View source for Bob Boozer

{{Short description|American basketball player (1937–2012)}}
{{about||the American football and athletic director|Bob Boozer (American football)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name = Bob Boozer
| image = Bob Boozer.jpg
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 8
| weight_lb = 215
| birth_date = {{birth date|1937|04|26}}
| birth_place = [[Tuscaloosa, Alabama]], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2012|05|19|1937|04|26}}
| death_place = Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
| high_school = [[Technical High School (Omaha, Nebraska)|Omaha Technical]] (Omaha, Nebraska)
| college = [[Kansas State Wildcats men's basketball|Kansas State]] (1956–1959)
| draft_year = 1959
| draft_round = 1
| draft_pick = 1
| draft_team = [[Cincinnati Royals]]
| career_start = 1959
| career_end = 1971
| career_number = 13, 14, 15, 19, 20
| career_position = [[Power forward (basketball)|Power forward]]
| years1 = 1959–1960
| team1 = [[Peoria Caterpillars]]
| years2 = {{nbay|1960|start}}–{{nbay|1963|start}}
| team2 = [[Cincinnati Royals]]
| years3 = {{nbay|1963|start}}–{{nbay|1964|end}}
| team3 = [[New York Knicks]]
| years4 = {{nbay|1965|full=y}}
| team4 = [[Los Angeles Lakers]]
| years5 = {{nbay|1966|start}}–{{nbay|1968|end}}
| team5 = [[Chicago Bulls]]
| years6 = {{nbay|1969|full=y}}
| team6 = [[Seattle SuperSonics]]
| years7 = {{nbay|1970|full=y}}
| team7 = [[Milwaukee Bucks]]
| highlights = * [[NBA champion]] ({{nbafy|1971}})
* [[NBA All-Star]] ([[1968 NBA All-Star Game|1968]])
* [[List of AAU men's basketball champions|AAU champion]] (1960)
* [[List of AAU men's basketball champions#MVP award|AAU MVP]] (1960)
* [[AAU Men's Basketball All-Americans|AAU All-American]] (1960)
* 2× Consensus first-team [[NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|All-American]] ([[1958 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|1958]], [[1959 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|1959]])
* 2× [[Big Eight Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year|Big Eight Player of the Year]] (1958, 1959)
* No. 30 [[Kansas State Wildcats men's basketball#Retired jerseys|retired by Kansas State Wildcats]]
| stats_league = NBA
| stat1label = [[Point (basketball)|Points]]
| stat1value = 12,964 (14.8 ppg)
| stat2label = [[Rebound (basketball)|Rebounds]]
| stat2value = 7,119 (8.1 rpg)
| stat3label = [[Assist (basketball)|Assists]]
| stat3value = 1,237 (1.4 apg)
| CBBASKHOF_year = 2016
| medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Men's [[basketball]]}}
{{MedalCountry | {{bk|United States}} }}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Basketball at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[Basketball at the 1960 Summer Olympics|1960 Rome]] | [[1960 United States men's Olympic basketball team|Team competition]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Basketball at the Pan American Games|Pan American Games]]}}
{{MedalGold  | [[Basketball at the 1959 Pan American Games|1959 Chicago]] | Team competition}}
}}
'''Robert Louis Boozer''' (April 26, 1937 – May 19, 2012) was an American professional [[basketball]] player in the [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA). Boozer won a gold medal in the [[1960 United States men's Olympic basketball team|1960 Summer Olympics]] and won an [[NBA Championship]] as a member of the [[Milwaukee Bucks]] in 1971. Boozer was a member of the [[1960 United States men's Olympic basketball team|1960 U.S. Olympic team]], which was inducted into the [[Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame]] as a unit in 2010.

