Ten-time All-Star and two-time scoring champion who helped establish the Philadelphia Warriors as an early NBA power.
Paul Joseph Arizin was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1928. He did not play organised high school basketball and only discovered the game at Villanova University. Philadelphia Warriors signed him in 1950. His 10-season career — interrupted by two years of military service during the Korean War — produced 22.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per game along with 10 All-Star appearances. He won two scoring titles (1952, 1957) and the NBA championship with Philadelphia in 1956 alongside Neil Johnston. He was named to the All-NBA First Team three times. He was selected to the NBA 50th Anniversary Team in 1996. His jump shot — fluid, high-release and accurate — was one of the first consistently deployed in professional basketball and is credited with helping popularise the shot as a primary offensive weapon over the set shot that preceded it. He turned down a trade to the San Francisco Warriors when the franchise relocated in 1962 and retired rather than leave Philadelphia. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978. His combination of scoring, rebounding and the modernity of his shooting technique make him one of the most influential players in the evolution of the game.
Jump shot pioneer and prolific scorer for Philadelphia Warriors
How They Played
Outside shooter with deadly accurate jump shot, excellent scorer from all areas of the court
Lasting Impact
Hall of Fame forward who helped popularize the jump shot and was one of the NBA's first great scorers
NBA Champion (1956)
Career Honours
- NBA Champion (1956)
- Scoring Champion 2x
- All-Star 10x
- All-NBA First Team 3x
- Hall of Fame (1978)
- NBA 50th Anniversary Team