James Edward Paxson Sr. (December 19, 1932 – October 28, 2014) was an American professional basketball player.
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | December 19, 1932 Pennville, Indiana | ||||||||||||||
| Died | October 28, 2014 (aged 81) Dayton, Ohio | ||||||||||||||
| Nationality | American | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 200 lb (91 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Catholic Central (Springfield, Ohio) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Dayton (1951–1953, 1955–1956) | ||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 1956: 1st round, 3rd overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Selected by the Minneapolis Lakers | |||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1956–1958 | ||||||||||||||
| Position | Shooting guard / small forward | ||||||||||||||
| Number | 11 | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| 1956–1957 | Minneapolis Lakers | ||||||||||||||
| 1957–1958 | Cincinnati Royals | ||||||||||||||
| Career NBA statistics | |||||||||||||||
| Points | 1,105 (8.0 ppg) | ||||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 616 (4.5 rpg) | ||||||||||||||
| Assists | 225 (1.6 apg) | ||||||||||||||
| Stats at NBA.com | |||||||||||||||
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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A 6'6" swingman, Paxson attended the University of Dayton during the mid-1950s, averaging 10.9 points per game in his collegiate career. He helped the Flyers attain two consecutive second-place finishes in the National Invitation Tournament.[1] After his sophomore year, Paxson Sr. was drafted into the Army during the Korean War. He spent two years in the Army and played with the Armed Forced All-Stars who won the Pan-Am games in Mexico in 1955 before returning for his final season in 1955–56. He averaged 15.5 points per game as a senior as the Flyers went 25-4 and lost to Louisville in the NIT championship game. [6] After graduating in 1956, he was selected by the Minneapolis Lakers with the third pick of the NBA draft, then played two seasons in the NBA with the Lakers and Cincinnati Royals.[2] When his basketball career ended, he entered the insurance business.[3]
Paxson's sons Jim and John both played in the NBA and have also served as NBA general managers. His son Michael played collegiately at Ohio University for one year.[4]
Paxson died on October 28, 2014. He was 81.[5]
Career statistics
edit| 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 |
NBA
editSource[2]
Regular season
edit| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956–57 | Minneapolis | 71 | 17.9 | .285 | .720 | 3.7 | 1.2 | 6.3 |
| 1957–58 | Cincinnati | 67 | 26.8 | .352 | .733 | 5.2 | 2.1 | 9.8 |
| Career | 138 | 22.2 | .323 | .727 | 4.5 | 1.6 | 8.0 | |
Playoffs
edit| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956–57 | Minneapolis | 5 | 10.8 | .333 | .500 | 2.8 | .6 | 5.0 |
| 1957–58 | Cincinnati | 2 | 15.0 | .150 | .750 | 4.0 | 2.5 | 6.0 |
| Career | 7 | 12.0 | .255 | .591 | 3.1 | 1.1 | 5.3 | |
Notes
edit- ^ Player Bio: Jim Paxson Sr[permanent dead link]. University of Dayton. Retrieved on July 23, 2008.
- ^ a b "Jim Paxson NBA statistics". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ Bob Ryan. "Paxson Sr like the chemistry". Boston Globe. May 1, 1988. 79.
- ^ Bruce Newman. "A Family Tradition." Sports Illustrated. March 21, 1983. Retrieved on July 23, 2008.
- ^ Ohio basketball legend Jim Paxson Sr. dies at 81