Maurice King (basketball)
Chicago Zephyrs | |
| Career NBA statistics | |
|---|---|
Points | 226 |
| Rebounds | 106 |
| Assists | 44 |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Maurice E. King (December 1, 1934 – September 17, 2007) was an American professional basketball player who played for the NBA champion Boston Celtics in the 1959–60 season.
Early life
King was born in Kansas City, Missouri and graduated from R. T. Coles High School in Kansas City, Missouri in 1953. King led the R. T. Coles Jeeps to a Missouri state high school basketball championship in 1952 and a second-place finish in 1953.[1]
King's stellar play earned him a basketball scholarship from the University of Kansas that commenced with the 1953–54 school year.[2]
King was the second black basketball player to play at Kansas (and first black starter), following LaVannes Squires from Wichita East High School in Wichita, Kansas and preceding Wilt Chamberlain, who was the third.
College career
After redshirting his first season at Kansas due to the freshmen eligibility rules in effect at the time, King played a reserve role in his sophomore season for the
Earning a starting position as a junior in
In 1956–57, King's senior year, Chamberlain joined the Kansas Jayhawk varsity squad as a sophomore and led the team in scoring (29.6 points per game) and rebounding (18.8 rebounds per game). King remained a starter for the Jayhawks team and was a key contributor for the Jayhawks scoring 9.7 points per game.
The Jayhawks were ranked #1 or #2 in the Associated Press and U.P.I. polls the entire 1956–57 season, and advanced to the
In the 1957 Final 4, Kansas defeated University of San Francisco in the semi-final by the score of 80–56. The Jayhawks then lost to University of North Carolina by the score of 54–53 in triple overtime in the iconic 1957 NCAA title game at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. King was second on the Jayhawks behind Chamberlain in both scoring (11 points) and rebounds (5 rebounds) in the title game.
Professional career
After his senior season at Kansas, King was selected by the Boston Celtics with the 48th pick in the 6th round of the 1957 NBA draft. However, instead of joining the Celtics at that time, King served a two-year stint in the U.S. Army. Upon leaving the Army after his two-year commitment in 1959, King joined the Boston Celtics and played one game in the 1959–60 season. Later that season, the Celtics won the 1960 NBA title earning King an NBA championship recognition.
Immediately after his stint with the Celtics during the 1959–60 season, King joined the Baltimore Bullets in the Eastern Professional Basketball League for the remainder of the season.
On August 2, 1960, the
Prior to the 1961–62 season, King joined the fledgling Kansas City Steers of the American Basketball League (ABL).[6]
In the ABL's inaugural season, King averaged 7.8 points per game, and led the team with an average of 3.2 assists.[7] In Kansas City's second season in 1962–63, King averaged 14.7 points and 5.7 assists before the ABL folded on December 31, 1962.
Upon the folding of the ABL, King immediately signed with the
Post-playing career
After leaving the NBA after the 1963 season, King went on to a career with the
After his playing career ended, King remained active as a supporter of the University of Kansas athletic program. He served on coaching search committees that hired football coach Mike Gottfried in 1982,[10] basketball coach Larry Brown in 1983,[11] athletic director Bob Frederick in 1987,[12] football coach Glen Mason in 1987,[13] and basketball coach Roy Williams in 1988.[14]
King also served on the Jackson County, Missouri Parks and Recreation Advisory Board.[15]
Personal life
King had four children: Yasmin Brown, Calvin Wainright, Maurice King III, and Kimberly King-Crawford. Two of King's grandsons, Ish Wainright and Amaad Wainright, also played college basketball.
During his career at
Amaad Wainright previously played college basketball for Trinity Valley Community College before transferring to Kansas State University starting in their 2017–18 season. During that specific season, Wainright and Kansas State made it to the 2018 NCAA tournament, going as far as the Elite 8 in their tournament run that season. However, he transferred out of Kansas State the following season, joining the LSU–Shreveport Pilots basketball team for his final two years in college.
Career statistics
Regular season
| 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 | * | Led the league |
| † | Denotes seasons in which King's team won an ABL championship |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959–60 | Boston Celtics | 1 | – | 19.0 | .625 | – | .000 | 4.0 | 2.0 | – | – | 10.0 |
| 1961–62 | Kansas City Steers (ABL) | 78 | – | 27.0 | .386 | .386 | .814 | 2.6 | 3.2 | – | – | 7.8 |
| 1962–63† | Kansas City Steers (ABL) | 31 | – | 40.2 | .390 | .306 | .781 | 4.5 | 5.7* | – | – | 14.7 |
| 1962–63 | Chicago Zephyrs | 37 | – | 25.8 | .390 | – | .824 | 2.8 | 3.8 | – | – | 5.8 |
| Career | 147 | – | 29.2 | .393 | .344 | .800 | 3.1 | 3.9 | – | – | 8.8 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961–62 | Kansas City Steers (ABL) | 5 | – | 34.6 | .385 | .167 | .750 | 2.8 | 2.6 | – | – | 9.0 |
| Career | 5 | – | 34.6 | .385 | .167 | .750 | 2.8 | 2.6 | – | – | 9.0 | |
See also
- List of second-generation National Basketball Association players
References
- ^ "Cage Title to Lincoln". Kansas City Star. March 15, 1953. p. 45.
- ^ "Training For New Era". Kansas City Times. June 4, 1953. p. 10.
- ^ Finn, Timothy (January 17, 1998). "Wilt Chamberlain Disk Jockey". Kansas City Star. p. E1.
- ^ Whitlock, Jason (October 13, 1999). "No Match for Wilt". Kansas City Star. p. D-1.
- ^ "King to the Hawks". Kansas City Star. August 2, 1960. p. 10.
- ^ Mehl, Ernie (October 15, 1961). "Sporting Comment". Kansas City Star. p. 2B.
- ^ "Maurice King First to Sign Steers Pact". Kansas City Star. August 24, 1962. p. 22.
- ^ "Sports Spike". Kansas City Star. March 22, 1963. p. 8B.
- ^ "KU: Guidelines met for affirmative action". Kansas City Times. January 9, 1988. p. D3.
- ^ Shatel, Tom (December 8, 1982). "KU football player glad to be on search committee". Kansas City Times. p. E1.
- ^ Shatel, Tom (June 25, 1988). "Touchy Situation". Kansas City Times. p. D1.
- ^ Hubbuch, Bart (March 31, 1987). "KU plans quick hunt for new AD". Kansas City Times. p. C2.
- ^ Shatel, Tom (November 26, 1987). "Texas, Aggies square off tonight in showdown for Cotton Bowl bid". Kansas City Times. p. F-2.
- ^ Shatel, Tom (June 25, 1988). "Touchy Situation". Kansas City Times. p. D1.
- ^ "Parks and Recreation Advisory Board". Kansas City Times. March 27, 1985. p. 70.
- ^ https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2017-02-01/baylor-basketball-ishmail-wainright-honors-late-grandfather
External links
- Career statistics and player information from NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com