Hal Greer
Syracuse Nationals | |
Playing career | 1958–1973 |
---|---|
Position | Shooting guard / point guard |
Number | 15 |
Career history | |
1958–1973 | Syracuse Nationals / Philadelphia 76ers |
Career highlights and awards | |
Career statistics | |
Points | 21,586 (19.2 ppg) |
Rebounds | 5,665 (5.0 rpg) |
Assists | 4,540 (4.0 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com | |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Basketball Hall of Fame as player | |
College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2006 |
Harold Everett Greer (
Early life and education
Born in
Hal's attendance at Marshall University (College at the time) did not cause great uproar from the community, but more rumblings and a general uneasiness. The local newspapers gave Hal and his family casual treatment in deference to him and his family. At the first basketball practice in October 1954, all eyes were on Hal who showed out. Coach Cam Henderson reportedly told sportswriters in attendance that, "Before that young man is through here he'll become one of the greatest players in Marshall history and one of the greatest in the country."[4]
With the Thundering Herd, Greer scored 1,377 points with a .545
Professional career
Syracuse Nationals / Philadelphia 76ers (1958–1973)
The
Greer played for Syracuse for five seasons, raising his scoring average to 22.8 points a game in 1961. He was selected for the NBA All-Star team that year.In 1963, the Syracuse Nationals moved to Philadelphia to become the Philadelphia 76ers. There, Greer teamed with Wilt Chamberlain on the 1966–67 team that won the NBA championship. In the 76ers' 15 playoff games that season, Greer averaged a team-best 27.7 points. Greer had an unusual but highly effective free throw technique, shooting a jump shot from the charity stripe.[6] He is usually considered the third-best guard of the 1960s, behind Oscar Robertson and fellow West Virginia native Jerry West.
Greer played in 10
Post-playing career
In 1980, Greer coached the
Legacy
Greer's hometown has honored his success by holding "Hal Greer Day" in 1966, and by renaming 16th Street, which carries West Virginia Route 10 as the main artery between the campus/downtown area and Interstate 64, as "Hal Greer Boulevard" in 1978.[8][12]
In 1976, the
In 1982, Greer was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame along with Slater Martin, Frank Ramsey, Willis Reed, coach Clarence Gaines, and contributor Alva Duer.[14] Greer is recognized as one of the first African-American athletes enshrined in a major sports hall of fame from West Virginia.[citation needed] He was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996.[10] The 76ers installed a statue of Greer at their training complex in 2017.[15]
In 2021, Greer was honored at Marshall University with the dedication of a bronze statue created in his likeness and an unveiling ceremony with many of his family members in attendance. The statue is located adjacent to the Cam Henderson Center, the home of Marshall basketball, and was placed on a marble base surrounded by four benches and newly planted trees.[16] Two weeks later, he was announced as part of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.[17] To commemorate the NBA's 75th Anniversary The Athletic ranked their top 75 players of all time, and named Greer as the 70th greatest player in NBA history.[18]
Accolades
- Averaged 22 ppg to lead 76ers to NBA Championship (1967)
- Played in 10 consecutive NBA All-Star Games (1961–70)
- NBA All-Star Game MVP (1968)
- Set record for most points scored in a quarter (19) during an All-Star Game (1968)
- Seven-time All-NBA Second Team (1963–69)
- Scored 21,586 career points (40th all-time),[19] including 50 in one game vs. Boston Celtics
- Scored 1,876 points in 92 playoff games and 120 points in 10 All-Star Games
- His jerseys were retired by Marshall University (#16) and the Philadelphia 76ers (#15)
Personal life
Greer and his wife, Mayme, had a son and two daughters.
