Jim Loscutoff

James Loscutoff Jr. (February 4, 1930 – December 1, 2015) was a professional basketball player for the NBA's Boston Celtics. A forward, Loscutoff played on seven Celtics championship teams between 1956 and 1964.[1]

Jim Loscutoff
Personal information
Born(1930-02-04)February 4, 1930
San Francisco, California
DiedDecember 1, 2015(2015-12-01) (aged 85)
Naples, Florida
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High schoolPalo Alto (Palo Alto, California)
College
  • Grant Tech (1948–1950)
  • Oregon (1950–1951, 1954–1955)
NBA draft1955 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3rd overall
Selected by the Boston Celtics
Playing career1955–1964
PositionPower forward
Number18
Career history
1955–1964Boston Celtics
Career highlights and awards
Career statistics
Points3,156 (6.2 ppg)
Rebounds2,848 (5.6 rpg)
Assists353 (0.7 apg)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Life and career
The Celtics honored Loscutoff by having his nickname "Loscy" hang from the rafters.

Loscutoff was born in San Francisco, California, the son of Nellie George (Ramzoff)[2] and James Loscutoff. His parents were Russian.[3][4] He starred in basketball at Palo Alto High School, graduating in 1948. Loscutoff then attended Grant Technical College, a two-year college near Sacramento, California before proceeding to the University of Oregon. In his final season at Oregon, Loscutoff led the team in scoring and rebounding with 19.6 points per game and 17.2 rebounds per game.[5] He still holds the Oregon school record for rebounds in a game with 32.[6]

Standing 6'5", Loscutoff was selected with the third non-territorial pick of the first round in the 1955 NBA draft. He was originally drafted by coach Red Auerbach to provide some much-needed defensive nerve for the Celtics team, which (despite becoming the first team to average 100 points per game in the 1954–55 season) had one of the worst defensive records in the league.

During his rookie year, Loscutoff set a then-record for the Celtics with 26 rebounds in a game.[5] In 1957, he sank the final two free throws of a 125-123 double overtime victory over the St. Louis Hawks that gave the Celtics their first NBA championship.[6] In nine seasons, from 1955 to 1964, he played forward and won seven championships as part of the legendary Celtics teams of the 1960s. Loscutoff was described as the Celtics hatchet-man,[7] and his defense and strength were part of the defensive greatness of the 1960s Celtics, alongside Hall-of-Famer Bill Russell.

Loscutoff's nicknames included "Jungle Jim" and "Loscy". The organization wished to honor Loscutoff, but he asked that his jersey number (18) not be retired, so that a future Celtic could wear it. Instead, the Celtics added a banner with his nickname "Loscy" to the retired number banners hanging from the rafters of their arenas. The number was later retired in honor of another Celtic great, Dave Cowens.

Loscutoff lived in Florida and Andover, Massachusetts, where his family owns a day camp for children.[8] His wife was artist Lynn Loscutoff.[9] He died in Naples, Florida on December 1, 2015 from complications of Parkinson's disease and pneumonia.[10][11]

NBA career statistics
Legend
  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 an NBA championship

Regular season
Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1955–56 Boston 71 22.3 .360 .671 8.8 0.9 8.3
1956–57† Boston 70 31.7 .345 .706 10.4 1.3 10.6
1957–58 Boston 5 11.2 .355 .333 4.0 0.2 4.6
1958–59† Boston 66 25.5 .353 .738 7.0 0.9 8.3
1959–60† Boston 28 19.1 .322 .611 3.9 0.4 5.5
1960–61† Boston 76 15.2 .301 .645 3.8 0.3 4.4
1961–62† Boston 79 14.5 .362 .536 4.2 0.6 5.3
1962–63† Boston 63 9.6 .375 .524 2.5 0.4 3.3
1963–64† Boston 53 8.5 .308 .581 2.5 0.5 2.5
Career 511 18.5 .345 .653 5.6 0.7 6.2

Playoffs
Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1955–56 Boston 3 29.7 .355 .778 8.7 1.3 9.7
1956–57† Boston 10 25.9 .284 .643 8.3 0.5 8.0
1958–59† Boston 11 23.6 .345 .524 6.6 1.2 8.1
1960–61† Boston 10 11.6 .278 .778 3.5 0.3 3.7
1961–62† Boston 14 15.1 .360 .400 4.2 0.4 4.7
1962–63† Boston 9 6.2 .280 .500 2.3 0.1 1.7
1963–64† Boston 1 5.0 1.000 – 2.0 0.0 4.0
Career 58 17.2 .324 .608 5.2 0.6 5.5

References
  1. Team Statement on Celtics Legend Jim Loscutoff Archived 2016-01-12 at the Wayback Machine
  2. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VGF7-XQN
  3. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XC6L-3Q3
  4. "James George Loscutoff, Sr (1904 - 1985)". Find A Grave. Retrieved 2016-10-31.
  5. Pave, Marvin (December 3, 2015), "Jim Loscutoff, at 85; forward on seven Celtics title teams", The Boston Globe
  6. Schudel, Matt (December 2, 2015), "Jim Loscutoff, brawny forward for Celtics dynasty, dies at 85", The Washington Post
  7. Reynolds, Bill (2010). Rise of a Dynasty: The '57 Celtics, the First Banner, and the Dawning of a New America. Penguin Group. ISBN 9781101475058.
  8. Twiss, Jeff. "Legal Timeout with Jim Loscutoff". Retrieved 2007-10-11.
  9. Singlelais, Neil (February 17, 1957). "The Wives Get Along Together". The Boston Globe.
  10. https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/jim-loscutoff-brawny-forward-for-celtics-dynasty-dies-at-85/2015/12/02/d8e9e212-9940-11e5-94f0-9eeaff906ef3_story.html
  11. https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2015/12/03/jungle-jim-loscutoff-was-fearsome-but-fun-loving/NVV7Pl7WXKVD8LST8242ON/story.html
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