Joe Graboski

Joseph W. Graboski (January 15, 1930 – July 2, 1998) was an American professional basketball player. He spent 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was the third player to enter the NBA without having played in college: (Tony Kappen and Connie Simmons being the first two prep-to-pro players).^[1] He was also the second player to play in the league while still being 18 years old. A star at Tuley High School in Chicago, the 6'7" power forward had previously played some basketball with the Illinois Tool Works while he was a high school junior and senior before he began his professional career with the hometown Chicago Stags, with whom he played from 1949 to 1950. He also played for the Indianapolis Olympians, Philadelphia Warriors, St. Louis Hawks, and Chicago Packers, and he left the NBA in 1962 with 9,398 career points and 6,104 career rebounds.

Joe Graboski

Personal information
Born	(1930-01-15)January 15, 1930
Died	July 2, 1998(1998-07-02) (aged 68) Columbus, Ohio
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight	195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school	Tuley (Chicago, Illinois)
Playing career	1948–1967
Position	Power forward / center
Number	15, 9, 29, 23, 44
Career history
1948–1950	Chicago Stags
1950–1951	Kansas City Hi-Spots
1951	Louisville Alumnites
1951–1953	Indianapolis Olympians
1953–1961	Philadelphia Warriors
1961	St. Louis Hawks
1961	Chicago Packers
1961–1962	Syracuse Nationals
1962–1963	Camden Bullets
1966–1967	Asbury Park Boardwalkers
Career highlights and awards
NBA champion (1956)
Career NBA statistics
Points	9,280
Rebounds	5,999
Assists	1,502
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference

BAA/NBA 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
†	Won an NBA championship

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	PPG
1948–49	Chicago	45	–	.344	.357	–	.4	2.8
1949–50	Chicago	57	–	.304	.596	–	.6	3.6
1951–52	Indianapolis	66	37.0	.387	.667	9.9	2.0	13.7
1952–53	Indianapolis	69	40.1	.340	.682	10.0	2.3	13.0
1953–54	Philadelphia	71	38.9	.354	.674	9.4	2.3	13.3
1954–55	Philadelphia	70	35.9	.340	.686	9.1	2.6	13.6
1955–56†	Philadelphia	72	33.0	.369	.706	8.9	2.6	14.4
1956–57	Philadelphia	72	34.7	.349	.783	8.5	1.9	14.3
1957–58	Philadelphia	72	28.8	.335	.749	7.9	1.7	12.6
1958–59	Philadelphia	72	34.5	.353	.750	10.4	2.1	14.7
1959–60	Philadelphia	73	17.4	.372	.753	4.9	1.5	7.7
1960–61	Philadelphia	68	14.9	.333	.694	3.9	1.1	6.8
1961–62	St. Louis / Chicago / Syracuse	38	12.3	.348	.600	4.1	.7	5.1
Career		845	30.5	.352	.700	8.1	1.8	11.0

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	PPG
1949	Chicago	1	–	.000	.000	–	.0	.0
1950	Chicago	1	–	.000	.000	–	.0	.0
1952	Indianapolis	2	48.0	.396	.533	11.5	1.5	23.0
1953	Indianapolis	2	38.0	.500	.750	8.0	.0	17.0
1956†	Philadelphia	10	31.3	.344	.743	9.4	2.7	13.2
1957	Philadelphia	2	45.5	.325	.818	11.0	2.0	17.5
1958	Philadelphia	8	31.5	.290	.783	10.3	3.8	12.3
1960	Philadelphia	9	14.3	.293	.778	3.3	1.0	4.6
1961	Philadelphia	1	1.0	.000	.000	.0	.0	.0
1962	Syracuse	4	6.0	.143	1.000	1.0	.0	.8
Career		40	25.8	.328	.735	7.1	1.8	9.7

References

1. "High School Players to enter NBA". Archived from the original on May 12, 2013. Retrieved May 20, 2008.

External links

• Career statistics from NBA.com  and Basketball Reference