Jack Nichols (basketball)

Jack Edward Nichols (April 9, 1926 – December 24, 1992) was an American professional basketball player.

Jack Nichols
Personal information
Born(1926-04-09)April 9, 1926
DiedDecember 24, 1992(1992-12-24) (aged 66)
Palm Springs, California
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight222 lb (101 kg)
Career information
High schoolEverett (Everett, Washington)
College
  • Washington (1943–1944)
  • USC (1944–1946)
  • Washington (1946–1948)
BAA draft1948: 1st round, 12th overall pick
Selected by the Washington Capitols
Playing career1948–1958
PositionPower forward / center
Number15, 5, 16
Career history
19481950Washington Capitols
19501954Tri-Cities Blackhawks / Milwaukee Hawks
19541958Boston Celtics
Career highlights and awards
Career BAA and NBA statistics
Points5,245 (10.4 ppg)
Rebounds2,782 (6.9 rpg)
Assists964 (1.9 apg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference

A 6'7" power forward who attended the University of Washington and the University of Southern California, Nichols played nine seasons (1948–1951;1952–1958) in the National Basketball Association as a member of the Washington Capitols, Tri-Cities Blackhawks, Milwaukee Hawks, and Boston Celtics. He scored 5,245 points in his career and was a contributor to the Celtics' 1957 NBA championship team, who was coached by his former Washington Capitol coach, Red Auerbach. During his last 3 years with the Celtics, he attended Tufts Dental School full-time, earning his doctor of dentistry in 1958.

During his collegiate career, Nichols was named an all-conference player in five different seasons, twice with USC, and three times at UW (only player ever to achieve this). In 1948 he set the single game (39 points vs. Idaho) and single season scoring records for the Pacific Coast Conference. He was named a Helms Foundation All-American, and led the Huskies to the 1948 NCAA tournament by Beating Cal in a 3-game series.

Upon his retirement from professional basketball, Nichols served as the team dentist for the University of Washington and for the Seattle SuperSonics. Nichols has been inducted into the University of Washington Hall of Fame, the State of Washington Sports Hall of Fame, and the Pac-12 Conference Hall of Honor.

BAA/NBA 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

Regular season

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Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1948–49 Washington 34 .390 .730 1.6 11.7
1949–50 Washington 49 .362 .736 1.7 13.1
1949–50 Tri-Cities 18 .374 .800 3.4 13.1
1950–51 Tri-Cities 6 .342 .762 10.5 2.5 11.7
1952–53 Milwaukee 69 38.1 .363 .708 7.7 2.8 15.8
1953–54 Milwaukee / Boston 75 21.4 .309 .743 4.8 1.4 5.9
1954–55 Boston 64 29.8 .380 .780 8.3 2.3 9.9
1955–56 Boston 60 32.7 .413 .791 10.4 2.7 14.3
1956–57 Boston 61 22.5 .363 .794 6.1 1.4 8.2
1957–58 Boston 69 17.7 .351 .738 4.4 .9 5.8
Career 505 26.9 .368 .752 6.9 1.9 10.4

Playoffs

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Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1949 Washington 11 .408 .667 2.5 14.4
1950 Tri-Cities 3 .300 .742 3.7 19.7
1954 Boston 6 35.2 .486 .789 10.3 5.2 16.7
1955 Boston 7 33.0 .370 .813 7.0 3.3 10.4
1956 Boston 3 33.3 .372 .900 12.0 3.3 13.7
1957 Boston 10 11.7 .400 .600 1.7 .7 3.5
1958 Boston 11 13.5 .348 .700 4.1 .7 4.8
Career 51 21.8 .389 .739 5.6 2.3 10.2
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