Joe Lapchick
(1900-1970)
Hall of Fame Induction: 1966
Card Shown:
1933 Sport Kings reprint
Position: C
Height: 6’5″
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Joe Lapchick, at 6’5″ was a dominant center in the early days of professional basketball. After each made basket there used to be a jump ball at center court, and Joe won nearly all of them. Lapchick was an able passer and shooter and was an agile big man.
Joe was signed by the Original Celtics in 1923 and was the center on that legendary team. They were a barnstorming team who traveled the country playing the best teams. The Original Celtics included Hall of Famers Nat Holman, Bennie Borgmann, Dutch Dehnert, John Beckman, and Lapchick.
Awards and Honors
- The Celtics joined the American Basketball League (ABL) in 1926 and won two titles. They were so good that the league insisted that the team be broken up and the players moved to other teams.
- Lapchick then joined the Cleveland Rosenblums and helped lead them to two ABL Championships in 1929 and 1930.
- Joe played an important part in helping to integrate basketball and the NBA. Going back to his days on the Original Celtics, Lapchick and New York Rens (an all African-American team) player Charles “Tarzan” Cooper modeled an interracial friendship. Later, Lapchick (with the New York Knicks) signed Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton, one of the first African-American players in the NBA.
- The Joe Lapchick Character Award was created by former player Gus Alfieri to recognize honorable character in individuals involved in basketball. The event is held each November at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Award recipients have included Dean Smith, Pat Summitt, and Mike Krzyzewski. Davidson College coach Bob McKillop is one of the honorees in 2017.
Points of Interest
- Joe spent 50 years involved in the game of basketball as either a player or a coach.
- Lapchick’s early jobs included working in a factory on 10-hour shifts for $15 a week. He much preferred playing basketball for the Holyoke Reds, the Brooklyn Visitations, and other clubs where he had negotiated his way up to $75 per game.
- After his playing career ended, Lapchick coached St. John’s for 20 years, compiling a record of 334 wins and 130 losses. His teams won 72% of the games he coached and won six conference championships. The Red Storm also won four NIT Championships and made the NCAA Tournament once.
- Joe also coached in the NBA, leading the New York Knicks to the NBA Finals three times in 1951 through 1953. After his time in the NBA, Lapchick returned to St. John’s to coach there for a second stint. Forced to retire from St. John’s at 65 years of age, Lapchick’s last team rallied for him and defeated Villanova in the finals of the NIT Tournament in March of 1965.
Joe Lapchick Signed Index Card
