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Paul Joseph Arizin (April 9, 1928 – December 12, 2006), nicknamed "'Pitchin Paul", was an Americanbasketball player who spent his entireNational Basketball Association (NBA) career with thePhiladelphia Warriors from1950 to1962. He retired with the third highest career point total (16,266) in NBA history, and was named to theNBA's 25th,50th and75th anniversary teams. He was a high-scoringforward atVillanova University before being drafted by the Warriors of the fledgling NBA.[1][2]
Paul Joseph Arizin was born on April 9, 1928, inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, to French immigrants. Arizin did not play basketball atLa Salle College High School, failing to make the team in his only tryout as a senior. Arizin graduated just a year before another Basketball Hall of Famer,Tom Gola, entered La Salle College High School as a freshman.
During his freshman year at Villanova, Arizin played CYO (Catholic Youth Organization) basketball in Philadelphia. Late in that season,Al Severance, then the Villanova varsity basketball coach, attended one of Arizin's CYO games. Afterwards, Severance approached Arizin and asked him if he would like to go to Villanova, to which Arizin answered: "I already go to Villanova."[3]
Arizin made the team in 1947, his sophomore year, and played for three years. In 1950 he was named the collegiate basketball player of the year after leading the nation with 25.3 points per game. During a game onFebruary 12, 1949, Arizin scored 85 points against the Naval Air Materials Center roster. Arizin also scored at least 100 points in a game while playing for Villanova, but the game is not recognized by the NCAA because the opponent was a junior college.[4][5]
After being selected by the Warriors with their first pick in the1950 NBA draft, Arizin averaged 17.2 points per game in his rookie season and was namedNBA Rookie of the Year — a designation not currently sanctioned by the NBA for the 1950–51 season. He became one of the greatest NBA players of the 1950s, leading the league in scoring during the1951–52 and1956–57 seasons and leading in field goal percentage in 1951–52. Arizin sat out the 1952–53 and 1953–54 NBA seasons while serving in theMarines during theKorean War.[6] On March 20, 1954, he appeared in a game for theBerwick Carbuilders of theEastern Professional Basketball League (EPBL) and scored 32 points.[7]
Arizin became famous for his line-drivejump shots, and teamed with centerNeil Johnston to form the best offensive one-two punch in the NBA at the time, leading the Warriors to the1956 NBA title. He also played with scoring starJoe Fulks early in his career, and with Philadelphia legendsTom Gola andWilt Chamberlain toward the end of his career in the early 1960s. Arizin chose to retire from the NBA rather than move with the Warriors to San Francisco. At the time of his retirement, no player had retired from the game with a higher scoring average (21.9 points per game) in his final season. This record would stand untilBob Pettit's retirement in 1965 following a season in which he averaged 22.5 PPG.
Arizin played in a total of 10NBA All-Star Games (he was the1952 NBA All-Star Game MVP) and was named to the All-NBA First-Team in 1952, 1956, and 1957.
After retiring from the NBA, Arizin played for three seasons with theCamden Bullets of theEastern Professional Basketball League (EPBL), who won the 1964 title. Averaging over 20 points per game each season, he was named the EPBL MVP in 1963, was named to the EPBL All-Star First Team in 1963 and 1964 and to the EPBL All-Star Second Team in 1965.[8][9]
Arizin was named to theNBA 25th Anniversary Team in 1971. He was inducted into theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978,[10] and was selected to the50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996. In October 2021, Arizin was honored as one of the league's greatest players of all time by being named to the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team.[11] He was inducted into the inaugural class of thePhiladelphia Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.[12] Arizin died in his sleep at age 78 on December 12, 2006, inSpringfield,Pennsylvania.[13]
| 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 |
| † | Won anNBA championship | * | Led the league |
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950–51 | Philadelphia | 65 | — | .407 | .793 | 9.8 | 2.1 | 17.2 |
| 1951–52 | Philadelphia | 66 | 44.5* | .448* | .818 | 11.3 | 2.6 | 25.4* |
| 1954–55 | Philadelphia | 72 | 41.0* | .399 | .776 | 9.4 | 2.9 | 21.0 |
| 1955–56† | Philadelphia | 72 | 37.8 | .448 | .810 | 7.5 | 2.6 | 24.2 |
| 1956–57 | Philadelphia | 71 | 39.0 | .422 | .829 | 7.9 | 2.1 | 25.6* |
| 1957–58 | Philadelphia | 68 | 35.0 | .393 | .809 | 7.4 | 2.0 | 20.7 |
| 1958–59 | Philadelphia | 70 | 40.0 | .431 | .813 | 9.1 | 1.7 | 26.4 |
| 1959–60 | Philadelphia | 72 | 36.4 | .424 | .798 | 8.6 | 2.3 | 22.3 |
| 1960–61 | Philadelphia | 79 | 37.2 | .425 | .833 | 8.6 | 2.4 | 23.2 |
| 1961–62 | Philadelphia | 78 | 35.7 | .410 | .805 | 6.8 | 2.6 | 21.9 |
| Career | 713 | 38.4 | .421 | .810 | 8.6 | 2.3 | 22.8 | |
| All-Star | 9 | 22.9 | .466 | .806 | 5.2 | 0.7 | 15.2 | |
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | Philadelphia | 2 | — | .519 | .813 | 10.0 | 1.5 | 20.5 |
| 1952 | Philadelphia | 3 | 40.0 | .453 | .879 | 12.7 | 2.7 | 25.7 |
| 1956† | Philadelphia | 10 | 40.9 | .450 | .838 | 8.4 | 2.9 | 28.9* |
| 1957 | Philadelphia | 2 | 11.0 | .375 | .600 | 4.0 | 0.5 | 4.5 |
| 1958 | Philadelphia | 8 | 38.6 | .391 | .778 | 7.8 | 2.0 | 23.5 |
| 1960 | Philadelphia | 9 | 41.2 | .431 | .873 | 9.6 | 3.7 | 26.3 |
| 1961 | Philadelphia | 3 | 41.7 | .328 | .697 | 8.7 | 4.0 | 22.3 |
| 1962 | Philadelphia | 12 | 38.3 | .375 | .863 | 6.7 | 2.2 | 23.2 |
| Career | 49 | 38.6 | .411 | .829 | 8.2 | 2.6 | 24.2 | |
