Bailey Howell
(Born 1937)
Hall of Fame Induction: 1997
Card Shown:
2009-10 Panini Hall of Fame
Famed Signatures
Position: SF
Height: 6’7″
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Bailey Howell starred on the basketball court at Middleton High School in Tennessee, Mississippi State, and for the Detroit Pistons, Baltimore Bullets, Boston Celtics, and Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA. Bailey’s NBA teams reached the playoffs in ten of his twelve years in the league. Howell spent four of his last five years playing with the Boston Celtics and won two NBA championships as a key part of the Celtics dynasty.
Awards and Honors
- Bailey played college basketball at Mississippi State where he averaged 27.1 points and 17.0 rebounds per game, was a three-time All-SEC selection, and led the Bulldogs to a record of 61-14 during his time at the school.
- Howell was a Second Team All-America selection in 1957-58 and a First Team All-America selection in 1958-59.
- After Wilt Chamberlain and Bob Ferry were chosen with territorial selections, Howell was the second pick in the first round of the 1959 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons. The first pick was Bob Boozer, who was selected by the Cincinnati Royals.
- From 1961 and 1967, Bailey was a six-time NBA All-Star. He represented the Pistons four times and the Baltimore Bullets and Boston Celtics one time each.
- Howell helped the Celtics to two NBA championships in 1968-69 and 1969-70. Those great Celtics teams also included Bill Russell (in his final two years), John Havlicek, and Sam Jones. Bailey was a significant contributor to the Celtics’ success, averaging nearly 20 points and 10 rebounds in each of those two seasons.
Points of Interest
- Howell set Mississippi State records for points in a game (47 against Union in 1958) and rebounds in a game (34 against Louisiana State University in 1957).
- In the 1958-59, Bailey’s Bulldog team finished the season with a 24-1 record and were ranked third in the nation. However, they never appeared in the NCAA tournament because the State of Mississippi had an unwritten policy that prohibited their teams from playing in tournaments with African American players.
- When he retired in 1971, Bailey was the eighth all-time scorer in NBA history with 17,770 points. He was also fourth all-time in NBA games played with 950.
- Howell finished his twelve-year NBA career with averages of 18.7 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game.
- Since 2004-05, the Howell Trophy has been presented to the best college basketball player in the state of Mississippi as determined by the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.
- In 2015, the street running past the Mississippi State arena was renamed Bailey Howell Drive.
Statistics
Bailey Howell Statistics
provided by Basketball-Reference.com
Bailey Howell Interview
Although I don’t typically link to other articles, the Bailey Howell interview by Michael D. McClellan is worth reading if you want to learn more about Bailey Howell.