Paul Arizin

Paul Joseph Arizin (April 9, 1928 – December 12, 2006), nicknamed "Pitchin' Paul", was an American basketball player who spent his entire National Basketball Association (NBA) career with the Philadelphia Warriors from 1950 to 1962. He retired with the third highest career point total (16,266) in NBA history, and was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History upon its 50th anniversary in 1996. He was a high-scoring forward at Villanova University before being drafted by the Warriors of the fledgling NBA.[1][2]

Paul Arizin
Personal information
Born(1928-04-09)April 9, 1928
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
DiedDecember 12, 2006(2006-12-12) (aged 78)
Springfield, Pennsylvania
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High schoolLa Salle (Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania)
CollegeVillanova (1947–1950)
NBA draft1950 / Pick: Territorial
Selected by the Philadelphia Warriors
Playing career1950–1965
PositionSmall forward
Number11
Career history
1950–1952, 1954–1962Philadelphia Warriors
1962–1965Camden Bullets
Career highlights and awards
Career statistics
Points16,266 (22.8 ppg)
Rebounds6,129 (8.6 rpg)
Assists1,665 (2.3 apg)
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com
Basketball Hall of Fame as player
College Basketball Hall of Fame
Inducted in 2006

Biography

Born in Philadelphia to French immigrants, Arizin did not play basketball at La Salle College High School, failing to make the team in his only tryout as a senior. Arizin graduated just a year before another Basketball Hall of Famer, Tom Gola, entered La Salle College High School as a freshman.

During his freshman year at Villanova, Arizin played CYO (Catholic Youth Organization) basketball in Philadelphia. Late in that season, Al Severance, then the Villanova varsity basketball coach, attended one of Arizin's CYO games. Afterwards, Severance approached Arizin and asked him if he would like to go to Villanova, to which Arizin answered: "I already go to Villanova."[3]

Arizin made the team in 1947, his sophomore year, and played for three years. In 1950 he was named the collegiate basketball player of the year after leading the nation with 25.3 points per game. During a game on February 12, 1949, Arizin scored 85 points against the Naval Air Materials Center roster. Arizin also scored at least 100 points in a game while playing for Villanova, but the game is not recognized by the NCAA because the opponent was a junior college.[4][5]

Professional career

After being selected by the Warriors with their first pick in the 1950 NBA draft, Arizin averaged 17.2 points per game in his rookie season and was named NBA Rookie of the Year — a designation not currently sanctioned by the NBA for the 1950–51 season. He became one of the greatest NBA players of the 1950s, leading the league in scoring during the 1951–52 and 1956–57 seasons and leading in field goal percentage in 1951–52. Arizin sat out the 1952–53 and 1953–54 NBA seasons while serving in the Marines during the Korean War.[6]

Arizin became famous for his line-drive jump shots, and teamed with center Neil Johnston to form the best offensive one-two punch in the NBA at the time, leading the Warriors to the 1956 NBA title. He also played with scoring star Joe Fulks early in his career, and with Philadelphia legends Tom Gola and Wilt Chamberlain toward the end of his career in the early 1960s. Arizin chose to retire from the NBA rather than move with the Warriors to San Francisco. At the time of his retirement, no player had retired from the game with a higher scoring average (21.9 points per game) in his final season. This record would stand until Bob Pettit's retirement in 1965 following a season in which he averaged 22.5 PPG.

Arizin played in a total of 10 NBA All-Star Games (he was the 1952 NBA All-Star Game MVP) and was named to the All-NBA First-Team in 1952, 1956, and 1957.

After retiring from the NBA, Arizin played for three seasons with the Camden Bullets of the Eastern Professional Basketball League, who won the 1964 title. Averaging over 20 points per game each season, he was named the EBL MVP in 1963, was named to the EBL All-Star First Team in 1963 and 1964 and to the EBL All-Star Second Team in 1965.[7]

Arizin was named to the NBA 25th Anniversary Team in 1971. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978,[8] and was selected to the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996. He was inducted into the inaugural class of the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.[9] Arizin died in his sleep at age 78 on December 12, 2006, in Springfield, Pennsylvania.[10]

NBA career statistics
Legend
  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 *  Led the league

Regular season
Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1950–51 Philadelphia 65 – .407 .793 9.8 2.1 17.2
1951–52 Philadelphia 66 44.5* .448* .818 11.3 2.6 25.4*
1954–55 Philadelphia 72 41.0* .399 .776 9.4 2.9 21.0
1955–56† Philadelphia 72 37.8 .448 .810 7.5 2.6 24.2
1956–57 Philadelphia 71 39.0 .422 .829 7.9 2.1 25.6*
1957–58 Philadelphia 68 35.0 .393 .809 7.4 2.0 20.7
1958–59 Philadelphia 70 40.0 .431 .813 9.1 1.7 26.4
1959–60 Philadelphia 72 36.4 .424 .798 8.6 2.3 22.3
1960–61 Philadelphia 79 37.2 .425 .833 8.6 2.4 23.2
1961–62 Philadelphia 78 35.7 .410 .805 6.8 2.6 21.9
Career 713 38.4 .421 .810 8.6 2.3 22.8
All-Star 9 22.9 .466 .806 5.2 0.7 15.2

Playoffs
Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1951 Philadelphia 2 – .519 .813 10.0 1.5 20.5
1952 Philadelphia 3 40.0 .453 .879 12.7 2.7 25.7
1956† Philadelphia 10 40.9 .450 .838 8.4 2.9 28.9*
1957 Philadelphia 2 11.0 .375 .600 4.0 0.5 4.5
1958 Philadelphia 8 38.6 .391 .778 7.8 2.0 23.5
1960 Philadelphia 9 41.2 .431 .873 9.6 3.7 26.3
1961 Philadelphia 3 41.7 .328 .697 8.7 4.0 22.3
1962 Philadelphia 12 38.3 .375 .863 6.7 2.2 23.2
Career 49 38.6 .411 .829 8.2 2.6 24.2

See also

Notes
  1. "Paul Arizin Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  2. Rowe, Dan. "Basketball Hall of Fame Member PAUL ARIZAN * Two Signed Items* - The Written Word Autographs".
  3. Cut from H.S. team, Arizin rose in NBA - NBA - ESPN
  4. "The Night of the Century". The New York Times. Retrieved December 9, 2010.
  5. Wolfley, Bob (March 1, 1987). "THE GAME and Wilt still loom large" (PDF). The Milwaukee Journal. Retrieved December 9, 2010.
  6. "Paul Arizin Bio". NBA.com. Retrieved June 15, 2007.
  7. NBA Register: 1986-87 Edition. The Sporting News Publishing Company. 1986. p. 285. ISBN 9780892042272.
  8. "Hall of Famers". Basketball Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on October 8, 2012. Retrieved August 2, 2009.
  9. "Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame Inductees". Retrieved August 3, 2009.
  10. NBA Hall of Famer Arizin dies at 78

References
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