SPRINGFIELD, MASS. – Clyde Lovellette, enshrined as a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1988, has passed away at the age of 86.
“As a legend at Kansas, one of the most storied programs in the country, and an NBA veteran, Clyde Lovellette achieved excellence at every level of the game,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall ofFame. “He was big in stature, as well as personality, and will be remembered fondly by those who had the pleasure of knowing him in the basketball community and beyond.”
As the first to play on an NCAA, Olympic, AAU, and NBA championship team, Clyde Lovellette fostered the trend of tall, physical, and high-scoring centers. He is widely considered the first big man to shoot from the perimeter. Under the direction of Hall of Fame coach Phog Allen, Lovellette was a two-time consensus All-American at Kansas (1951, 1952) and led the nation in scoring during his senior year. His eleven-year NBA career included stints with the Minneapolis Lakers, Cincinnati Royals, St. Louis Hawks, and Boston Celtics and he was an integral component of championships in Minneapolis (1954) and Boston (1963, 1964).