Paul Arizin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Paul Arizin

Position	forward
Nickname	bitchin' Paul
Height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight	200 lb (91 kg)
Team	Philadelphia Warriors
Nationality	United States
Born	April 9, 1928 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Died	December 13, 2006 (age 78)
College	Villanova
Draft	1st round, 1950 Philadelphia Warriors
Pro career	1950-52, 1954–1962
Hall of Fame	1978

Paul Joseph Arizin (April 9, 1928 – December 12, 2006), nicknamed "Pitchin' Paul," was an American basketball player who spent his entire National Basketball Association 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 league's 50 greatest players 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.

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Arizin did not play basketball at La Salle College High School, failing to make the team in his only tryout as a senior. Interestingly, Arizin graduated just a year before another NBA hall of famer, Tom Gola, entered La Salle College High School as a freshman. At Villanova he made the team in his sophomore year, and progressed so rapidly that in 1950 he was named the collegiate player of the year after leading the nation with 25.3 points per game. After being selected by the Warriors with their first pick in the 1950 NBA Draft, he was the league scoring champion during the 1951-52 and 1956-57 seasons, and became one of the greatest NBA players of the 1950s. He sat out the 1952-53 and 1953-54 seasons due to military service in the Marines during the Korean War. He 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.

After retiring from the NBA, Arizin played for three seasons with the Camden Bullets of the Eastern Professional Basketball League, winning the 1964 title.

Arizin played in 10 NBA All-Star Games (he was the All-Star Game MVP for the 1952 game) and was named to the All-NBA First-Team in 1952, 1956, and 1957. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978. He died in his sleep at age 78 on December 12, 2006, in Springfield, Pennsylvania^[1].