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Byron Beck

Personal information
Born	(1945-01-25)January 25, 1945 (age 81) Ellensburg, Washington, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight	225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school	Kittitas (Kittitas, Washington)
College	Columbia Basin (1963–1965) Denver (1965–1967)
NBA draft	1967: 2nd round, 15th overall pick
Drafted by	Chicago Bulls
Playing career	1967–1977
Position	Forward /center
Number	40
Career history
1967–1977	Denver Rockets / Nuggets
Career highlights
2× ABA All-Star (1969,1976) No. 40retired by Denver Nuggets
Career ABA and NBA statistics
Points	8,603 (11.5 ppg)
Rebounds	5,261 (7.0 rpg)
Assists	978 (1.3 apg)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats atBasketball Reference

Byron Beck (born January 25, 1945) is an American former professionalbasketball player.

A 6 foot 9 inchforward/center from theUniversity of Denver, Beck was one of six players (along withLouie Dampier,Gerald Govan,Bob Netolicky,Stew Johnson, andFreddie Lewis) who participated in all nine seasons (1967–1976) of the originalAmerican Basketball Association (ABA). Beck and Dampier would also be the only two players who would stay with the franchise that originally drafted them throughout the entire existence of the ABA before theABA–NBA merger occurred, with Beck being the only player to stay with the team in question following the completed merger into the NBA. He played for theDenver Rockets, who later became theDenver Nuggets. Beck was not blessed with superior athleticism, but he was a hard worker known for his tenaciousrebounding and efficienthook shot.^{[original research?]} He represented Denver in two ABAAll-Star Games (1969 and 1976, the latter year having the Denver Nuggets franchise going up against the rest of the ABA's All-Stars that year).

Beck also played one season in theNational Basketball Association (NBA) after the Nuggets joined the NBA through theABA–NBA merger in 1976, and he retired in 1977 with 8,603 career ABA/NBA points and 5,261 career rebounds. On December 16, 1977, he became the first player in the Denver franchise to have hisjerseynumber (#40) retired. In 1981, Beck was inducted into theColorado Sports Hall of Fame.^[1]

After retiring from professional basketball, Beck moved toKennewick, Washington where he worked as an engineer.^[2]

Source^[3]

• Profile atRemember the ABA
• Career statistics fromNBA.com  · Basketball Reference

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