Paul Arizin

Paul Joseph Arizin (April 9, 1928 - December 12, 2006) was named college basketball’s Collegiate Player of the Year in 1950 as a senior, despite not playing in his freshman year of college. Arizin did not play high school basketball and his talent was not recognized until Villanova’s head coach saw Paul playing in a CYO game in Philadelphia. Pitchin’ Paul, renown for his line-drive jump shots, scored 85 points in a game during his junior season against the Naval Air Materials Center and unofficially scored 100 points in a game that was not recognized by the NCAA due to the fact that Nova’s opponents were a junior college. Paul was the Number 1 overall pick in the 1950 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia Warriors, where he played his entire professional career (1950-1962). He led the league in scoring twice (1951-52, 1956-57) and minutes played, led the league in field goals three times and free throws once. In 1956, he helped guide the Warriors to the NBA Championship over the Fort Wayne Pistons. The ten-time All-Star selection (named the 1952 NBA All-Star Game MVP) was also a three-time All-NBA First Team player. As a member of the Warriors, Arizin played with future Hall of Famers Tom Gola and Wilt Chamberlain at the beginning and end of his career, respectively. Refusing to move with the team to San Francisco, Arizin retired from the NBA. He played two seasons with the Camden Bullets of the EPBL, winning the 1964 championship before retiring for good from the game of basketball. Paul Arizin finished his career with 16,266 points, 6,129 total rebounds and 1,665 assists. Paul Arizin was indicted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978. In 1996, Paul Arizin was named to the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History list.