Joe Graboski
Joseph William Graboski | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date United States |
| Died | July 2, 1998 (aged 68) |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player |
| Years active | 1949–1962 |
| Known for | NBA player for Chicago Stags, Indianapolis Olympians, Philadelphia Warriors, St. Louis Hawks, Chicago Packers |
Joseph William Graboski (January 15, 1930 – July 2, 1998) was a professional basketball athlete from the United States who competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for thirteen seasons. He was among the earliest players to enter the NBA straight out of high school, being the third after Tony Kappen and Connie Simmons, and notably the second to participate in the league at just 18 years old. Standing 6 feet 7 inches tall and playing as a power forward, Graboski made a name for himself at Tuley High School in Chicago before starting his professional journey with the Chicago Stags during the 1949–1950 season.
Throughout his NBA career, Graboski also represented the Indianapolis Olympians, Philadelphia Warriors, St. Louis Hawks, and Chicago Packers. By the time he concluded his professional playing days in 1962, he had amassed a total of 9,398 points and 6,104 rebounds, making substantial contributions to each team he played for.
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948–49 | Chicago | 45 | – | .344 | .357 | – | .4 | 2.8 |
| Template:Nbay | Chicago | 57 | – | .304 | .596 | – | .6 | 3.6 |
| Template:Nbay | Indianapolis | 66 | 37.0 | .387 | .667 | 9.9 | 2.0 | 13.7 |
| Template:Nbay | Indianapolis | 69 | 40.1 | .340 | .682 | 10.0 | 2.3 | 13.0 |
| Template:Nbay | Philadelphia | 71 | 38.9 | .354 | .674 | 9.4 | 2.3 | 13.3 |
| Template:Nbay | Philadelphia | 70 | 35.9 | .340 | .686 | 9.1 | 2.6 | 13.6 |
| Template:Nbay† | Philadelphia | 72 | 33.0 | .369 | .706 | 8.9 | 2.6 | 14.4 |
| Template:Nbay | Philadelphia | 72 | 34.7 | .349 | .783 | 8.5 | 1.9 | 14.3 |
| Template:Nbay | Philadelphia | 72 | 28.8 | .335 | .749 | 7.9 | 1.7 | 12.6 |
| Template:Nbay | Philadelphia | 72 | 34.5 | .353 | .750 | 10.4 | 2.1 | 14.7 |
| Template:Nbay | Philadelphia | 73 | 17.4 | .372 | .753 | 4.9 | 1.5 | 7.7 |
| Template:Nbay | Philadelphia | 68 | 14.9 | .333 | .694 | 3.9 | 1.1 | 6.8 |
| Template:Nbay | St. Louis / Chicago / Syracuse | 38 | 12.3 | .348 | .600 | 4.1 | .7 | 5.1 |
| Career | 845 | 30.5 | .352 | .700 | 8.1 | 1.8 | 11.0 | |
Playoff Performance
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | Chicago | 1 | – | .000 | .000 | – | .0 | .0 |
| 1950 | Chicago | 1 | – | .000 | .000 | – | .0 | .0 |
| 1952 | Indianapolis | 2 | 48.0 | .396 | .533 | 11.5 | 1.5 | 23.0 |
| 1953 | Indianapolis | 2 | 38.0 | .500 | .750 | 8.0 | .0 | 17.0 |
| 1956† | Philadelphia | 10 | 31.3 | .344 | .743 | 9.4 | 2.7 | 13.2 |
| 1957 | Philadelphia | 2 | 45.5 | .325 | .818 | 11.0 | 2.0 | 17.5 |
| 1958 | Philadelphia | 8 | 31.5 | .290 | .783 | 10.3 | 3.8 | 12.3 |
| 1960 | Philadelphia | 9 | 14.3 | .293 | .778 | 3.3 | 1.0 | 4.6 |
| 1961 | Philadelphia | 1 | 1.0 | .000 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1962 | Syracuse | 4 | 6.0 | .143 | 1.000 | 1.0 | 0 | 0.8 |
| style="text-align:center; font-weight:bold;" colspan=2 Career Totals | 40 | 25.8 | .328 | .735 | 7.1 | 1.8 | 9.7 |