==Early years==
[[File:Bob_Boozer_KSU.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Boozer as a junior at Kansas State]]
Boozer was born to John and Viola Boozer on April 26, 1937, in [[Tuscaloosa, Alabama]]. His family moved to [[Omaha, Nebraska]] in the 1940s, after his father's employer (the [[University of Alabama]]) had repeatedly denied him pay raises and passed him over for promotion. Boozer remembered taking the trains to move to Omaha. It has also been reported that the family moved from Tuscaloosa to Omaha when Boozer was seven years old, where his father worked in a meat packing plant and his mother as a hotel maid in Omaha.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Chatelain |first=Dirk |date=May 22, 2012 |title=Bob Boozer: An Omaha ambassador |work=The North Platte Telegraph (North Platte, Nebraska) |pages=10}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Bucks Remember Bob Boozer {{!}} Milwaukee Bucks |url=https://www.nba.com/bucks/news/bucks-remember-bob-boozer |access-date=2025-06-09 |website=www.nba.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=May 14, 1959 |title=Bob Boozer, All-American Cager Is Native Tuscaloosan |work=The Mobile Beacon and Alabama Citizen (Mobile, Alabama) |pages=1}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Kelly |first=Michael |date=March 23, 2016 |title=Legacy of Bob Boozer grows here, elsewhere |work=Omaha World-Herald |pages=1A, 6A}}</ref> It has also been stated he was born on the same date in [[North Omaha, Nebraska]], where he was raised, though the weight of reporting favors his birth in Tuscaloosa. He graduated from Omaha Technical High School ([[Technical High School (Omaha, Nebraska)|Tech High]]) in Omaha. One of his teammates was future [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Baseball Hall-of-Famer]] [[Bob Gibson]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Bob Boozer Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/boozebo01.html |access-date=2025-06-08 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://retrosimba.com/2012/05/23/bob-gibson-bob-boozer-mutual-champs-of-omaha/|title=Bob Gibson, Bob Boozer: mutual champs of Omaha|date=May 23, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-02-06 |title=A History of the Near North YMCA in North Omaha |url=https://northomahahistory.com/2018/02/06/near-north-side-ymca/ |access-date=2025-06-08 |website=NorthOmahaHistory.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-09-26 |title=Near North Side Neighborhood, Little Russia and Little Stockholm |url=https://omahaexploration.com/2024/09/25/from-scriptown-to-omahas-near-north-side/ |access-date=2025-06-08 |website=Omaha Exploration |language=en}}</ref> 

Omaha Tech was the Inter-City League champion in 1955, with Boozer setting a league scoring record. He was 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) tall when he played high school basketball, and had the ability to score from anywhere on the court.<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 10, 1955 |title=Gregg McBride's Form Chart on State Basket Ball Meet |work=Omaha World-Herald |pages=26}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Lee |first=Don |date=January 15, 1955 |title=Boozer Dazzles as Tech Wins; North Surprises Lynx, 61–59 |work=Evening World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska) |pages=9}}</ref>

== College and Olympics ==
He attended [[Kansas State University]], playing forward on the basketball team under future [[Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame]] coach [[Tex Winter]].<ref name="chatelain">{{citation |last=Chatelain |first=Dirk |title=Omaha's Bob Boozer left mark on basketball greats |date=May 21, 2012 |newspaper=[[Omaha World-Herald]] |url=http://www.omaha.com/article/20120521/SPORTS/705219863/1001 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130130173902/http://www.omaha.com/article/20120521/SPORTS/705219863/1001 |archive-date=January 30, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: Tex Winter |url=https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/tex-winter/ |access-date=2025-06-08 |website=www.hoophall.com |language=en}}</ref> Boozer received consensus first team All-America honors in both 1958 and 1959.<ref name="chatelain" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Men's Consensus All-America Teams (1949-50 to 1958-59) |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/awards/men/consensus-all-america-1950-1959.html |access-date=2025-06-08 |website=College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> He is the only Kansas State player to be a consensus All-American twice.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kansas State Men's Basketball All-America Selections |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/kansas-state/men/all-america.html |access-date=2025-06-09 |website=College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Mercury |first=The |date=2016-03-22 |title=Boozer named to college basketball HoF |url=https://themercury.com/k_state_sports/boozer-named-to-college-basketball-hof/article_2fd3ddcd-48ed-5332-9c8c-ffd0cf2296e2.html |access-date=2025-06-09 |website=The Mercury |language=en}}</ref> In 1959, Boozer was one of the twenty collegians selected to play in the East-West all-star game.<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 22, 1959 |title=Howell Heads All-Star List For Big Game |work=The Montgomery Advertiser |pages=18}}</ref>

