Paul Arizin, 78, High Scoring Jump Shot Pioneer
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Paul Arizin, an early adopter of the jump shot who led the Philadelphia Warriors to the 1956 NBA championship and was and was chosen one of the 50 greatest NBA players, died Tuesday at his home in suburban Philadelphia. He was 78.
As a student, the future Hall of Famer was cut from his high school team. He later had an outstanding college career at Villanova University.
Despite losing two years in his prime to the Korean War, “Pitchin’ Paul” forged a sensational pro career on the strength of his jump shot, a recent evolution of the game.
Arizin, who perfected the style after playing on slippery gym floors that doubled as dance floors, averaged 22.8 points in his 10-year career. He was inducted into the basketball Hall of Fame in 1978.
Drafted out of Villanova by the Philadelphia Warriors in 1950, he led the league in scoring in his second season, averaging 25.4 points. He also averaged 11.3 rebounds while leading the Warriors to the playoffs.
He then served two years in Korea with the Marine Corps. He returned to lead the Warriors to the NBA championship in 1956,scoring almost 29 points per game in the playoffs.
In the 1957-58 season, Arizin reached the 10,000-point mark faster than any player in history to that point. He finished his career with 16,266 points in 713 games.
At 34, Arizin retired in 1962 when the Warriors moved to San Francisco. He played three seasons with the Camden Bullets of the Eastern Basketball League.
