Len Chappell

Leonard R. Chappell (January 31, 1941 – July 12, 2018) was an American basketball player.^[1] He played for 10 years in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the American Basketball Association (ABA) and was selected to one NBA All-Star Game.

Len Chappell

Chappell as a junior at Wake Forest.
Personal information
Born	(1941-01-31)January 31, 1941 Portage, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	July 12, 2018(2018-07-12) (aged 77) Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight	240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
High school	Portage (Portage, Pennsylvania)
College	Wake Forest (1959–1962)
NBA draft	1962: 1st round, 4th overall pick
Selected by the Syracuse Nationals
Playing career	1962–1972
Position	Power forward / center
Number	23, 24, 17, 19, 50, 25, 40
Career history
1962–1963	Syracuse Nationals / Philadelphia 76ers
1963–1966	New York Knicks
1966	Chicago Bulls
1966–1967	Cincinnati Royals
1967–1968	Detroit Pistons
1968–1970	Milwaukee Bucks
1970	Cleveland Cavaliers
1970–1971	Atlanta Hawks
1971–1972	Dallas Chaparrals
Career highlights and awards
NBA All-Star (1964) Consensus first-team All-American (1962) 2× ACC Player of the Year (1961, 1962) ACC Athlete of the Year (1962) 3× First-team All-ACC (1960–1962) No. 50 retired by Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference

Biography

College career

A 6'8" power forward/center, Chappell was a star at Wake Forest University, where he was a teammate of future broadcaster Billy Packer He helped lead the Demon Deacons to a third-place finish in the 1962 NCAA tournament and was named ACC Men's Basketball Player of the Year in 1961 and 1962. In 1962, he became Wake Forest's first consensus All-American^[2] He was the ACC tournament's all-time leading scorer until Duke University's J. J. Redick surpassed him in 2006. Chappell was named to the ACC 50th Anniversary men's basketball team in 2002, honoring him as one of the 50 greatest players in Atlantic Coast Conference history.

Professional career

After college, the Syracuse Nationals selected him with the fourth pick in the 1962 NBA draft. He played one season with the Nationals. The following year the team moved to Philadelphia and was renamed the 76ers. After one game in Philadelphia, the New York Knicks purchased his contract. After moving to New York, he had his best season with 17 points and nine rebounds per game, earning his only All-Star selection.^[2]

He left New York in 1966 and played for the Chicago Bulls, Cincinnati Royals, Detroit Pistons, Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Atlanta Hawks. While on the Bucks during their inaugural season, on December 19, 1968, he scored a career-best 35 points during a 113–111 loss to the Chicago Bulls.^[3][4] He also played one season (1971–1972) with the Dallas Chaparrals of the American Basketball Association.

Death

Chappell suffered a brain hemorrhage after a fall in April 2018 and later suffered a stroke and pneumonia. He died July 12, 2018, in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.^[2]

NBA & ABA career statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1962–63	Syracuse	80	-	15.5	.465	-	.622	5.8	0.7	-	-	8.9
1963–64	Philadelphia	1	-	16.0	.000	-	.500	4.0	0.0	-	-	1.0
1963–64	New York	78	-	31.9	.449	-	.716	9.8	1.1	-	-	17.3
1964–65	New York	43	-	15.2	.395	-	.680	3.3	0.3	-	-	8.3
1965–66	New York	46	-	11.8	.420	-	.590	2.8	0.6	-	-	5.3
1966–67	Chicago	19	-	9.4	.449	-	.667	2.0	0.6	-	-	4.9
1966–67	Cincinnati	54	-	9.8	.411	-	.650	2.8	0.4	-	-	4.1
1967–68	Cincinnati	10	-	6.5	.500	-	.800	1.5	0.5	-	-	3.8
1967–68	Detroit	57	-	17.5	.514	-	.707	6.1	0.8	-	-	10.0
1968–69	Milwaukee	80	-	27.6	.454	-	.737	8.0	1.2	-	-	14.6
1969–70	Milwaukee	75	-	15.1	.465	-	.640	3.7	0.7	-	-	8.3
1970–71	Cleveland	6	-	14.3	.395	-	.786	3.0	0.2	-	-	6.8
1970–71	Atlanta	42	-	10.7	.441	-	.811	3.2	0.4	-	-	4.8
1971–72	Dallas	79	-	17.8	.452	-	.746	4.0	0.9	-	-	7.7
Career		670	-	17.9	.452	-	.697	5.1	0.8	-	-	9.3

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1962–63	Syracuse	4	-	13.3	.190	-	.813	4.5	0.8	-	-	5.3
1966–67	Cincinnati	4	-	16.5	.370	-	.500	3.3	2.3	-	-	5.5
1967–68	Detroit	5	-	4.2	.286	-	.500	2.4	0.0	-	-	1.4
1969–70	Milwaukee	9	-	14.8	.560	-	.684	2.9	0.6	-	-	7.7
1971–72	Dallas	4	-	22.3	.500	-	.625	4.5	0.8	-	-	7.3
Career		26	-	13.9	.434	-	.679	3.3	0.8	-	-	5.7

See also

• List of NCAA Division I men's basketball players with 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds

References

1. "Len Chappell, legendary Wake Forest University basketball player, dies at 77". July 13, 2018.
2. Goldstein, Richard (July 15, 2018), "Len Chappell, 77, College All-American and N.B.A. All-Star, Dies", The New York Times
3. The Daily Banner,Greencastle, Putnam County, 19 December 1968
4. Len Chappell Game Highs

External links

• Career statistics and player information from NBA.com  and Basketball-Reference.com