George Harry Yardley III (November 3, 1928 – August 12, 2004) was an Americanbasketball player. He was the first player inNBA history to score 2,000 points in one season, breaking the 1,932-point record held byGeorge Mikan. Yardley was enshrined in theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996.

George Yardley

Yardley in 1958
Personal information
Born	(1928-11-03)November 3, 1928 Hollywood, California, U.S.
Died	August 12, 2004(2004-08-12) (aged 75) Newport Beach, California, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight	190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school	Newport Harbor (Newport Beach, California)
College	Stanford (1947–1950)
NBA draft	1950: 1st round, 7th overall pick
Drafted by	Fort Wayne Pistons
Playing career	1953–1962
Position	Forward /guard
Number	12
Career history
1953–1959	Fort Wayne / Detroit Pistons
1959–1960	Syracuse Nationals
1961–1962	Los Angeles Jets
Career highlights and awards
6×NBA All-Star (1955–1960) All-NBA First Team (1958) All-NBA Second Team (1957) NBA scoring champion (1958) First-teamAll-PCC (1950)
Career statistics
Points	9,063 (19.2 ppg)
Rebounds	4,220 (8.9 rpg)
Assists	815 (1.7 apg)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats atBasketball Reference
Basketball Hall of Fame
Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame

A two-time All-American atStanford University, Yardley was a member ofPhi Kappa Psi fraternity, and earned the nickname "Yardbird" due to the chores he was required to complete by his fraternity brothers.^[1] The nickname was later shortened to "Bird". After his three-year career at Stanford, Yardley played one year ofAAU basketball and served in theUnited States Navy for two years. During his navy stint, Yardley's amateur team won the national A.A.U. championship in 1951, with Yardley being selected the national amateur player-of-the-year. He was drafted by the NBAFort Wayne Pistons in 1950.

At 6'5", Yardley was a good-sized forward in 1950s basketball and was described as "an offensive-minded player with a knack for scoring" in hisNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame biography.^[1]

Described as a "flamboyant"^[1] and "gregarious" player who "never did anything without flair",^[2] Yardley had a stellar 7-year career, making the NBA All-Star team every year except for his rookie season. Paired with fellow all-starLarry Foust, Yardley led theFort Wayne Pistons to twoNBA Finals before the team moved toDetroit in 1957. In '57–58, the Pistons' first year in Detroit, Yardley led the league in scoring, averaging 27.8 points per game, and tallied 2001 points, just enough to make him the first NBA player to score 2000 points in a season. That year, Yardley also set NBA records for most free throws attempted (808) and most free throws made (655), and was named to the All-NBA First Team for the only time in his career.

On February 13, 1959, Yardley was traded to theSyracuse Nationals forEd Conlin.^[3] Following a sixth All-Star selection the following season in1959–1960, in which he averaged 20.2 points per game, he retired from basketball at the age of 31. He was the first player in NBA history to retire after averaging at least 20 PPG in his final year. AlthoughAlex Groza had a 21.7 PPG average in his final NBA season in 1951, his career ended as a result of a lifelong ban, instead of a voluntary retirement like that of Yardley's. He made a brief comeback in the short-livedAmerican Basketball League with the Los Angeles Jets in 1961–62.

Making use of his engineering degree from Stanford, Yardley started his own engineering company in California following his retirement from the NBA. In 1996, Yardley was elected to theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player.

In a tribute to Yardley posted after his death,Pete Newell later said "George Yardley embodies what the Hall of Fame is all about. A marvelous athlete who made full use of his natural talents, a demeanor on the court a coach admires, and a life off the court and after his basketball career ended that has been very successful."^[4]

Yardley died ofamyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known asLou Gehrig's disease, at the age of 75.

• George Yardley Company, industrial supply retailer
• Stanford University Hall-of-Fame
• Naismith Memorial Basketball HOF