- Clyde Lovellette
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Clyde Lovellette No. 4, 34, 89 Center / Power forward Personal information Date of birth September 7, 1929 Place of birth Petersburg, Indiana Nationality American Listed height 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) Listed weight 234 lb (106 kg) Career information College Kansas NBA Draft 1952 / Round: 1 / Pick: 9th overall Selected by the Minneapolis Lakers Pro career 1952–1964 Career history 1952–1953 Phillips 66ers 1953–1957 Minneapolis Lakers 1957–1958 Cincinnati Royals 1958–1962 St. Louis Hawks 1962–1964 Boston Celtics Career highlights and awards - 3× NBA Champion (1954, 1963, 1964)
- 4× NBA All-Star (1955–1956, 1959–1960)
- All-NBA Second Team (1956)
- NCAA Champion (1952)
- NCAA Final Four MOP (1952)
- Helms Foundation Player of the Year (1952)
- 2× Consensus NCAA All-American First Team (1951–1952)
Career NBA statistics Points 11,947 (17.0 ppg) Rebounds 6,663 (9.3 rpg) Assists 1,165 (1.7 apg) Stats at NBA.com Stats at Basketball-Reference.com Basketball Hall of Fame as player MedalsCompetitor for the United States Men's Basketball Olympic Games Gold 1952 Helsinki Team Competition Clyde Edward Lovellette (born September 7, 1929 in Petersburg, Indiana) is a former professional basketball player; the first basketball player in history to play on an NCAA, Olympics and NBA championship squad. His high school team fell one game short of a state championship.
Lovellette fostered the trend of tall, physical and high-scoring centers. A two-time All-State performer at Garfield High School in Terre Haute, Indiana, the six-foot-nine Lovellette later attended the University of Kansas where he became a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity. While at the University of Kansas he led Jayhawks to the 1952 NCAA title, capturing MOP honors and scoring a then-NCAA-record 141 points. A three-time All-America at Kansas, Clyde led the Big Seven in scoring in each of his three seasons. Playing for Basketball Hall of Fame Coach Forrest "Phog" Allen, Lovellette led the nation in scoring his senior year (1952, 28.4 ppg) and was named the Helms College Player of the Year. Lovellette played alongside basketball legend Dean Smith at Kansas. He is still the only college player to lead the nation in scoring and win the NCAA title in the same year. Lovellette's dominance in the paint landed him a place on the 1952 Summer Olympics gold medal team in Helsinki, Finland and he was the team's dominating player and leading scorer.
At the pro level, Clyde became one of the first big men to move outside and utilize the one-handed set shot that extended his shooting range and offensive repertoire. This tactic enabled him to play either the small forward, power forward or center positions, forcing the opposition's big man to play out of position. In 704 NBA games with the Minneapolis Lakers, Cincinnati Royals, St. Louis Hawks and Boston Celtics, Lovellette scored 11,947 points (17.0 ppg) and grabbed 6,663 rebounds (9.3 rpg). Selected to play in three NBA All-Star Games, Lovellette was an integral component of championships in Minneapolis (1954) and Boston (1963, 1964). In 1988, Lovellette was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
He currently resides in the small town of Munising in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. He has served as the Varsity Basketball Assistant Coach and is currently serving on the city council. He is also featured in the '50s All-Star roster on NBA Live 2007.
External links
Categories:- 1929 births
- Living people
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees
- United States men's national basketball team members
- Olympic basketball players of the United States
- Basketball players at the 1952 Summer Olympics
- Basketball players from Indiana
- Boston Celtics players
- Cincinnati Royals players
- Minneapolis Lakers draft picks
- Minneapolis Lakers players
- St. Louis Hawks players
- Phillips 66ers players
- Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball players
- University of Kansas alumni
- People from Pike County, Indiana
- National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductees
- Olympic medalists in basketball
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