Myer Upton "Whitey" Skoog (November 2, 1926 – April 4, 2019) 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 court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player for the

National Basketball Association 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 ...

Minneapolis Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers franchise has a long and storied history, predating the formation of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Founded in 1947, the Lakers are one of the NBA's most famous and successful franchises. As of summer 2012, th ...

. He was born in

Duluth, Minnesota , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

. A 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) and 180 lb (82 kg)

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

, Skoog played collegiately at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...

. Following his All-America senior season, he was drafted as a territorial pick in the first round of the

1951 NBA draft The 1951 NBA draft was the fifth annual NBA Draft, draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 25, 1951, before the 1951–52 NBA season, 1951–52 season. In this Draft (sports), draft, ten remaining NBA teams ...

by the Lakers. The Lakers won three

NBA Championships The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is aw ...

in his first three years in the league. Skoog played in six seasons in the NBA before back injuries forced his retirement. Some credit Skoog with being the creator of the jump shot and one of the first players to use a jump shot in an organized game. Following his career in the NBA, Skoog became the men's basketball coach and golf coach at Gustavus Adolphus College. He was inducted into the school's hall of fame in 1987. Skoog resided in a skilled nursing facility in St. Peter, Minnesota in his later years. He died on April 4, 2019, at the age of 92.

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Career StatisticsGustavus Athletic Hall of Fame
1926 births 2019 deaths All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players American people of Swedish descent Basketball coaches from Minnesota Basketball players from Minnesota College men's basketball head coaches in the United States Minneapolis Lakers draft picks Minneapolis Lakers players Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball players Point guards Shooting guards Sportspeople from Duluth, Minnesota {{1920s-US-basketball-bio-stub