Jack Nichols (basketball)

For other people with the same name, see Jack Nichols (disambiguation).

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
Died	December 24, 1992(1992-12-24) (aged 66) Palm Springs, California
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight	222 lb (101 kg)
Career information
High school	Everett (Everett, Washington)
College	Washington (1943–1944) USC (1944–1946) Washington (1946–1948)
BAA draft	1948: 1st round, 12th overall pick
Selected by the Washington Capitols
Playing career	1948–1958
Position	Power forward / center
Number	15, 5, 16
Career history
1948–1950	Washington Capitols
1950–1954	Tri-Cities Blackhawks / Milwaukee Hawks
1954–1958	Boston Celtics
Career highlights and awards
NBA champion (1957) Consensus second-team All-American (1948) 5× First-team All-PCC (1944–1948)
Career BAA and NBA statistics
Points	5,245 (10.4 ppg)
Rebounds	2,782 (6.9 rpg)
Assists	964 (1.9 apg)
Stats at NBA.com
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

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

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

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

External links

• Career statistics