Len Chappell
Leonard R. Chappell | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 31, 1941 |
| Died | July 12, 2018 (aged 77) |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player |
| Known for | NBA and ABA player; NBA All-Star |
Leonard R. Chappell (January 31, 1941 – July 12, 2018) was a professional American basketball player who spent a decade competing in both the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the American Basketball Association (ABA). During his tenure, he was honored with an appearance in the NBA All-Star Game.
College career
Standing 6 feet 8 inches tall and playing primarily as a power forward and center, Chappell made a significant impact at Wake Forest University, where he played alongside future commentator Billy Packer. He led the Demon Deacons to a third-place finish in the 1962 NCAA tournament and received the ACC Men's Basketball Player of the Year award consecutively in 1961 and 1962. In 1962, he earned distinction as Wake Forest's first consensus All-American. His scoring record in the ACC tournament stood as the highest until Duke's J. J. Redick eclipsed it in 2006. Additionally, Chappell was recognized among the conference's elite by being named to the ACC 50th Anniversary men's basketball team in 2002.
Professional career
Chosen fourth overall in the 1962 NBA draft by the Syracuse Nationals, Chappell played one season before the franchise relocated and became the Philadelphia 76ers. After participating in a single game with Philadelphia, his contract was acquired by the New York Knicks. During his time with New York, he achieved career-high averages of 17 points and nine rebounds per game, which earned him his sole NBA All-Star nod.
Beginning in 1966, Chappell joined multiple NBA teams including the Chicago Bulls, Cincinnati Royals, Detroit Pistons, Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Atlanta Hawks. A highlight of his career came during the Bucks' inaugural season when he scored a personal best of 35 points on December 19, 1968. He also competed for one season (1971–1972) in the ABA with the Dallas Chaparrals. Notably, Chappell scored the very first basket in Chicago Bulls history on October 15, 1966.
Death
In April 2018, Chappell experienced a brain hemorrhage following a fall, which was complicated by a stroke and pneumonia. He passed away on July 12, 2018, in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.
Regular season
|- | align="left" | 1962–63 | align="left" | Syracuse | 80 || - || 15.5 || .465 || - || .622 || 5.8 || 0.7 || - || - || 8.9 |- | align="left" | 1963–64 | align="left" | Philadelphia | 1 || - || 16.0 || .000 || - || .500 || 4.0 || 0.0 || - || - || 1.0 |- | align="left" | 1963–64 | align="left" | New York | 78 || - || 31.9 || .449 || - || .716 || 9.8 || 1.1 || - || - || 17.3 |- | align="left" | 1964–65 | align="left" | New York | 43 || - || 15.2 || .395 || - || .680 || 3.3 || 0.3 || - || - || 8.3 |- | align="left" | 1965–66 | align="left" | New York | 46 || - || 11.8 || .420 || - || .590 || 2.8 || 0.6 || - || - || 5.3 |- | align="left" | 1966–67 | align="left" | Chicago | 19 || - || 9.4 || .449 || - || .667 || 2.0 || 0.6 || - || - || 4.9 |- | align="left" | 1966–67 | align="left" | Cincinnati | 54 || - || 9.8 || .411 || - || .650 || 2.8 || 0.4 || - || - || 4.1 |- | align="left" | 1967–68 | align="left" | Cincinnati | 10 || - || 6.5|| .500||-|| .800||1.5||0.5||-||-||3.8 |- | align="left" | 1967–68 | align="left" | Detroit |57||-||17.5|| .514||-|| .707||6.1||0.8||-||-||10.0 |- | align="left" | 1968–69 | align="left" | Milwaukee |80||-||27.6|| .454||-|| .737||8.0|| 1.2||-||-||14.6 |- | align="left" | 1969–70 | align="left" | Milwaukee |75||-||15.1|| .465||-|| .640||3.7||0.7||-||-||8.3 |- | align="left" | 1970–71 | align="left" | Cleveland |6||-||14.3|| .395||-|| .786||3.0||0.2||-||-||6.8 |- | align="left" | 1970–71 | align="left" | Atlanta |42||-||10.7|| .441||-||| .811|||3.2|||0.4|||-|||- |- | align="left" | 1971–72 ABA season | align="left" | Dallas |79|||—|||17.8||| .452|||—||| .746|||4.0|||0.9|||—|||—|||7.7 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career |670|||—|||17.9||| .452|||—||| .697|||5.1|||0.8|||—|||—|||9.3 }
Playoff Performance
|- | align="left" | 1962–63 | align="left" | Syracuse | 4 || - || 13.3 || .190 || - || .813 || 4.5 || 0.8 || - || - || 5.3 |- | align="left" | 1966–67 | align="left" | Cincinnati | 4 || - || 16.5 || .370 || - || .500 || 3.3 || 2.3 || - || - || 5.5 |- | align="left" | 1967–68 | align="left" | Detroit | 5 || - || 4.2 || .286 || - || .500 || 2.4 || 0.0 || - || - || 1.4 |- | align="left" | 1969–70 | align="left" | Milwaukee | 9 || - || 14.8 || .560 || - || .684 || 2.9 || 0.6 || - || - || 7.7 |- | align="left" | 1971–72 | align="left" | Dallas | 4 || - || 22.3 || .500 || - || .625 || 4.5 || 0.8 || - || - || 7.3 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Total Career | 26 || - || 13.9 || .434 || - || .679 || 3.3 || 0.8 || - || - || 5.7 |}