 Zaslofsky in 1948 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1925-12-07)December 7, 1925 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Died | October 15, 1985(1985-10-15) (aged 59) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 170 lb (77 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Thomas Jefferson (Brooklyn, New York) |
| College | St. John's (1945–1946) |
| Playing career | 1946–1956 |
| Position | Shooting guard |
| Number | 10, 5, 14, 6 |
| Coaching career | 1966–1968 |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
| 1946–1950 | Chicago Stags |
| 1950–1953 | New York Knicks |
| 1953 | Baltimore Bullets |
| 1953 | Milwaukee Hawks |
| 1953–1956 | Fort Wayne Pistons |
| 1956 | Trenton Capitols |
| 1957–1958 | Wilkes-Barre Barons |
Coaching | |
| 1966–1968 | New Jersey Americans/New York Nets |
| Career highlights | |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 7,990 (14.8 ppg) |
| Assists | 1,093 (2.0 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Max "Slats"Zaslofsky (December 7, 1925 – October 15, 1985) was an American professionalbasketball player and coach. He played in theBasketball Association of America (BAA) andNational Basketball Association (NBA) where he was selected to theall-league first-team from 1947 to 1950.[1] In the1947–48 BAA season, at 21 years of age, he led the BAA in scoring, and in the1949–50 NBA season, he led the league infree throw percentage (.843).
Zaslofsky, who wasJewish, was the son of Russian immigrant parents, Morris and Ida.[2] He had two older brothers, Irving and Abe.[2] He grew up inBrooklyn, attendedcheder until he had hisbar mitzvah, and spent many hours as a child on the playgrounds trying to perfect his two-handed set shot.[2] Raised on Riverdale Street in the predominantly Jewish section ofBrownsville, he attendedThomas Jefferson High School, where he was an All-PSAL selection in basketball and also played for the baseball team.[2] He graduated from high school in 1943, and then spent two years in theU.S. Navy duringWorld War II.[3]
He attendedSt. John's University, where he played basketball for one season. The 20-year-old Zaslofsky started atguard and averaged 7.8 points per game. He was named honorable mention All-Metropolitan as St. John's posted a 17–5 record and played in the postseasonNational Invitation Tournament (NIT).[3]
After his freshman season, he left St. John's to join theChicago Stags of the newly organizedBasketball Association of America, the forerunner of theNational Basketball Association.[4]
While playing for the Chicago Stags, Zaslofsky was namedAll-NBA First Team 1946–47 at the age of 21.[5] He was the youngest player to hold that distinction for nearly 60 years until he was surpassed byLeBron James in 2005–06. In 1947–48, he led the league in scoring.[5] At 22 years, 121 days old, he was the youngest player to lead the league in scoring until 2010, whenKevin Durant broke his mark.[6] In 1949–50, he led the league infree throw percentage (.843).[7]
After the Stags broke up, Zaslofsky joined theNew York Knicks. During the1951 NBA Playoffs, Zaslofsky played 14 games and averaged a postseason career-best 17.9 points, as well as 4.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists, as the Knicks made it to the NBA Finals before losing a seven-game series to theRochester Royals.[8] The following year, he led the Knicks to the1952 NBA Finals, where they lost to theMinneapolis Lakers, again in a seven-game series. On August 24, 1953, he was traded by the Knicks with Jim Luisi and Roy Belliveau to theBaltimore Bullets forJim Baechtold.[9] On November 25, 1953, he was traded by the Bullets to theMilwaukee Hawks forBob Houbregs.[9] On December 21, 1953, he was traded by the Hawks to theFort Wayne Pistons forChuck Share.[9] In 1956 he ended his career as the league's third-leading scorer of all time, behindGeorge Mikan andJoe Fulks.[2] In addition to his 1946–47 first-team All-NBA honors, Zaslofsky was named to the All-NBA first team in 1947–48, 1948–49, and 1949–50. He also played in the1952 NBA All-Star Game.
He later coached for two seasons in theAmerican Basketball Association with theNew Jersey Americans/New York Nets. He went 53–103 in two seasons with the club before resigning in March 1969.[7]
Zaslofsky was nominated for theNBA 25th Anniversary Team in 1971. He is one of only two members nominated to the team that arenot elected in theNaismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
He was inducted into theNew York City Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993.
Zaslofsky is a member of theInternational Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and theNew York City Basketball Hall of Fame (1993).[10][3]
Zaslofsky died in 1985 at age 59 due to complications fromleukemia. He was survived by his wife, Elaine, two daughters, a son, and two grandchildren.[4]
| 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 |
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946–47 | Chicago | 61 | – | .329 | .737 | – | .7 | 14.4 |
| 1947–48 | Chicago | 48 | – | .323 | .784 | – | .6 | 21.0* |
| 1948–49 | Chicago | 58 | – | .350 | .840 | – | 2.6 | 20.6 |
| 1949–50 | Chicago | 68 | – | .351 | .843* | – | 2.3 | 16.4 |
| 1950–51 | New York | 66 | – | .354 | .775 | 3.5 | 2.1 | 12.7 |
1951–52 | New York | 66 | 32.0 | .336 | .755 | 2.9 | 2.4 | 14.1 |
| 1952–53 | New York | 29 | 24.9 | .384 | .690 | 2.6 | 1.9 | 11.9 |
| 1953–54 | Baltimore | 11 | 38.0 | .352 | .767 | 3.9 | 3.0 | 16.4 |
| 1953–54 | Milwaukee | 9 | 33.2 | .341 | .712 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 15.1 |
| 1953–54 | Fort Wayne | 45 | 25.9 | .382 | .693 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 11.0 |
| 1954–55 | Fort Wayne | 70 | 26.6 | .328 | .702 | 2.7 | 2.9 | 11.2 |
| 1955–56 | Fort Wayne | 9 | 20.2 | .358 | .857 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 9.8 |
| Career | 540 | 28.3 | .343 | .769 | 2.8 | 2.0 | 14.8 | |
| All-Star | 1 | 25.0 | .429 | 1.000 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 11.0 | |
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | Chicago | 11 | – | .302 | .659 | – | .4 | 13.5 |
| 1948 | Chicago | 5 | – | .341 | .787 | – | .0 | 19.4 |
| 1949 | Chicago | 2 | – | .306 | .778 | – | 3.0 | 22.0 |
| 1950 | Chicago | 2 | – | .469 | .833 | – | 3.0 | 22.5 |
| 1951 | New York | 14 | – | .406 | .740 | 4.1 | 2.7 | 17.9 |
| 1952 | New York | 14 | 36.1 | .373 | .809 | 3.1 | 1.6 | 16.2 |
| 1954 | Fort Wayne | 4 | 24.5 | .306 | .867 | .8 | 1.5 | 8.8 |
| 1955 | Fort Wayne | 11 | 11.7 | .409 | .800 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 4.7 |
| Career | 63 | 25.3 | .360 | .772 | 2.8 | 1.6 | 14.3 | |
| Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win–loss % |
| Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PW–L % | Playoff win–loss % |
| Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | 1967–68 | 78 | 36 | 42 | .462 | 5th in Eastern | – | – | – | – | Missed playoffs |
| N.Y. Nets | 1968–69 | 78 | 17 | 61 | .218 | 5th in Eastern | – | – | – | – | Missed playoffs |
| Career[11] | 156 | 53 | 103 | .352 | – | – | – | – | |||