Paul J. Arizin enshrined as a player in 1978

Paul J. Arizin

Enshrined 1978
Born: April 9, 1928
Philadelphia, PA
Died: December 12, 2006

While "Pitchin' Paul" Arizin had a textbook perfect jump shot that opposing coaches described as genius akin to Renoir or Rembrandt, the story of his climb to greatness reads like a Horatio Alger tale. In high school he didn't try out for basketball until his senior year, and then he failed to make the team. Attending Villanova University without a scholarship, Arizin's hard work and perseverance paid off, earning him a place on the team as a sophomore. A year later, this unknown player set a single game scoring record with 85 points; as a senior he was named the 1950 College Player of the Year. Arizin led the NBA in scoring in 1952 (25.4 ppg) and 1957 (25.6 ppg) and was among the league's best each season. As a member of the Philadelphia Warriors, Arizin played in the NBA All-Star Game in each of his ten pro seasons.