegiate fraternity located in the United States. The fraternity was founded in 1906. As of November 2022, the fraternity has 161 chartered chapters, 79 active chapters, 6 Associate chapte ...

fraternity. Imhoff was inducted into the Cal Athletic

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

in 1988 and enshrined in the

Pac-10 The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS; formerly Divisio ...

Hall of Honor in 2005. His jersey at Cal (No. 40) was retired during a game between Cal and

Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. S ...

at Haas Pavilion on February 14, 2009.Former Great Darrall Imhoff to Have No. 40 Jersey Retired
In 75 career games at Cal, Ihmoff averaged 10.0 points and 9.5 rebounds.

1960 Olympics

Imhoff was a senior awaiting entry into the

in 1960 when Hall of Fame Coach Pete Newell, now the U.S. Olympic coach, added his prize player to the 1960 United States men's Olympic basketball team for the

Summer Olympic Games The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The ina ...

. Walt Bellamy and Imhoff saw action together as center and power-forward during the Rome Games, especially against the tall Soviet national team, as the Americans usually jetted out to a big lead early and then rested their starters. The Olympic roster included Hall of Fame players Bellamy,

Oscar Robertson Oscar Palmer Robertson (born November 24, 1938), nicknamed "the Big O", is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Robertson playe ...

and

Bob Boozer Robert Louis Boozer (April 26, 1937 – May 19, 2012) was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Boozer won a gold medal in the 1960 Summer Olympics and won an NBA Championship as a member of the ...

, among others. Imhoff averaged 4.5 points in the 8 games as the Team USA captured the Gold Medal. The entire 1960 United States men's Olympic basketball team and coaching staff was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2011.

NBA career

New York Knicks

Imhoff was the most highly publicized

draft Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vesse ...

pick of the 1960 NBA Draft. The

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

, picking third overall, made him their first pick, a move which generated much excitement for the team. The Knicks had two all-stars already,

Richie Guerin Richard Vincent Guerin (born May 29, 1932) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He played with the National Basketball Association's (NBA) New York Knicks from 1956 to 1963 and was a player-coach of the St. Louis/Atlan ...

and Willie Naulls, and looked for Imhoff to complete a potential contender in the league's largest city. Imhoff, unfortunately, was not up to the pressure and had a season which fell well below hopes. Disappointed, he was the backup center by season's end. He was the starter in a March 1962 game when

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 ...

center

set an NBA record scoring 100 points in a game. After the season, Imhoff was traded to the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...

for their All-Star guard

Gene Shue Eugene William Shue (December 18, 1931 – April 3, 2022) was an American professional basketball player and coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Shue was one of the top guards of the early days of the NBA and an influential figure ...

Detroit Pistons

Imhoff's lack of shooting skills at the NBA level had been exposed, but he never quit working to improve. He began to see more minutes with the Pistons until he was dealt to the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

in 1964.

Los Angeles Lakers

On a star-studded team that included Jerry West,

Elgin Baylor Elgin Gay Baylor ( ; September 16, 1934 – March 22, 2021) was an American professional basketball player, coach, and executive. He played 14 seasons as a forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lak ...

and others, Imhoff was now a respected reserve. He contributed solidly to a team that won the NBA Western Division and made it to the NBA Finals in 1965. The Lakers were encouraged enough to start Imhoff the next season. Los Angeles again took the Western Division, but were Finals runner-up again to 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 ...

. Finally, in the 1966–67 season, Imhoff realised some of his potential, averaging 12 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks per game as a Laker starter. He made the 1967 NBA All-Star Team. Following the 1967-68 season, the Lakers acquired

from the Philadelphia 76ers in a multi-player trade that sent Imhoff to Philadelphia.

Philadelphia 76ers

The 76ers were second in the East in 1968-69, but were knocked out by Boston and Russell again in the playoffs. Imhoff was a starter again for the 1969–70 campaign and Philadelphia made it to the playoffs before losing to

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...

and

Lew Alcindor Lew or LEW may refer to: People * Lew (given name) * Lew (surname) Places * Lew, Oxfordshire, England * River Lew, in Devon, England Transport * LEW Hennigsdorf, a rail vehicle factory in Hennigsdorf, Germany * Lew (locomotive), a British narro ...

Cincinnati Royals

He was traded to Cincinnati at the start of the 1970–71 season for 2 players and second round draft choice and became the starting center until he tore a cartilage and ACL and had surgery. He re-injured the knee again at the start of the next season and was put on waivers.

Portland Trail Blazers

Portland signed Imhoff to a new contract for the remainder of the 1971–72 season and finished his career at the end of Portland's bench in 1972. Imhoff retired with a bad knee and had surgery in January 1973 to repair his ACL.

Career Summary

In 801 career NBA games over 12 seasons, Imhoff averaged 7.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists.

Personal

After retiring Imhoff lived in Hillsboro and

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast. As of the 2020 United States Census, ...

. He was the Vice President of Sales & Marketing at the United States Basketball Academy (USBA), a prestigious, internationally recognized basketball camp located in Oregon's McKenzie River Valley, about 45 miles east of Eugene prior to his retirement. He was also active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the Providence Child Center and Rotary International. He was married to wife Susan and had three daughters, Karen, Diana and Nancy, and two sons, David and Robert. His daughter Nancy was inducted into the

Idaho State University , mottoeng = " The truth will set you free" , established = , former_names = Academy of Idaho(1901–1915)Idaho Technical Institute(1915–1927) University of Idaho—Southern Branch(1927–1947)Idaho Sta ...

Sports Hall of Fame in 2005. Imhoff's grandson,

Damon Jones Damon Darron Jones (born August 25, 1976) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who was an assistant coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A combo guard, he played college baske ...

, is currently a pitcher for the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

. Imhoff died on June 30, 2017, in

Bend, Oregon Bend is a city in and the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. It is the principal city of the Bend Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bend is Central Oregon's largest city, with a population of 99,178 at the time of the 2020 U ...

of a heart attack. He was survived by his children, 18 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Honors

* Imhoff was inducted into the Cal Athletic

in 1988 * In 2005, Imhoff was enshrined in the

Hall of Honor in 2005. * His jersey at Cal (No. 40) was retired in 2009. The ceremony took place at the game between Cal and

at Haas Pavilion on February 14, 2009. * In 2011, the entire 1960 United States men's Olympic basketball team and coaching staff was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

References

External links

Darrall Imhoff Profile and Stats
at LakersWeb.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Imhoff, Darrall 1938 births 2017 deaths All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players at the 1960 Summer Olympics Basketball players from California California Golden Bears men's basketball players Centers (basketball) Cincinnati Royals players Detroit Pistons players Los Angeles Lakers players Medalists at the 1960 Summer Olympics National Basketball Association All-Stars New York Knicks draft picks New York Knicks players Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball People from San Gabriel, California Philadelphia 76ers players Portland Trail Blazers players Sportspeople from Alhambra, California Sportspeople from Eugene, Oregon Sportspeople from Hillsboro, Oregon United States men's national basketball team players