Carl Braun (basketball)
Carl August Braun Jr. (September 25, 1927 – February 10, 2010)[1] was an American professional basketball and baseball player and professional basketball coach.
 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 25, 1927 Brooklyn, New York |
| Died | February 10, 2010 (aged 82) Stuart, Florida |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 180 lb (82 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Garden City (Garden City, New York) |
| College | Colgate (1945–1947) |
| BAA draft | 1947 / Undrafted |
| Playing career | 1947–1962 |
| Position | Shooting guard / Point guard |
| Number | 4 |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1947–1950, 1952–1961 | New York Knicks |
| 1961–1962 | Boston Celtics |
| As coach: | |
| 1959–1961 | New York Knicks |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Career statistics | |
| Points | 10,625 |
| Rebounds | 2,122 |
| Assists | 2,892 |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Basketball Hall of Fame as player | |
Life and career
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Braun played collegiately for the Colgate University Raiders from 1945 to 1947. He briefly pitched in the New York Yankees minor league system before a sore shoulder ended his baseball career. He joined the Knicks in the 1947-1948 NBA season.
Braun was one of the premier guards of the 1950s and spent 13 seasons in the NBA, all but the last with the New York Knicks. Braun led the Knicks in scoring during his first seven seasons.[2] He did not play during the 1950-1951 or 1951-1952 seasons due to military service. He was named to the All-NBA Second Team in 1948 and 1954. On December 6, 1947, he set a then NBA single game scoring record, recording 47 points.[2] He ended his career in 1962, after one season with the Boston Celtics. Braun played in five NBA All-Star Games and scored 10,625 points in his professional career. Braun was a player-coach for the Knicks in 1960 and 1961 as well, compiling a 40–87 head coaching record.
Carl Braun is featured in the 1948 Bowman set of basketball cards, the 1957 Topps set, and the 1961 Fleer set. Though sportscaster Marty Glickman made the term "swish" a popular basketball colloquialism, he attributed the genesis of the word to Braun, who he heard say it following a good shot during warmup. Glickman used the term frequently in broadcasts throughout the 1950s. Braun was elected to the National Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.
BAA/NBA career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| † | Won an NBA championship |
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947–48 | New York | 47 | – | .323 | .650 | – | 1.3 | 14.3 |
| 1948–49 | New York | 57 | – | .330 | .760 | – | 3.0 | 14.2 |
| 1949–50 | New York | 67 | – | .364 | .762 | – | 3.7 | 15.4 |
| 1952–53 | New York | 70 | 33.1 | .400 | .825 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 14.0 |
| 1953–54 | New York | 72 | 33.0 | .400 | .825 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 14.8 |
| 1954–55 | New York | 71 | 34.9 | .388 | .801 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 15.1 |
| 1955–56 | New York | 72 | 32.2 | .372 | .838 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 15.4 |
| 1956–57 | New York | 72 | 32.6 | .381 | .809 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 13.9 |
| 1957–58 | New York | 71 | 34.9 | .418 | .849 | 4.6 | 5.5 | 16.5 |
| 1958–59 | New York | 72 | 27.2 | .420 | .826 | 3.5 | 4.8 | 10.5 |
| 1959–60 | New York | 54 | 28.0 | .432 | .838 | 3.1 | 5.0 | 12.9 |
| 1960–61 | New York | 15 | 14.5 | .468 | .786 | 2.1 | 3.2 | 5.7 |
| 1961–62† | Boston | 48 | 8.6 | .377 | .741 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 3.7 |
| Career | 788 | 29.8 | .383 | .804 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 13.5 | |
| All-Star | 5 | 18.0 | .481 | 1.000 | 2.5 | 1.6 | 6.0 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | New York | 3 | – | .293 | .600 | – | .7 | 10.0 |
| 1949 | New York | 6 | – | .324 | .806 | – | 3.2 | 19.3 |
| 1950 | New York | 5 | – | .412 | .763 | – | 3.8 | 17.0 |
| 1953 | New York | 11 | 34.0 | .324 | .806 | 4.0 | 2.8 | 13.5 |
| 1954 | New York | 4 | 31.3 | .346 | .875 | 3.0 | 2.3 | 17.8 |
| 1955 | New York | 3 | 34.3 | .409 | .900 | 4.7 | 5.3 | 18.0 |
| 1959 | New York | 2 | 31.0 | .375 | .889 | 2.0 | 5.0 | 16.0 |
| 1962† | Boston | 6 | 7.0 | .393 | .750 | 1.2 | .3 | 4.2 |
| Career | 40 | 27.2 | .350 | .812 | 3.1 | 2.7 | 14.0 | |
References
- "Former Knicks star Carl Braun dies at 82 – USATODAY.com". usatoday.com. February 10, 2010. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
- Goldstein, Richard (February 11, 2010), "Carl Braun, an All-Star With the Knicks, Dies at 82", The New York Times
External links