The Hoop Doctors continue looking back at the greatest centers in NBA history, decade by decade, with the 1950’s:
ABOUT
STATISTICS
NOTES
Drafted: 1947, Toronto Huskies
In 1950’s
Games: 538
Points: 5751/10.6 ppg
Rebounds: 2747/6.6 rpg
Assists: 957/1.7 apg
Career: 10.9 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 2.0 apg, and 75.9% FT’s
1955 NBA Champion
2 Eastern Division Finals
2x All-Star
Best Years: 1948-1956
Best Season: (1951) 13.1 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 2.3 apg, and 80.9% FT’s
7x playoffs (6x in 1950’s)
6-2 in playoffs v great centers
ABOUT
STATISTICS
NOTES
Drafted: 1953, New York Knicks, Territorial Selection
Debut: 1955
In 1950’s
Games: 275
Points: 2921/10.6 ppg
Rebounds: 3149/11.4 rpg
Assists: 209/0.76 apg
Career: 10.4 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 1.1 apg, and 70% FT’s
2 Western Division Finals
2x All-Star (1950’s)
Best Years: 1957-1962
Best Season: (1959-1960)
15.2 ppg, 13.4 rpg, and 1.2 apg
Led league in fouls 2x
7x playoffs (3x in 1950’s)
2-1 in playoffs v great centers (1-1 v Foust)
ABOUT
STATISTICS
NOTES
Drafted: 1st round, 5th pick, Syracuse Nationals
In 1950’s
Games: 360
Points: 4985/13.8 ppg
Rebounds: 3859/10.7 rpg
Assists: 484/1.3 apg
Career: 13.8 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 2.2 apg, and 72.3% FT’s
1955 NBA Champion
3x Eastern Division Finals
3x All-Star (2x in 1950’s)
Best Years: 1956-1964
Best Season: (1959) 17.8 ppg,
14.0 rpg, 2.0 apg, and 76.6% FT’s
Top 10 in rebounds and rpg 8x
12x playoffs (5x in 1950’s)
5-4 in playoffs v great centers (0-2 v Russell)
ABOUT
STATISTICS
NOTES
Drafted: 1952, 9th pick, Minneapolis Lakers
In 1950’s
Games: 423
Points: 7527/17.8 ppg
Rebounds: 4612/10.9 rpg
Assists: 679/1.6 apg
Career: 17 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 1.7 apg, and 75.7% FT’s
3x Champion (1x in 1950’s)
1960 NBA Finals
3x Western Division Finals
4x All-Star (2x in 1950’s)
All-NBA (1956)
Best Years: 1955-1962
Best Season: (1956) 21.4 ppg, 14.0 rpg, and 2.3 apg
10x playoffs (6x in 1950’s)
3-5 in playoffs v great centers
ABOUT
STATISTICS
NOTES
Drafted: 1949
In 1950’s
Games: 637
Points: 7633/12.0 ppg
Rebounds: 5011/9.7 rpg
Assists: 1058/1.7 apg
Career: 12 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 1.7 apg, and 69.9% FT’s
2x NBA Champion
1958 NBA Finals
2x Western Division Finals
4x All-Star
All-BAA (1949)
Best Years: 1949-1955
Best Season: (1951) 16.3 ppg, 12.0 rpg, 2.4 apg, and 73.4% FT’s
Led league in FG% (1949)
5x top 10 in rpg
10x playoffs
6-7 in playoffs v great centers (1-4 v Mikan)
ABOUT
STATISTICS
NOTES
Drafted: 1950, 5th pick, Chicago Stags
In 1950’s
Games: 620
Points: 9216/14.8 ppg
Rebounds: 6703/10.8 rpg
Assists: 1117/1.8 apg
Career: 13.7 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 1.7 apg, and 74.1% FT’s
3 NBA Finals
1 Western Division Finals
8x All-Star
2x All-NBA
Best Years: 1952-1958
Best Season: (1954) 15.1 ppg, 13.4 rpg, and 2.2 apg
5x top 10 in rebounds
10x playoffs (8x in 1950’s)
4-7 in playoffs v great centers (2-1 v Lovellette)
ABOUT
STATISTICS
NOTES
Drafted: 1956 draft, 2nd pick, St. Louis Hawks
In 1950’s
Games: 187
Points: 3016/16.1 ppg
Rebounds: 4119/22.0 rpg
Assists: 512/2.7 apg
Career: 15.1 ppg, 22.5 rpg, and 4.3 apg
11x Champion (2x in 1950’s)
1 NBA Finals
5x MVP (1x in 1950’s)
12x All-Star (2x in 1950’s)
11x All-NBA (2x in 1950’s)
Best Years: 1957-1969
Best Season: (1962) 18.9 ppg, 23.6 rpg, and 4.5 apg
All-time: 1st in playoff rebounds
13x playoffs (3x in 1950’s)
4-0 in playoffs v great centers
In 1959 and after the retirement of George Mikan, Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics swept the Minneapolis Lakers in the NBA Finals.
