Clyde Lovellette

Clyde Edward Lovellette ( born September 7, 1929 in Petersburg, Indiana ) is a retired American professional basketball player. Lovellette is the first player to win both championships in the NCAA College Football and in the professional league NBA, as also won Olympic gold. The latter succeeded Lovellette as an amateur for the U.S. selection at the Olympic Games 1952. 1988 he was nominated for his sporting achievements in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Play

Lovellettes playing skills were so versatile that he could take in addition to the center position, the duties of a Power Forwards or even a Small Forwards. It was made ​​possible mainly by the fact that he was one of the first great players of his time, dominated the stand -handed throw. Today, this throwing technique belongs to the technical standard of the sport. Compared to other players his size but Lovellette was able to score safely from a distance in the 50s.

Lovellette was known for his hard play. He is considered a pioneer of the type of large, hard acting on the control limits players.

College

At the University of Kansas Lovellette spent four years as a star player for the college team the Jayhawks. 1952, in his last year in Kansas, he led the team to the NCAA title and was awarded 28.4 points per game in addition most successful basketball player of all college players. Overall Lovellette was an amateur three times (1950, 1951, 1952) honored as All-American. In the title win also you named him the MVP of the NCAA finals as well as the Helms Foundation College Player of the Year.

National

Lovellette was part of the U.S. squad for the Olympic Summer Games in 1952 in Helsinki. He played in seven of eight possible games for the team in the USA, reaching an average of 13.9 points per game. He was the best basketball player of the team. In the final match for the gold medal against the team of the former Soviet Union led Lovellette with nine points all basketball player at. The U.S. won with 36-25.

NBA

Lovellette was behind star player George Mikan a central figure in the title of the Minneapolis Lakers of the NBA season in 1953-54. In four years with the team, he scored an average of 17.2 points per use. After a year of flying visit to the Cincinnati Royals 1957-58 Lovellette was held for four years for the St. Louis Hawks. In June 1962, he was sold by the Hawks to the Boston Celtics without Spielertausch. The Celtics experienced center Lovellette Bill Russell should relieve the central figure of the team. In his last two years as a player Lovellette won in its intended role each of the NBA championship with the Celtics (1963, 1964).

In a total of 704 games in the NBA Lovellette collected 11,947 points ( 17.0 per game) and 6,663 Reboundy (9.5 per game).

Controversies

Lovellette was already in his time as an active player known for his fondness for firearms. After his career he was even hired as sheriff of a community. As a player, he frequently wore two revolvers with them. During an overnight stay before an away game Lovellette paid one of the referees of the game coming from an unannounced visit to his hotel room. As the referee Willie Smith opened the door, Lovellette fired with blank cartridges at him. The incident got around to league circles, but was not punished.

In the season 1961-62 Lovellette counted along with Bob Pettit and Cliff Hagan to the three best cage fighters and team leaders of the St. Louis Hawks. At the beginning of the season the team had drawn with the rookie Cleo Hill one of the most promising talents of the USA Basketball in the NBA Draft. After the African- American Hill has recorded double- digit point yields in the first games of the season, he was obviously ignored by his teammates during the game, including primarily by the white players Lovellette, Pettit and Hagan. As the coach of the Hawks, Paul Seymour, his players threatened with criminal sanctions if Hill would be passed over, cheering on the Hawks Seymour. Hill himself later explained Lovellette and the other players would not have ignored him for racist reasons, but because they were paid for the points and he reduced their yield point.

Awards

  • NBA All-Star: 1956, 1957, 1960, 1961
  • NCAA College Basketball Final Four Most Outstanding Player: 1952
  • Member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
  • Member of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame
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