Warren Jabali

Jabali with theWashington Caps during the 1969–70 season
Personal information
Born	(1946-08-29)August 29, 1946 Kansas City, Kansas, U.S.
Died	July 13, 2012(2012-07-13) (aged 65) Miami, Florida, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight	200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school	Central (Kansas City, Missouri)
College	Wichita State (1965–1968)
NBA draft	1968: 4th round, 44th overall pick
Drafted by	New York Knicks
Playing career	1968–1975
Position	Shooting guard /point guard
Number	15, 31, 12, 2
Career history
1968–1970	Oakland Oaks / Washington Caps
1970–1971	Indiana Pacers
1971–1972	The Floridians
1972–1974	Denver Rockets
1974–1975	San Diego Conquistadors
Career highlights and awards
ABA champion (1969) ABA All-Time Team 4xABA All-Star (1970,1972–1974) All-ABA First Team (1973) ABA Rookie of the Year (1969) ABA Playoffs Most Valuable Player Award (1969) ABA All-Star Game MVP (1973) 3× First-team All-MVC (1966–1968)
Career ABA statistics
Points	7,666 (17.1 ppg)
Rebounds	2,985 (6.7 rpg)
Assists	2,389 (5.3 apg)
Stats atBasketball Reference

Warren Jabali (bornWarren Edward Armstrong; August 29, 1946 – July 13, 2012) was an Americanbasketball player. He played professionally in theAmerican Basketball Association (ABA) from 1968 to 1975.

Jabali changed his name while attendingWichita State University to reflect his African roots. The name does not have any religious connotations as it is aSwahili word for "rock." A skilled defender and rebounder and a remarkable leaper, the 6'2" Jabali was reported to be able to touch a ten-foot high basketball rim with his forehead.^[1] Although Wichita State, and theMissouri Valley Conference in general, supplied many pro players of the era, he did not receive much attention from theNational Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted by theNew York Knicks in the 4th round (8th pick, 44th overall) of the1968 NBA draft; he signed instead with theOakland Oaks of the rival ABA, who selected him in the 1968 ABA Draft.^[2]

Armstrong was drafted by theOakland Oaks and theNew York Knicks in 1968; he elected to play with the Oaks, then coached byAlex Hannum. The severe knee ligament injury toRick Barry after 35 games did not slow the Oaks, who would win 60 games that year, a 38-game turnaround from the previouss season.^[3] In his first season in the ABA, Armstrong won Rookie of the Year honors, prompting teammateRick Barry to comment, "No doubt he's one of the best guards I've ever played with—or against".^[1] Later that season, he averaged 33.2 points against theIndiana Pacers in the1969 ABA Finals and was named Playoffs MVP. It was during 1969 that he elected to change his name to Jabali.^[4][5] A year later at midseason, with the team playing as theWashington Caps, an injury sidelined Jabali. Hurt shortly after playing in his first of four ABA All-Star Games, he was carrying an average of 22.8 points per game at the time.

As one of the most physically gifted guards in theAmerican Basketball Association, Jabali muscled his way through seven straight seasons of double-digit scoring, including 1968–69, when his average of 21.5 points per game earned him ABA Rookie of the Year honors. That season Jabali's efforts helped bring an ABA Championship to theOakland Oaks, a team that also featuredRick Barry,Larry Brown, andDoug Moe. A physical intimidator with his frame, Jabali became infamous for his stomping ofJim Jarvis during a game, a moment he expressed regret over.^[6]

Jabali made a comeback, although his final five years were spent with four teams. In his first season back, 1970–71, he was traded from theKentucky Colonels to theIndiana Pacers on October 13, 1970, in exchange for a first-round draft choice and cash.^[7] Jabali saw action in 62 games with the Pacers. It was with the Pacers that Jabali started pulling the trigger from three-point land; he did it 163 times that year, making 47 treys.

He had a big year with theFlorida Floridians the following season, averaging 19.9 points and hitting 102 of his 286 three-point attempts, among the most in the league. When the Miami-based franchise folded, Jabali moved to theDenver Rockets (later theDenver Nuggets). During his first campaign with the Rockets, Jabali's 16-point effort in the1973 ABA All-Star Game keyed the West's come-from-behind victory and earned him Most Valuable Player honors. The award, which came with a free airline ticket to anywhere in Europe, had him reply famously state, "I want to go to Africa. If they won’t send me to Africa, I want the money instead of the ticket.”^[8]

He spent one more season in Denver before being cut and put on waivers despite leading the league in assists (he quarreled with head coachAlex Hannum); reportedly, he was not claimed by any team because his Muslim views upset the ABA establishment.^[9] Months later, he signed with theSan Diego Conquistadors. On February 14, 1975, he participated in the longest game in league history, a quadruple OT game against theNew York Nets that saw him be switched from guard to forward to go against Julius Erving of theNew York Nets (who scored 63 points). Jabali scored 19 of his 23 points at the end of regulation and in overtime, including six key points in the final overtime to help San Diego win 176–166.^[10] Jabali retired in 1975 at the age of 28.

In his seven-year professional career, Jabali played for theOakland Oaks,Washington Capitals, the Indiana Pacers,The Floridians, theDenver Rockets, and theSan Diego Conquistadors. While playing for the Rockets in 1973, he was named the All-Star Game MVP and was named to the All-ABA First Team after averaging 17.0 points, 6.6 assists, and 5.2 rebounds.Knee problems would soon limit his effectiveness, however, and he retired in 1975, having achieved career averages of 17.1 points, 5.3 assists, and 6.7 rebounds. Regarding his intimidation, Jabali once stated, "You test folks. If you can get your opponent to the point where they’re so concerned about what you’re going to do and reluctant to play their game, you’ve got them. It makes life easier for you on the court. Guys are scared of you and hesitate before they make a move. They won’t drive [to the hoop] because they want to see if you’re around first.”^[11]

For a time, Jabali expressed interest in living inAfrica. He moved toTanzania for a time but found that the locals did not respect people of his ilk and therefore moved back to the States.^[12]

After his career ended, he became a K-8 teacher at North County K-8 Center in Carol City and guidance counselor while also establishing a midnight basketball league called the Overtown Midnight Basketball League. He would visit basketball courts in the inner city on Sunday mornings to encourage former participants to stay straight and would even drive to various parks to sit in the stands to watch games for kids who didn't have their parents there. One person who credited Jabali as a mentor wasAndre Johnson, who would give him considerable conversations when he got into trouble as a youth.^[13] Jabali had open heart surgery in February 2011 but elected to not retire, believing that his work wasn't done yet. Jabali died on July 13, 2012 of heart failure. Services were held inMiami Gardens before he was laid to rest inKansas City, Kansas.^{[14][15][16][17]} In 2013,Thanks To You: Memories of Warren Edward Armstrong Jabali, a biography by Mary Alice Beasley, was released.

• Career stats at basketball-reference.com
• Warren Jabali at Remember the ABA
• Warren Jabali in His Own Words at HoopsHype.com

• 1946 births
• 2012 deaths
• 20th-century African-American sportsmen
• 20th-century American sportsmen
• 21st-century African-American sportsmen
• American men's basketball players
• Basketball players from Kansas City, Kansas
• Denver Rockets players
• Indiana Pacers players
• Kentucky Colonels players
• Miami Floridians players
• New York Knicks draft picks
• Oakland Oaks draft picks
• Oakland Oaks players
• Point guards
• San Diego Conquistadors players
• Shooting guards
• Washington Caps players
• Wichita State Shockers men's basketball players

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from July 2024