George Yardley
(1928-2004)
Hall of Fame Induction: 1996
Card Shown:
1985 Schick NBA Legends Classic
Position: F/G
Height: 6’5″
bb
bb
George Yardley, called “Bird,” was a 6’5″ leaper and one of the NBA’s earliest sharp shooters. He had a quick release on his jumper and was one of the few dunking the ball during his playing days. Elgin Baylor called Yardley the toughest guy he ever had to guard. Although he only played in the NBA for seven years George had an all-star career.
A gifted athlete, George was also a talented volleyball player and he became a five-time national age-group doubles champion in tennis. After his playing days were over Yardley went on to become a successful businessman.
Awards and Honors
- George led the Stewart Chevrolet team of San Francisco to the national AAU title in 1951.
- He was an NBA All-Star six times during his seven-year basketball career.
- George’s Fort Wayne Pistons teams reached the NBA Finals in 1955 and 1956. The team moved to Detroit for the 1957-58 season.
- Yardley was the first player in NBA history to score 2,000 points in a season. He scored 2,001 points in 1957-58 while playing for the Detroit Pistons. George Mikan had previously held the record with 1,932 points.
- George was the NBA scoring champion and was named First-Team All-NBA in 1957-58.
Points of Interest
- George put his professional career on hold and played amateur basketball immediately after graduating from Stanford. His hopes of being selected for the 1952 Olympic Team were dashed when he broke his hand while playing for the Los Alamitos Naval Air Station.
- Prior to the 1957-58 season, Yardley signed a $25,000 contract which made him the highest-paid player in the NBA.
- George retired from the NBA in 1960 after playing with the Fort Wayne/Detroit Pistons and the Syracuse Nationals. In 1961 he returned to play professional basketball with the Los Angeles Jets of the American Basketball League but the team folded in early 1962.
- Yardley promised his wife that he would stop playing basketball when his children reached school age. He retired at the top of his game.
- George Yardley died in 2004 as a result of complications from Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Statistics
George Yardley Statistics
provided by Basketball-Reference.com