Paul Arizin
(1928-2006)
Hall of Fame Induction: 1978
Card Shown:
2005-06 Topps
All-Time Fan Favorites
Position: SF
Height: 6’4″
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Paul Arizin starred at Villanova University, where he was a 1949-50 NCAA AP All-America First Team selection. He played his entire NBA career with the Philadelphia Warriors and led them to an NBA championship in 1956. Paul was one of the pioneers of the one-handed jump shot in an age where most of the league still favored the two-handed set shot. He was a potent scorer who averaged 22.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists during his time in the NBA.
Awards and Honors
- Paul was an All-NBA First Team selection three times and an All-NBA Second Team selection once. In 1955-56 he finished second to Bob Pettit in the Most Valuable Player voting.
- Arizin led the league in scoring two times. In 1951-52 he scored 25.4 points per game and in 1956-57 he led all players with 25.6 points per game.
- Paul was a ten-time NBA All-Star during his ten seasons in the league. Some of his fondest memories were defeating George Mikan, who dominated the NBA at that time, in two All-Star games. In 1952, Paul was the All-Star game MVP.
- Arizin, Neil Johnston, and Tom Gola led the Warriors to the the 1956 NBA Championship. They defeated George Yardley and the Fort Wayne Pistons 4-1 in the NBA Finals.
- In 1971, Paul was one of ten players selected to the NBA Silver Anniversary team, which celebrated the top players in the first 25 years of the BAA/NBA. In 1996, Arizin was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA history.
Points of Interest
- Arizin was cut from his high school team but continued to play basketball and after his freshman year at Villanova he earned a scholarship to play basketball.
- Paul became the first-ever NBA draft pick when he was selected by the Philadelphia Warriors with a territorial pick before the first round of the 1950 NBA Draft took place. From 1950 until the draft was revamped in 1966, local teams were allowed to forfeit their first round pick and select a player who attended college within 50 miles of the team.
- After his first two years in the NBA, Arizin missed the next two seasons because he was serving in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Korean War.
- Paul retired from his NBA basketball career after the 1961-62 season. In his last season he averaged 21.9 points and still had plenty of game in him. However, the Warriors were heading west to San Francisco and he didn’t want to leave his family and extended family who all live in the Philadelphia area.
- Arizin instead got a job with IBM, where he worked for 23 years after leaving the NBA.
Statistics
Paul Arizin Statistics
provided by Basketball-Reference.com