Warren Jabali (August 29, 1946 – July 13, 2012) 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 court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. He played professionally in the American Basketball Association (ABA) from 1968 to 1975.

Early career

Born Warren Edward Armstrong, Jabali changed his name while attending

Wichita State University Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...

to reflect his African roots. The name does not have any religious connotations as it is a Swahili word for "rock." A skilled defender and rebounder and a remarkable leaper, the 6'2" Jabali was reported to be able to touch a ten-foot high basketball rim with his forehead. Although Wichita State, and the

Missouri Valley Conference The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the third-oldest collegiate athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the midwest. History The MVC was established ...

in general, supplied many pro players of the era, he did not receive much attention from 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 ...

(NBA). He was drafted by the New York Knicks in the 4th round (8th pick, 44th overall) of the 1968 NBA draft; he signed instead with the Oakland Oaks of the rival ABA, who selected him in the 1968 ABA Draft.

ABA career

In his first season in the ABA, he won Rookie of the Year honors, prompting teammate

Rick Barry Richard Francis Dennis Barry III (born March 28, 1944) is an American retired professional basketball player who starred at the NCAA, American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA) levels. Barry ranks among the ...

to comment, "No doubt he's one of the best guards I've ever played with—or against". Later that season, Jabali averaged 33.2 points against the Indiana Pacers in the 1969 ABA Finals and was named Playoffs MVP. As one of the most physically gifted guards in the American Basketball Association, Warren Jabali muscled his way through seven straight seasons of double-digit scoring, including 1968–69, when his average of 21.5 points per game earned him ABA Rookie of the Year honors. That season Jabali's efforts helped bring an ABA Championship to the Oakland Oaks, a team that also featured

, Larry Brown, and

Doug Moe Douglas Edwin Moe (born September 21, 1938) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. As a head coach with the Denver Nuggets in the National Basketball Association (NBA), he was named the NBA Coach of the Year in 1988. Ea ...

. Jabali became an instant star after coming into the league from

. Although Barry, the Oaks' biggest attraction, won the league scoring title in 1968–69, he was only able to play in 35 games because of a severe knee ligament injury. It was Jabali, an immediate starter, who gave Coach

Alex Hannum Alexander Murray Hannum (July 19, 1923 – January 18, 2002) was a professional basketball player and coach. Hannum coached two National Basketball Association (NBA) teams and one American Basketball Association (ABA) team to league championships ...

the extra scoring punch needed in Barry's absence. With Jabali aboard and Barry helping for part of the season, the Oaks recorded a stunning 38-game turnaround to post a league-best 60-18 record. In the playoffs, they went 12-4 on the way to claiming the ABA Championship. A year later at midseason, with the team playing as the

Washington Caps The Washington Caps were an American Basketball Association team from 1969 through 1970. The franchise had previously been the Oakland Oaks. From 1970 through 1976 the team played as the Virginia Squires. Origins With the formation of the ABA in ...

, an injury sidelined Jabali. Hurt shortly after playing in his first of four ABA All-Star Games, he was carrying an average of 22.8 points per game at the time. Jabali made a comeback, although his final five years were spent with four teams. In his first season back, 1970–71, he was traded from the Kentucky Colonels to the Indiana Pacers on October 13, 1970, in exchange for a first-round draft choice and cash. Jabali saw action in 62 games with the Pacers. It was with the Pacers that Jabali started pulling the trigger from three-point land; he did it 163 times that year, making 47 treys. He had a big year with the Florida Floridians the following season, averaging 19.9 points and hitting 102 of his 286 three-point attempts, among the most in the league. When the Miami-based franchise folded, Jabali moved to the

Denver Rockets Denver () is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States#State capital, capital, and List of municipalities in Colorado#, most populous city of th ...

