Jim Krebs

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Jim Krebs
Minneapolis Lakers
Playing career1957–1964
PositionCenter
Number32
Career history
1957–1964Minneapolis / Los Angeles Lakers
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points
4,128 (8.0 ppg)
Rebounds3,177 (6.2 rpg)
Assists429 (0.8 apg)
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at Basketball-Reference.com

James Krebs (September 8, 1935 – May 6, 1965) was an American

power forward/center, he starred for the SMU Mustangs during the mid-1950s and later played with the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA
. He died in a tree falling accident at the age of 29.

Early life and college

Krebs was born in Webster Groves, Missouri. While representing Webster Groves High School in a St. Louis-area all-star game, he attracted the attention of Doc Hayes, the men's basketball coach at Southern Methodist University in Texas. Hayes convinced Krebs to sign with SMU, and recruited two fellow Missourans to play alongside him.[1]

Described as a "cautious, careful player"[2] with an "unstoppable hook shot,"[3] Krebs became the star of the Mustangs and one of the best players in the nation. He scored 1,753 points in his three varsity seasons (1954–1957), led the Mustangs to three consecutive Southwest Conference championships, and was named to three All-SWC teams.[3] Coach Hayes' strategy was simple: "[W]hen Jim is free, feed it to the big man."[1]

In 1956, Krebs' team reached the

NCAA Tournament once again that spring, but they were defeated 73–65 by Wilt Chamberlain and the University of Kansas in the Midwestern semifinals.[4]

During Krebs' collegiate career, basketball became so popular at SMU that the school constructed a new, $2.25 million basketball arena in 1956 — Moody Coliseum, which the Mustangs use to this day. Other schools in the Southwest Conference, who had mainly emphasized college football, took notice of Krebs' success and increased funding for their own basketball programs.[1]

NBA

Krebs depicted with the Lakers.

After his senior season at

Minneapolis Lakers with the third overall pick in the 1957 NBA draft. He played with the Lakers (who moved to Los Angeles in 1960) for seven seasons, mostly in a reserve role behind Vern Mikkelsen, Larry Foust or Rudy LaRusso. The team reached the NBA Finals three times (1959, 1962 and 1963), but lost each series to the Boston Celtics. Over his career, Krebs posted statistics of 8.0 points per game, 6.2 rebounds per game and 0.8 assists per game. His statistically strongest season occurred in 1961–62
, when he averaged 10.0 points and 7.9 rebounds.

Krebs occasionally struggled with

St. Louis' Bob Pettit.[8] Indeed, Russell once wrote, "Jim Krebs was known in the league as a man who was willing to go beyond the rules in getting his man."[7] Though he could be aggressive on the court, teammates described Krebs as fun-loving and charismatic. Los Angeles Times sportswriter Jim Murray once wrote, "Time and again I've seen him make a team that was about to cry, laugh."[9]

Plane crash survivor

On one evening in 1960, the Lakers' team plane experienced electrical problems and crashed into a field near Carroll, Iowa. All the passengers survived, and Krebs later wrote an account of the crash for Sports Illustrated. His article took a humorous tone. Describing a hearse which arrived at the scene, he wrote, "I'm positive I detected a slightly disappointed look when the driver found out everyone was all right." He also joked that his wife asked him, "Where have you been? Carol who?" when he called home to report what happened.[9]

Post-basketball

After retiring from basketball in 1964, Krebs became a loan officer at a bank in Beverly Hills, California. He built a home for his wife and children in Woodland Hills.

On May 6, 1965, Krebs was suddenly killed while trying to remove a tree that had fallen onto his neighbor's roof during a storm. A limb from the tree struck him in the head as it fell from the roof in an uncontrolled fashion. His wife was pregnant with a son, who was born two months later.

Krebs was posthumously elected to the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 1976. His number 32 jersey was retired at SMU in 2002.[3]

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
 *  Led the league

NBA

Source[10]

Regular season

Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1957–58 Minneapolis 68 18.5 .378 .767 7.4 .4 7.8
1958–59 Minneapolis 72* 21.9 .399 .748 6.8 .7 8.8
1959–60 Minneapolis 75 16.9 .392 .721 4.4 .5 7.6
1960–61 L.A. Lakers 75 22.1 .392 .806 6.1 .9 8.2
1961–62 L.A. Lakers 78 25.2 .445 .750 7.9 1.4 10.0
1962–63 L.A. Lakers 79 24.2 .434 .747 6.4 1.1 8.3
1963–64 L.A. Lakers 68 14.3 .375 .765 4.2 .7 4.9
Career 515 20.7 .405 .755 6.2 .8 8.0

Playoffs

Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1959 Minneapolis 13* 16.4 .350 .957 5.9 .4 7.2
1960 Minneapolis 9 17.4 .418 .500 5.2 .9 5.7
1961 L.A. Lakers 12* 15.3 .340 .778 5.0 .8 3.8
1962 L.A. Lakers 11 29.7 .333 .846 9.3 1.9 7.5
1963 L.A. Lakers 13* 15.3 .340 .667 3.1 .3 3.2
1964 L.A. Lakers 4 12.5 .667 .500 5.5 1.5 3.5
Career 62 18.2 .362 .781 5.6 .9 5.3

Notes

  1. ^ a b c "Feed It To the Big Man". Time. January 21, 1957.
  2. ^ "Odd Assortment." Time. March 4, 1957.
  3. ^ a b c Rick Alonzo. "SMU will retire No. 32 worn by late Jim Krebs." The Dallas Morning News. February 23, 2003.
  4. ^ 1957 NCAA Tournament. DatabaseSports.com. Retrieved September 1, 2007.
  5. ^ 1961–62 NBA statistics. basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  6. ^ Jeff Denberg. "Lakers go for two in a row vs. Celtics; Boston has dominated rivalry dating from '59." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. June 2, 1987.
  7. ^ a b Bill Russell and William Francis McSweeney. Go Up for Glory. Coward-McCann, 1996. 130
  8. ^ Michael LeBlanc and Mary K. Ruby. Professional Sports Team Histories. Gale Research, 1994. 128.
  9. ^ a b Vahe Gregorian. "The memories remain strong: Jim Krebs of Webster Groves was a star on the court and in the hearts of many people." St. Louis Post-Dispatch. February 18, 2007.
  10. Basketball Reference
    . Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved 22 November 2023.

External links

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