ABOUT
STATISTICS
NOTES
Drafted: 1949 BAA, Territorial Selection, St. Louis Bombers
In 1950’s
Games: 641
Points: 11,234/17.5 ppg
Rebounds: 4325/7.5 rpg
Assists: 2079/3.2 apg
Career: 17.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 3.2 apg, and 76.1% FT
1958 NBA Champion
1 NBA Finals
3 Eastern Division Finals
1951 All-Star Game MVP
7x All-Star
4x All-NBA
Best Years: 1950-1957
Best Season: (1953) 20.3 ppg, 9.1 rpg, and 4.1 apg
8x playoffs
6-3 in playoffs v great centers (1-1 v Russell)
Macauley, Bob Pettit, Cliff Hagan and the St. Louis Hawks beat the Boston Celtics and Russell in the 1958 NBA Finals, which is ironic because Macauley and Hagan were part of the trade that sent Russell to the Celtics.
ABOUT
STATISTICS
NOTES
Debut: 1951
In 1950’s
Games: 516
Points: 10023/19.4 ppg
Rebounds: 5856/11.3 rpg
Assists: 1269/2.5 apg
Career: 19.4 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 2.5 apg, and 76.8% FT’s
1956 NBA Championship
1 Eastern Division Finals
6x All-Star
5x All-NBA
Best Years: 1953-1958
Best Season: (1955) 22.7 ppg, 15.1 rpg, and 3.0 apg
Leading rebounder on 1956 championship team (2nd in points; 1st was Paul Arizin)
Led NBA in points, ppg, and field goal percentage (3x)
4x playoffs
3-3 in playoffs v great centers
After a knee injury forced him into early retirement as a player, Johnston went on to coach the legendary center Wilt Chamberlain.
ABOUT
STATISTICS
NOTES
Debut: 1948, Minneapolis Lakers
In 1950’s
Games: 439
Points: 10156/23.1 ppg
Rebounds: 4167/13.4 rpg
Assists: 1245/2.8 apg
Career: 23.1 ppg, 13.4 rpg, and 2.8 apg
7x Champion (NBA, BAA, and NBL)
1 Division Finals
1953 All-Star Game MVP
4x All-Star
5x All-NBA
Best Years: 1949-1954
Best Season: (1951) 28.4 ppg, 14.1 rpg, and 3.1 apg
Led NBA in ppg 3x, rpg 2x, and points 3x
Avg. 28.3 ppg as a rookie
All-time: 21st in ppg and playoff ppg
7x playoffs (every season of his career)
5-1 in playoffs v great centers (4-1 Risen)
The first of the great centers, Mikan retired after an illustrious career to briefly coach the Lakers in 1958. Mikan’s legacy will live on forever in NBA rule changes, like “The Mikan Rule,” and warm-up drills like “The Mikan Drill.” Mikan will also live on for his post-playing career contributions, including his role as commissioner of the ABA.
Honorable Mention
Ray Felix
Willie “The Whale” Naulls
Alex Groza
Nathaniel Clifton “Sweetwater”
Chuck Share
Jack Nichols
Phil Jordan
“Big” Ed Sadowski
Connie Simmons
Charlie “Moose” Tyra
Conrad Dierking
Sources:
nba.com
basketball-reference.com
Rob S. De France is a College and University instructor of English Composition living in Los Angeles. He has a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Rhetoric, Composition, and Writing. De France has played, coached, and officiated competitive high school basketball in California for many years. Recently, De France, his wife, and another colleague started an internationally read magazine at Shwibly.com.
