Herman Jesse Branson (January 7, 1942 – November 2, 2014) was an American basketball player.

Jesse Branson
Personal information
Born(1942-01-07)January 7, 1942
Graham, North Carolina, U.S.
DiedNovember 2, 2014(2014-11-02) (aged 72)
Gibsonville, North Carolina, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High schoolHolt (Burlington, North Carolina)
CollegeElon (1961–1965)
NBA draft1965: 2nd round, 13th overall pick
Selected by the Philadelphia 76ers
Playing career1965–1968
PositionSmall forward
Number22, 24
Career history
1965Philadelphia 76ers
1965–1966Trenton Colonials
1967–1968New Orleans Buccaneers
Career NBA and ABA statistics
Points1,091 (13.1 ppg)
Rebounds541 (6.6 rpg)
Assists67 (0.8 apg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference

Born in Graham, North Carolina, he played collegiately for Elon University. He was 6 feet 8 inches (2.03 m) tall.

He became known as the hoops legend at Elon, setting numerous basketball records, and still holding them today.

His Basketball Jersey (number 40) was retired after his time at Elon, and was temporarily taken out of retirement for his son Brian Branson to wear during his senior year. The Jersey now hangs in the Elon Scharr Center, moved from its place in the alumni gym.

Jesse married his sweetheart Barbra Tillman in 1962 until his own death. During his senior year in 1965, and throughout his NBA career, he had his first child, Brian Branson born in 1965

He was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round (18th pick overall) of the 1965 NBA draft.

He played for the 76ers (1965–66) in the NBA for 5 games and for the New Orleans Buccaneers (1967–68) in the ABA for 78 games.

Branson died on November 2, 2014, in Gibsonville, North Carolina, where he lived.[1]

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
 *  Led the league

NBA/ABA

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Source[2]

Regular season

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Year Team GP MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG PPG
1965–66 Philadelphia 5 2.8 .167 .750 1.8 .2 1.0
1967–68 New Orleans (ABA) 78 24.3 .429 .222 .702 6.9 .9 13.9
Career 83 23.0 .427 .222 .702 6.6 .8 13.1

Playoffs

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Year Team GP MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG PPG
1968 New Orleans (ABA) 17* 23.6 .394 .000 .816 6.0 1.2 11.4

References

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  1. ^ "Former Elon basketball great Jesse Branson dies at 72". Burlington Times-News. November 3, 2014. Archived from the original on January 2, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  2. ^ "Jesse Branson NBA stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
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