Jerry Lucas
(Born 1940)
Hall of Fame Induction: 1980
Card Shown:
2018-19 Panini Impeccable
Immortal Ink
Position: PF/C
Height: 6’8″
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Jerry Lucas was a winner at all levels in the game of basketball. He won titles in high school, college, the pros, and in the Olympics. At Middletown High School in Ohio, Lucas led his team to two state championships and his team won 76 consecutive games. Jerry went on to lead Ohio State University to an NCAA Championship and later the New York Knicks to an NBA Championship. In the 1960 Olympics in Rome, Lucas teamed with Hall of Famers Jerry West, Oscar Robertson, and Walt Bellamy to capture the gold medal for the USA.
Jerry was a deadly outside shooter. He finished his NBA career with a shooting percentage of .499 which is remarkable considering the number of outside shots that Lucas took. In addition to being a potent scorer, Lucas was one of the game’s top rebounders. He finished in the top five in rebounding seven times during his career. Jerry retired as the fourth leading rebounder in NBA history with 15.61 per game. Only Wilt Chamberlain (22.89), Bill Russell (22.45), and Bob Pettit (16.22) pulled down more boards per game.
Awards and Honors
- Lucas played college basketball for the Ohio State Buckeyes with John Havlicek and Bob Knight. At OSU, he led the team to the NCAA Final Four three times (1960-1962) and won the NCAA Championship in 1960. Jerry was selected as the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament in 1960 and 1961 and was the College Player of the Year in 1961 and 1962.
- Jerry was a territorial selection of the Cincinnati Royals in the 1962 NBA Draft. The NBA used to allow teams to select a local player, that was popular with its fans, in place of their first round pick. The territorial selection was made prior to the first round selections in the draft. Jerry’s Ohio State teammate, John Havlicek, was also taken in the 1962 draft by Boston with the seventh pick in the first round.
- In 1963-64, Lucas was selected as the NBA Rookie of the Year and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. He was also named All-NBA First Team three times and All-NBA Second Team twice during his career.
- Lucas won an NBA Championship with the New York Knicks in 1973. The star-studded Knicks team included Hall of Famers Dave DeBusschere, Bill Bradley, Walt Frazier, Earl Monroe, Willis Reed, and Phil Jackson (inducted to the HOF as a coach).
- Jerry was an NBA All-Star seven times during his eleven-year career. He was the NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player in 1965.
- Lucas was selected as one of The 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996.
Points of Interest
- In his rookie year in the NBA, Jerry led the league with a .527 shooting percentage, slightly ahead of Wilt Chamberlain.
- Lucas finished his NBA career with averages of 17.0 points, 15.6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game. Jerry retired from the game in 1974 with two years still remaining on his contract.
- After his NBA career Lucas became known as Dr. Memory. He dedicated himself to education and teaching people all around the country how to learn more effectively. Jerry had used his memory skills in the NBA to play defense (he claimed to have memorized all the opposing teams’ plays) and to help him rebound (he studied the angles and knew where the ball would end up before it got there).
- In 2013 Lucas auctioned off some of his basketball memorabilia. He said that things didn’t mean that much to him and that it was not possible to divide them fairly among his family members. It was the memories of the events associated with the memorabilia which still means a lot to Jerry. During the auction his 1973 Knicks World Championship Ring sold for $72,000, his Hall of Fame Induction Ring sold for $60,000, and his signed 50 Greatest Players in NBA History lithograph brought $45,000. His 1960 Olympic gold medal had a reserve price of $250,000 and did not sell.
- Jerry Lucas has a strong faith in God. He retired from the NBA early because he knew that the Lord had other plans for him. To hear more about Jerry’s spiritual journey, listen to the 1976 recording of his testimony in the YouTube video linked below.
Statistics
Jerry Lucas Statistics
provided by Basketball-Reference.com