No. 10, 27, 21 | |
---|---|
Forward | |
Personal information | |
Born | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
May 21, 1934
Nationality | American |
Died | May 30, 2012 Cincinnati, Ohio |
(aged 78)
High school | Central Catholic (Pittsburgh) |
Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
Listed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
Career information | |
College | Cincinnati (1951–1955) |
NBA Draft | 1955 / Round: 2 / Pick: 8th overall |
Selected by the Rochester Royals | |
Pro career | 1955–1966 |
Career history | |
1955–1966 | Rochester / Cincinnati Royals |
Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
Career statistics | |
Points | 15,840 (19.2 ppg) |
Rebounds | 5,424 (6.6 rpg) |
Assists | 1,861 (2.3 apg) |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Basketball Hall of Fame as player |
John Kennedy "Jack" Twyman (May 21, 1934 – May 30, 2012) was an American professional basketball player and sports broadcaster.
Contents |
Biography
Playing career
A 6'6" forward from the University of Cincinnati, he spent eleven seasons (1955–1966) in the NBA as a member of the Rochester/Cincinnati Royals franchise (now the Sacramento Kings). Along with Wilt Chamberlain, Twyman became the first NBA player to average more than 30 points per game in a single season when he averaged 31.2 points per game during the 1959–60 season. He scored a career high 59 points in a game that same season.[1] Twyman scored 15,840 points in his career, he was named to the All-NBA Second Team in both 1960 and 1962, and he appeared in six NBA All-Star Games.
Twyman was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1983.
Humanitarian efforts
Twyman was also known for his humanitarian efforts. He became the legal guardian of his teammate Maurice Stokes, who was paralyzed due to the aftereffects of a head injury suffered during the final game of the 1958 regular season, to help with medical finances. Twyman also organized the NBA's Maurice Stokes Memorial Basketball game, held at Kutsher's Country Club in Monticello, New York, to raise funds for needy former players from the game's early years – first to raise funds for Stokes's care and after his death, for other players. (The fundraising effort later became replaced by a pro-am golf event featuring NBA players.)[2] Twyman also helped Stokes to obtain workers’ compensation and helped him to learn to communicate by blinking his eyes to denote individual letters.[1]
Broadcasting career
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Twyman served as analyst for The NBA on ABC, working alongside Chris Schenkel, including the NBA Finals.
One of Twyman's most dramatic moments as a sportscaster came during the moments preceding Game 7 of the 1970 championship series between the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers. Doing the pre-game segment with Schenkel, Twyman suddenly looked to his left and noticed the injured center Willis Reed (whose status for the clincher had been doubtful) advancing from the tunnel toward the Madison Square Garden court. Interrupting his own train of thought, he told Schenkel and the viewers: I think we see Willis coming out.[3]
The sight of Reed marching toward the basketball floor in his warmup uniform helped inspire the Knicks to their 113–99 victory – one that gave New York its first NBA league title.
Later years
Twyman later became a food company executive, and made more than $3 million when he sold the company in 1996.[1] In 2004, when the Basketball Hall of Fame inducted Maurice Stokes, Twyman accepted the award on his behalf.[1]
Twyman died on May 31, 2012, in Cincinnati, Ohio, from complications due to blood cancer.[1].[4]
References
- ^ a b c d e Martin, Douglas (May 31, 2012), "Jack Twyman, N.B.A. Star Known for Off-Court Assist, Dies at 78", The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/01/sports/basketball/jack-twyman-nba-star-dies-at-78.html?_r=1&hpw
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ [2][dead link]
- ^ Cornwell, Lisa (1962-02-09). "Former NBA star Jack Twyman dies at 78 – Wire NBA – The Sacramento Bee". Sacbee.com. http://www.sacbee.com/2012/05/31/4528428/former-nba-star-jack-twyman-dies.html. Retrieved 2012-05-31.
External links
|
|
|
|