Bennie Samuel Swain (December 16, 1933 – June 19, 2008[1]) was an American professional basketball player.

Bennie Swain
Personal information
Born(1933-12-16)December 16, 1933
Talladega, Alabama
DiedJune 19, 2008(2008-06-19) (aged 74)
Houston, Texas
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High schoolWestside (Talladega, Alabama)
CollegeTexas Southern (1954–1958)
NBA draft1958: 1st round, 7th overall pick
Selected by the Boston Celtics
Playing career1958–1959
PositionPower forward
Number16
Career history
1958–1959Boston Celtics
Career highlights and awards
Career statistics
Points265 (4.6 ppg)
Rebounds262 (4.5 rpg)
Assists29 (0.5 apg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

A 6'8" forward/center, Swain played at Texas Southern University in the 1950s. He led the NAIA in scoring during the 1957–58 season and was named an NAIA All-American. After graduating, Swain was selected by the Boston Celtics with the seventh pick of the 1958 NBA draft. He played one season for the Celtics, contributing 4.6 points and 4.5 rebounds per game en route to the 1959 NBA Championship.

He was the first Texas Southern University player to earn an NBA Championship ring.

Swain later served as a high school basketball coach.

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
 †  Won an NBA championship

Source[2]

Regular season

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Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1958–59 Boston 58 12.2 .406 .609 4.5 .5 4.6

Playoffs

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Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1959 Boston 5 5.4 .333 .500 2.8 .2 1.0

Notes

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  1. ^ John M. Guilfoil, Former Celtics player Bennie Swain dies at 78, The Boston Globe, June 21, 2008.
  2. ^ "Bennie Swain NBA Stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
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