NBA career statistics
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 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1958–59 | Syracuse | 68 | 23.9 | .454 | .778 | 2.9 | 1.5 | 11.1 |
1959–60 | Syracuse | 70 | 28.3 | .476 | .783 | 4.3 | 2.7 | 13.2 |
1960–61 | Syracuse | 79 | 35.0 | .451 | .774 | 5.8 | 3.8 | 19.6 |
1961–62 | Syracuse | 71 | 38.1 | .447 | .819 | 7.4 | 4.4 | 22.8 |
1962–63 | Syracuse | 80 | 32.9 | .464 | .834 | 5.7 | 3.4 | 19.5 |
1963–64 | Philadelphia | 80 | 39.5 | .444 | .829 | 6.1 | 4.7 | 23.3 |
1964–65 | Philadelphia | 70 | 37.1 | .433 | .811 | 5.1 | 4.5 | 20.2 |
1965–66 | Philadelphia | 80 | 41.6 | .445 | .804 | 5.9 | 4.8 | 22.7 |
1966–67† | Philadelphia | 80 | 38.6 | .459 | .788 | 5.3 | 3.8 | 22.1 |
1967–68 | Philadelphia | 82 | 39.8 | .478 | .769 | 5.4 | 4.5 | 24.1 |
1968–69 | Philadelphia | 82 | 40.4 | .459 | .796 | 5.3 | 5.0 | 23.1 |
1969–70 | Philadelphia | 80 | 37.8 | .455 | .815 | 4.7 | 5.1 | 22.0 |
1970–71 | Philadelphia | 81 | 37.8 | .431 | .805 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 18.6 |
1971–72 | Philadelphia | 81 | 29.8 | .449 | .774 | 3.3 | 3.9 | 11.8 |
1972–73 | Philadelphia | 38 | 22.3 | .392 | .821 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 5.6 |
Career | 1122 | 35.5 | .452 | .801 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 19.2 | |
All-Star | 10 | 20.7 | .461 | .703 | 4.5 | 2.8 | 12.0 |
Playoffs
Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1959
|
Syracuse | 9 | 30.8 | .419 | .813 | 5.2 | 2.2 | 11.6 |
1960
|
Syracuse | 3 | 28.0 | .512 | .750 | 4.7 | 3.3 | 15.7 |
1961
|
Syracuse | 8 | 29.0 | .387 | .825 | 4.1 | 2.4 | 14.4 |
1962
|
Syracuse | 1 | 5.0 | — | — | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
1963
|
Syracuse | 5 | 42.8 | .506 | .829 | 5.4 | 4.2 | 23.4 |
1964
|
Philadelphia | 5 | 42.2 | .389 | .846 | 5.6 | 6.0 | 21.4 |
1965
|
Philadelphia | 11 | 45.9 | .455 | .793 | 7.4 | 5.0 | 24.6 |
1966
|
Philadelphia | 5 | 45.2 | .352 | .783 | 7.2 | 4.2 | 16.4 |
1967 †
|
Philadelphia | 15 | 45.9 | .429 | .797 | 5.9 | 5.3 | 27.7 |
1968
|
Philadelphia | 13 | 42.5 | .432 | .856 | 6.1 | 4.2 | 25.8 |
1969
|
Philadelphia | 5 | 40.8 | .321 | .778 | 6.0 | 4.6 | 16.0 |
1970
|
Philadelphia | 5 | 35.6 | .446 | .846 | 3.4 | 5.4 | 15.4 |
1971
|
Philadelphia | 7 | 37.9 | .438 | .750 | 3.6 | 4.7 | 17.9 |
Career | 92 | 39.6 | .425 | .812 | 5.5 | 4.3 | 20.4 |
See also
- List of National Basketball Association career scoring leaders
- List of National Basketball Association franchise career scoring leaders
- List of National Basketball Association career minutes played leaders
- List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise
References
- ^ Dr. Alan B. Gould (July 1985). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Douglass Junior and Senior High School" (PDF). State of West Virginia, West Virginia Division of Culture and History, Historic Preservation. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
- ^ a b "June 26, 1936: NBA Hall of Famer Hal Greer Born in Huntington | West Virginia Public Broadcasting". Wvpublic.org. June 26, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
- ^ "Greer Still Fond of Marshall, Field House :: Marshall Thundering Herd Athletic Site :: Men's Basketball". Herdzone.Com. February 9, 2012. Archived from the original on April 17, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
- ^ Salvatore, Ernie (Spring 2007). "The Hall of Famer". Huntington Quarterly. pp. 30–31.
- ^ a b c d "Hal Greer broke color barrier in W.Va. sports | News". herald-dispatch.com. February 27, 2008. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
- ^ a b c d "Marshall basketball legend Hal Greer dies at 81 | Marshall University". wvgazettemail.com. Retrieved April 17, 2018.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Basketball legend returns home | Marshall Sports". herald-dispatch.com. February 9, 2012. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
- ^ a b c "Hal Greer, the first black player in Marshall University... – UPI Archives". Upi.com. February 20, 1982. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
- ^ a b "Hall of Famer, Philadelphia 76ers legend Hal Greer dies at 81". USA TODAY. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
- ^ a b c d "Hall of Famer Hal Greer, the Philadelphia 76ers' all-time leading scorer, dies at 81". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. April 16, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
- ^ "» The Short-Lived, Cocaine Funded Philadelphia Kings Philly Sports History". Phillysportshistory.com. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
- ^ "BREAKING: Huntington native, NBA legend Greer dies at age 81 | News". herald-dispatch.com. February 10, 2012. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
- ^ "Marshall Athletics Hall of Fame". Herdzone.com. November 14, 1970. Archived from the original on April 17, 2018. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
- ^ Rogers, Thomas (February 21, 1982). "Reed Named to Hall of Fame – The New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
- ^ "76ers unveil statue honoring HOF guard Hal Greer". Philly. February 11, 2017. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
- ^ Payne, Leah (October 9, 2021). "Hal Greer honored with dedication of statue on Huntington campus". marshall.edu. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
- ^ "NBA's 75 Anniversary | NBA.com". www.nba.com. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
- ^ Hofmann, Rich. "NBA 75: At 70, Sixers great Hal Greer was a silent assassin with his midrange jumper". The Athletic. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
- ^ "Rondo scores his 11 in fourth as Celtics pull away from Bucks". Sports.espn.go.com. Associated Press. December 9, 2009. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
- ^ "Hal Greer dead: Syracuse Nats basketball legend, 76ers NBA champion dies at 81". syracuse.com. April 16, 2018. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
- ^ "Sixers center Joel Embiid's status for remainder of series up in the air". The Trentonian. April 16, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2018.