Jim Paxson Sr.

Jim Paxson Sr.
Personal information
Born(1932-12-19)December 19, 1932
Pennville, Indiana
DiedOctober 28, 2014(2014-10-28) (aged 81)
Dayton, Ohio
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High schoolCatholic Central
(Springfield, Ohio)
CollegeDayton (1951–1953, 1955–1956)
NBA draft1956: 1st round, 3rd overall pick
Selected by the Minneapolis Lakers
Playing career1956–1958
PositionShooting guard / small forward
Number11
Career history
1956–1957Minneapolis Lakers
1957–1958Cincinnati Royals
Career NBA statistics
Points1,105 (8.0 ppg)
Rebounds616 (4.5 rpg)
Assists225 (1.6 apg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Medals
Representing  United States
Men's basketball
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 1955 Mexico City Team competition

James Edward Paxson Sr. (December 19, 1932 – October 28, 2014) was an American professional basketball player.

A 6'6" swingman, Paxson attended the University of Dayton during the mid-1950s, averaging 10.9 points per game in his collegiate career. He helped the Flyers attain two consecutive second-place finishes in the National Invitation Tournament.[1] After his sophomore year, Paxson Sr. was drafted into the Army during the Korean War. He spent two years in the Army and played with the Armed Forced All-Stars who won the Pan-Am games in Mexico in 1955 before returning for his final season in 1955–56. He averaged 15.5 points per game as a senior as the Flyers went 25-4 and lost to Louisville in the NIT championship game. [6] After graduating in 1956, he was selected by the Minneapolis Lakers with the third pick of the NBA draft, then played two seasons in the NBA with the Lakers and Cincinnati Royals.[2] When his basketball career ended, he entered the insurance business.[3]

Paxson's sons Jim and John both played in the NBA and have also served as NBA general managers. His son Michael played collegiately at Ohio University for one year.[4]

Paxson died on October 28, 2014. He was 81.[5]

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

NBA

Source[2]

Regular season

Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1956–57 Minneapolis 71 17.9 .285 .720 3.7 1.2 6.3
1957–58 Cincinnati 67 26.8 .352 .733 5.2 2.1 9.8
Career 138 22.2 .323 .727 4.5 1.6 8.0

Playoffs

Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1956–57 Minneapolis 5 10.8 .333 .500 2.8 .6 5.0
1957–58 Cincinnati 2 15.0 .150 .750 4.0 2.5 6.0
Career 7 12.0 .255 .591 3.1 1.1 5.3

Notes

  1. ^ Player Bio: Jim Paxson Sr[permanent dead link]. University of Dayton. Retrieved on July 23, 2008.
  2. ^ a b "Jim Paxson NBA statistics". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  3. ^ Bob Ryan. "Paxson Sr like the chemistry". Boston Globe. May 1, 1988. 79.
  4. ^ Bruce Newman. "A Family Tradition." Sports Illustrated. March 21, 1983. Retrieved on July 23, 2008.
  5. ^ Ohio basketball legend Jim Paxson Sr. dies at 81