Henry Finkel

Henry J. Finkel
Born	(1942-04-20) April 20, 1942 Union City, New Jersey, U.S.
Occupation	Professional basketball player (former)
Years active	1966–1975
Known for	NBA player for Los Angeles Lakers, San Diego Rockets, Boston Celtics; 1974 NBA Champion

Henry J. Finkel (born April 20, 1942) is a former American professional basketball player whose career extended from 1966 until 1975. Selected in the second round of the 1966 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers, he played for the Lakers during the 1966–67 season, then joined the San Diego Rockets from 1967 to 1969, and wrapped up his playing days with the Boston Celtics, where he was part of the squad that secured the 1974 NBA Championship.

Early life

Finkel’s birthplace is Union City, New Jersey, and he attended Holy Family High School. After his father passed away, he left Saint Peter's University and took a job as a sandblaster at a shipyard. Harry Brooks, an independent scout affiliated with the University of Dayton, discovered him, leading Finkel to enroll there and join a program coming off its 1962 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) triumph.

College career

Standing 6'11", Finkel served as a center for Dayton under coach Tom Blackburn. He redshirted his initial year, then as a sophomore in 1963–64 averaged 23.0 points and 13 rebounds per game. Following Blackburn’s passing, assistant Don Donoher assumed head coaching duties.

During his junior season, Finkel posted averages of 25.3 points and 14.9 rebounds while helping the Flyers achieve a 22–7 record. In his senior year (1965–66), he maintained averages of 22.7 points and 12.1 rebounds, guiding Dayton to a 23–6 season mark. On December 30, 1965, he recorded a personal best of 44 points against Maryland and received All-American honors from the Helms Foundation. He earned co-MVP honors in 1963–64 and was named sole MVP for the next two seasons.

Finkel led Dayton to NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearances in both his junior and senior years, with losses coming against top-ranked opponents each time. He ranks third on Dayton’s all-time scoring list with 1,968 points and holds school records for single-season (25.3) and career (23.7) scoring averages. His career field goal percentage of .619 ranks third overall and tops among players with over 500 field goals made.

He graduated with a bachelor's degree in Education and was inducted into the University of Dayton Hall of Fame in 1974.

Though eligible for the NBA draft after his sophomore season due to age, Finkel was selected in the fourth round by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1964 but opted to continue at Dayton. The Philadelphia 76ers also drafted him in the fourth round in 1965; however, he returned for his final collegiate season.

NBA career

The Los Angeles Lakers chose Finkel as their second-round pick (17th overall) in the 1966 NBA draft. His rookie year saw limited action across 27 games, averaging just 5.2 minutes per contest along with 1.5 points and 2.4 rebounds while backing up center Darrall Imhoff.

On May 1, 1967, he was acquired by the San Diego Rockets through the NBA expansion draft. His role expanded significantly: over 53 games, he averaged career-best numbers including 21.1 minutes played, 11.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game on .492 shooting from the field. That season featured personal single-game highs culminating in a standout performance of 42 points versus the Lakers on March 7, 1968.

The next season saw a reduction in playing time; appearing in only 35 games, he averaged 9.5 minutes, contributing 3.7 points and 3.1 rebounds per contest.

On August 22, 1969, Finkel was traded to the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics, then led by former player-coach Bill Russell. With Russell retiring and an aging roster under new coach Tom Heinsohn, who also hailed from Union City, the Celtics endured a disappointing 34–48 season amid fan discontent over Russell’s absence. Despite this environment, Finkel appeared in a career-high 80 games and averaged a personal best of 23.3 minutes per game while posting averages of 9.7 points and a career-high 7.7 rebounds.

The arrival of future Hall-of-Famer Dave Cowens in the following season relegated Finkel to a backup role; across another full slate of 80 games, he averaged modest contributions of 6.5 points and 4.3 rebounds as Boston improved to a winning record of 44–38.

Over subsequent seasons his minutes diminished; during the 1971–72 campaign he played in 78 games averaging only about nine minutes with roughly three points and rebounds per game. He continued serving as a reserve for three additional seasons with averages near seven minutes alongside just over two points and rebounds each game.

Finkel earned an NBA championship ring during the Celtics’ victorious run in the 1973–74 season when they defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in seven games; he contributed totals of 17 points and ten rebounds throughout that Finals series.

In November of 1975, Boston released Finkel, bringing his nine-season NBA tenure to an end with career averages of approximately 5.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.

Personal life

Following the conclusion of his basketball career, Finkel remained in the Boston vicinity, initially taking on roles as a commentator for the Celtics and SportsChannel. He later transitioned to working as an advance scout for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Additionally, he established Hank Finkel Associates, an office furniture enterprise located in Woburn, Massachusetts. He currently lives in the nearby town of Lynnfield.

NBA

Source

Regular season

Season	Franchise	Games Played	Minutes Per Game	Field Goal %	Free Throw %	Rebounds Per Game	Assists Per Game	Steals	Blocks	Points Per Game
Template:Nbay	L.A. Lakers	27	5.2	.362	.583	2.4	.2			1.5
Template:Nbay	San Diego	53	21.1	.492	.686	7.1	1.4			11.6
Template:Nbay	San Diego	35	9.5	.441	.756	3.1	.6			3.7
Template:Nbay	Boston	80	23.3	.454	.670	7.7	1.3			9.7
Template:Nbay	Boston	80	15.4	.438	.732	4.3	1.0			6.5
Template:Nbay	Boston	78	9.4	.406	.581	3.2	.8			3.2
Template:Nbay	Boston	76	6.5	.451	.538	2.0	.3			2.4
Template:Nbay†	Boston	60	7.1	.462	.651	2.3	.5	.1	.1	2.5
Template:Nbay	Boston	62	8.4	.403	.535	1.8	.5	.1	.0	2.0
Total		551	12.5	.449	.662	3.9	.8	.1	.1	5.1

Playoffs

Season	Team	Games Played	Minutes Per Game	FG%	FT%	Rebounds Per Game	Assists Per Game	Steals Per Game	Blocks Per Game	Points Per Game
1967	L.A. Lakers	1	1.0	–	–	.0	.0			.0
1969	San Diego	2	6.0	.000	–	3.5	.0			.0
1972	Boston	8	8.5	.455	–	3.0	.4			2.5
1973	Boston	7	3.3	.667	–	.9	.4			1.7
1974†	Boston	8	5.8	.444	1.000	1.3	.4	.1	.0	2.1
1975	Boston	7	3.6	.429	.600	.9	.6	.0	.0	1.3
Totals		33	5.3	.458	.667	1.6	.4	.1	.0	1.8