Willie Naulls

Willie Naulls
Naulls from 1956 UCLA yearbook
Personal information
Born (1934-10-07) October 7, 1934
Dallas, Texas
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight 225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school San Pedro (San Pedro, California)
College UCLA (1953–1956)
NBA draft 1956 / Round: 2 / Pick: 9th overall
Selected by the St. Louis Hawks
Playing career 1956–1966
Position Power forward / Center
Number 33, 6, 71, 12
Career history
1956 St. Louis Hawks
1956–1962 New York Knicks
1962–1963 San Francisco Warriors
1963–1966 Boston Celtics
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points 11,305 (15.8 ppg)
Rebounds 6,508 (9.1 rpg)
Assists 1,114 (1.6 apg)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

William Dean Naulls (born October 7, 1934) is a retired American basketball player. A 6'6" power forward/center, he played professionally in the National Basketball Association from 1956 to 1966.

While attending San Pedro High School in San Pedro, California he was named as California Mr. Basketball in 1952.

After becoming an All-American[1][2][3] playing at UCLA, Naulls was drafted by the St. Louis Hawks in 1956. He spent just 19 games with the Hawks, however, before being traded to the New York Knicks, with whom he would spend most of his career. He averaged a double-double (19.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per game) during his seven-year tenure with the team, and he appeared as an NBA All-Star four times. While with the Knicks, Naulls was also the first African-American player to be named captain of a major professional sports team.

During the 1962–63 NBA season, the Knicks traded Naulls to the San Francisco Warriors, who then traded him to the Boston Celtics. Naulls spent his last three professional seasons with the Celtics, winning three NBA Championship rings in the process. He was a member of the 1964–1965 Celtics team that was named one of the ten best teams in the NBA at the 50th anniversary of the association.[4] Upon retiring in 1966, he had tallied 11,305 career points and 6,508 career rebounds.

On February 24, 2005, Naulls, Campy Russell, and Kenny Walker were honored by the Knicks during their "Hardwood Classics Night."

References

  1. ↑ AP All-America Teams
  2. ↑ NCAA Basketball's Finest - All-Americans (UPI, Look, NEA, Collier's & International News Service) p.208
  3. ↑ NCAA Record Book - Award Winners p.137. Accessed 2009-05-05. Archived 2009-05-04.
  4. ↑
    • "Top 10 Teams in NBA History". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
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