(later the Denver Nuggets). During his first campaign with the Rockets, Jabali's 16-point effort in the

1973 ABA All-Star Game The sixth American Basketball Association All-Star Game was played February 6, 1973 at Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, Utah before an audience at 12,556. Larry Brown of the Carolina Cougars coached the East, with LaDell Andersen of the Utah Stars co ...

keyed the West's come-from-behind victory and earned him Most Valuable Player honors. That game is often referred to as the Jabali's Jamboree. After one more season in Denver and another with the San Diego Conquistadors, Jabali retired in 1975, at age 28. In his seven-year professional career, Jabali played for the Oakland Oaks,

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, a ...

, the Indiana Pacers,

The Floridians ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

, the

, and the San Diego Conquistadors. While playing for the Rockets in 1973, he was named the All-Star Game MVP and was named to the All-ABA First Team after averaging 17.0 points, 6.6 assists, and 5.2 rebounds. Knee problems would soon limit his effectiveness, however, and he retired in 1975, having achieved career averages of 17.1 points, 5.3 assists, and 6.7 rebounds. Warren Jabali died on July 13, 2012.

ABA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", 1968–69 , style="text-align:left;", Oakland , 71 , , ... , , 35.8 , , .449 , , .250 , , .684 , , 9.7 , , 3.5 , , ... , , ... , , 21.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1969–70 , style="text-align:left;",

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, 40 , , ... , , 37.8 , , .445 , , .306 , , .717 , , 10.4 , , 4.3 , , ... , , ... , , 22.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1970–71 , style="text-align:left;",

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, 62 , , ... , , 25.6 , , .410 , , .288 , , .761 , , 4.8 , , 3.5 , , ... , , ... , , 11.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1971–72 , style="text-align:left;",

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

, 81 , , ... , , 40.9 , , .436 , , .358 , , .756 , , 8.1 , , 6.1 , , ... , , ... , , 19.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1972–73 , style="text-align:left;",

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, 82 , , ... , , 33.4 , , .453 , , .257 , , .805 , , 5.2 , , 6.6 , , 2.1 , , ... , , 17.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1973–74 , style="text-align:left;", Denver , 49 , , ... , , 34.9 , , .391 , , .366 , , .803 , , 5.0 , , 7.3 , , 2.0 , , .2 , , 15.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1974–75 , style="text-align:left;",

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

, 62 , , ... , , 30.0 , , .392 , , .321 , , .789 , , 4.1 , , 5.8 , , 1.8 , , .3 , , 12.1 , - , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 447 , , ... , , 34.1 , , .431 , , .319 , , .756 , , 6.7 , , 5.3 , , 2.0 , , .3 , , 17.1

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", 1968–69 , style="text-align:left;", Oakland , 16 , , ... , , 41.4 , , .460 , , .176 , , .668 , , 12.9 , , 2.9 , , ... , , ... , , 28.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1970–71 , style="text-align:left;",

, 11 , , ... , , 22.7 , , .302 , , .107 , , .806 , , 3.6 , , 3.0 , , ... , , ... , , 7.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1971–72 , style="text-align:left;",

, 4 , , ... , , 42.8 , , .373 , , .333 , , .788 , , 13.0 , , 5.5 , , ... , , ... , , 18.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1972–73 , style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , ... , , 25.2 , , .333 , , .000 , , .750 , , 1.4 , , 2.8 , , ... , , ... , , 6.0 , - , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 36 , , ... , , 33.6 , , .415 , , .167 , , .702 , , 8.5 , , 3.2 , , ... , , ... , , 18.1 , -

References

External links

Career stats
at basketball-reference.com

at Remember the ABA

at HoopsHype.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Jabali, Warren 1946 births 2012 deaths African-American basketball players Basketball players from Kansas American men's basketball players Denver Rockets players Indiana Pacers players Kentucky Colonels players Miami Floridians players New York Knicks draft picks Oakland Oaks draft picks Oakland Oaks players Point guards San Diego Conquistadors players Shooting guards Sportspeople from Kansas City, Kansas Washington Caps players Wichita State Shockers men's basketball players 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American people