Basketball Statistics Blog

Basketball Players: Happy Birthday Jerry Lucas !

Jerry Ray Lucas (born March 30, 1940) was a basketball player from the 1950s to the 1970s, and is now a memory education expert. In 1996, the NBA's 50th anniversary, he was named one of the 50 greatest players in National Basketball Association history. He was named to Sports Illustrated's five-man College All-Century Team in 1999.

"... In 1960, Lucas was also named to the U.S. Olympic team for the Rome Games that year. The team, which also listed Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Walt Bellamy, and Terry Dischinger among its members, is generally considered the greatest amateur team of all time. The team's youngest player at age 20, Lucas was its leader and star at center. The U.S. team roared through the international tournament to easily win the gold medal. Lucas was the team's co-leading scorer and leading rebounder. He made a shocking 84% of his shots in nine Olympic games, which included a much-watched win over the Soviet Union. Lucas also was noteworthy as he had memorized paragraphs of Japanese, Italian and Russian, and would briefly converse with players speaking those languages during the Games. U.S. coach Pete Newell called Lucas "the greatest player I ever coached." ..."

Photograph: LIFE

"... By this point, Lucas rated as one of the most accurate shooters and top rebounders in league history. He had plenty of individual honors as well. What he sought was a championship opportunity. The Warriors, needing a small scoring forward, dealt Lucas to the New York Knickerbockers, who needed a big man who would work behind both Willis Reed and Dave DeBusschere. Lucas had long rated ahead of both as an NBA player, but easily agreed as New York was a serious championship contender. Early in the 1971-72 season, the injury-prone Reed went down for the season. Lucas, not a starting center since college was pressed into service. Lucas bedeviled opposing teams with outside shooting and deft passing. ..."

"... Lucas was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980 along with Oscar Robertson and Jerry West.

Read Mahmoud Jerry Lucas's full story and statistics in Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

You must be logged in to read or post a comment. Register

tags:  basketball  ~  basketball photographs  ~  basketball legends  ~  Jerry Lucas
visit:  eBA Portal  ~  eBA Forums  ~  eBA Encyclopedia  ~  eBA Clinics