 Krebs as a junior atSMU | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1935-09-08)September 8, 1935 Webster Groves, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | May 6, 1965(1965-05-06) (aged 29) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
| Listed weight | 230 lb (104 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Webster Groves (Webster Groves, Missouri) |
| College | SMU (1954–1957) |
| NBA draft | 1957: 1st round, 3rd overall pick |
| Drafted by | Minneapolis Lakers |
| Playing career | 1957–1964 |
| Position | Center |
| Number | 32 |
| Career history | |
| 1957–1964 | Minneapolis / Los Angeles Lakers |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 4,128 (8.0 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 3,177 (6.2 rpg) |
| Assists | 429 (0.8 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
James Krebs (September 8, 1935 – May 6, 1965) was an Americanbasketball player. A 6-foot-8-inch (2.03 m)power forward/center, he starred for theSMU Mustangs during the mid-1950s and later played with theMinneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers of theNBA. He died in a tree falling accident at the age of 29.
Krebs was born inWebster Groves, Missouri. While representingWebster Groves High School in aSt. Louis-area all-star game, he attracted the attention ofDoc Hayes, the men's basketball coach atSouthern Methodist University inTexas. Hayes convinced Krebs to sign withSMU, and recruited two fellow Missourans to play alongside him.[1]
Described as a "cautious, careful player"[2] with an "unstoppablehook shot,"[3] Krebs became the star of the Mustangs and one of the best players in the nation. He scored 1,753 points in his three varsity seasons (1954–1957), led the Mustangs to three consecutiveSouthwest Conference championships, and was named to three All-SWC teams.[3] Coach Hayes' strategy was simple: "[W]hen Jim is free, feed it to the big man."[1]
In 1956, Krebs' team reached theNCAA National Semifinals, where they facedBill Russell and theUniversity of San Francisco. SMU lost 68–86, but Krebs did outscore futureHall of Famer Russell 24–17. The next year, Krebs earned consensusAll-American honors and appeared on the cover ofSports Illustrated with the headline: "Big Jim and the Texas Boom". His team reached theNCAA Tournament once again that spring, but they were defeated 73–65 byWilt Chamberlain and theUniversity of Kansas in the Midwestern semifinals.[4]
During Krebs' collegiate career, basketball became so popular at SMU that the school constructed a new, $2.25 million basketball arena in 1956 —Moody Coliseum, which the Mustangs use to this day. Other schools in the Southwest Conference, who had mainly emphasizedcollege football, took notice of Krebs' success and increased funding for their own basketball programs.[1]
After his senior season atSMU, Krebs was selected by theMinneapolis Lakers with the third overall pick in the1957 NBA draft. He played with the Lakers (who moved to Los Angeles in 1960) for seven seasons, mostly in a reserve role behindVern Mikkelsen,Larry Foust orRudy LaRusso. The team reached theNBA Finals three times (1959,1962 and1963), but lost each series to theBoston Celtics. Over his career, Krebs posted statistics of 8.0points per game, 6.2rebounds per game and 0.8assists per game. His statistically strongest season occurred in1961–62, when he averaged 10.0 points and 7.9 rebounds.
Krebs occasionally struggled withfoul trouble while in the NBA. He once ranked ninth in the league in personal fouls,[5] and committed a playoff-record five fouls in one quarter during the fifth game of the 1963 NBA Finals.[6] Krebs also engaged in several fights with opposing players, including Boston'sBill Russell[7] andSt. Louis'Bob Pettit.[8] Indeed, Russell once wrote, "Jim Krebs was known in the league as a man who was willing to go beyond the rules in getting his man."[7] Though he could be aggressive on the court, teammates described Krebs as fun-loving and charismatic.Los Angeles Times sportswriterJim Murray once wrote, "Time and again I've seen him make a team that was about to cry, laugh."[9]
On one evening in 1960, the Lakers' team plane experienced electrical problems and crashed into a field nearCarroll, Iowa. All the passengers survived, and Krebs later wrote an account of the crash forSports Illustrated. His article took a humorous tone. Describing ahearse which arrived at the scene, he wrote, "I'm positive I detected a slightly disappointed look when the driver found out everyone was all right." He also joked that his wife asked him, "Where have you been? Carol who?" when he called home to report what happened.[9]
After retiring from basketball in 1964, Krebs became aloan officer at a bank inBeverly Hills, California. He built a home for his wife and children inWoodland Hills.
Krebs apparently was afraid of death, remarking to teammates that he believed he wouldn't live to 33. On May 6, 1965, Krebs was suddenly killed while trying to remove a tree that had fallen onto his neighbor's roof during a storm. A limb from the tree struck him in the head as it fell from the roof in an uncontrolled fashion that crushed his skull and chest.[10] His wife was pregnant with a son, who was born two months later.
Krebs was posthumously elected to theTexas Sports Hall of Fame in 1976. His number 32 jersey was retired at SMU in 2002.[3]
| 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 |
Source[11]
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957–58 | Minneapolis | 68 | 18.5 | .378 | .767 | 7.4 | .4 | 7.8 |
| 1958–59 | Minneapolis | 72* | 21.9 | .399 | .748 | 6.8 | .7 | 8.8 |
| 1959–60 | Minneapolis | 75 | 16.9 | .392 | .721 | 4.4 | .5 | 7.6 |
| 1960–61 | L.A. Lakers | 75 | 22.1 | .392 | .806 | 6.1 | .9 | 8.2 |
| 1961–62 | L.A. Lakers | 78 | 25.2 | .445 | .750 | 7.9 | 1.4 | 10.0 |
| 1962–63 | L.A. Lakers | 79 | 24.2 | .434 | .747 | 6.4 | 1.1 | 8.3 |
| 1963–64 | L.A. Lakers | 68 | 14.3 | .375 | .765 | 4.2 | .7 | 4.9 |
| Career | 515 | 20.7 | .405 | .755 | 6.2 | .8 | 8.0 | |
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Minneapolis | 13* | 16.4 | .350 | .957 | 5.9 | .4 | 7.2 |
| 1960 | Minneapolis | 9 | 17.4 | .418 | .500 | 5.2 | .9 | 5.7 |
| 1961 | L.A. Lakers | 12* | 15.3 | .340 | .778 | 5.0 | .8 | 3.8 |
| 1962 | L.A. Lakers | 11 | 29.7 | .333 | .846 | 9.3 | 1.9 | 7.5 |
| 1963 | L.A. Lakers | 13* | 15.3 | .340 | .667 | 3.1 | .3 | 3.2 |
| 1964 | L.A. Lakers | 4 | 12.5 | .667 | .500 | 5.5 | 1.5 | 3.5 |
| Career | 62 | 18.2 | .362 | .781 | 5.6 | .9 | 5.3 | |