As a junior, Boozer helped lead the Wildcats to the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]]'s [[1958 NCAA University Division basketball tournament|1958 Final Four]], where they were defeated by the [[Elgin Baylor]] led [[Seattle University]], 73–51.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Seattle vs. Kansas State Box Score (Men), March 21, 1958 |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/boxscores/1958-03-21-kansas-state.html |access-date=2025-06-09 |website=College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> Earlier in the tournament, Kansas State and Boozer had defeated future teammate [[Oscar Robertson]]'s [[Cincinnati Bearcats|University of Cincinnati]] team in the NCAA Midwest Regional, 83–80 (Robertson with 30 points and 14 rebounds and Boozer with 24 points and 14 rebounds). Both players unanimously made the Midwest Regional all-tournament team.<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 17, 1958 |title=Oscar, Boozer Tops |work=The Lexington Herald |pages=6}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Kansas State vs. Cincinnati Box Score (Men), March 14, 1958 |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/boxscores/1958-03-14-cincinnati.html |access-date=2025-06-09 |website=College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref>  

Kansas State and Boozer lost the [[Big Eight Conference|Big Seven]] conference championship in 1957 to fellow sophomore [[Wilt Chamberlain]]'s [[University of Kansas]] team. In the decisive game, Chamberlain had 24 points and 17 rebounds and Boozer had 22 points and nine rebounds. However, Kansas State was [[Big Eight Conference|Big Eight]] conference champion in 1958 and 1959, with Boozer named Big Eight player of the year in both 1958 and 1959.<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Garich |first=Ed |date=March 7, 1957 |title=K. U. Zips By Wildcats |work=The Kansas City Times |pages=26}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=1956-57 Men's Big Seven Conference Season Summary |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/big-7/men/1957.html |access-date=2025-06-09 |website=College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=1957-58 Men's Big Eight Conference Season Summary |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/big-8/men/1958.html |access-date=2025-06-09 |website=College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=1958-59 Men's Big Eight Conference Season Summary |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/big-8/men/1959.html |access-date=2025-06-09 |website=College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> 

In his junior year, Boozer joined Chamberlain on the December 1957 Big Eight Holiday Tournament all-tournament team.<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 31, 1957 |title=Most Valuable Choice Not Difficult Here |work=Springfield Leader and Press (Springfield, Missouri) |pages=11}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=December 31, 1957 |title=Wilt Puts on Top Basketball Show |work=Springfield Leader and Press (Springfield, Missouri) |pages=11}}</ref> In February 1958, No. 4 ranked Kansas State defeated No. 2 ranked Kansas in double overtime, with Boozer scoring 32 points to Chamberlain's 25; after Kansas earlier had won their matchup in the Holiday Tournament, with Chamberlain scoring 38.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Patrick |first=Skipper |date=February 4, 1958 |title=K-State Outshines Wilt, 79–75 |work=Carthage Evening Press (Carthage, Missouri) |pages=7}}</ref>   

As a sophomore Boozer averaged 19.6 [[Points per game|points]] and 10.3 [[Rebound (basketball)|rebounds per game]], and 20.1 points and 10.4 rebounds per game as a junior. Boozer was the Big Eight's second leading scorer in the 1957-58 season, behind only Chamberlain. In his senior year (1958-59), he averaged a Big-Eight conference best 25.6 points per game (sixth nationally), along with 11.3 rebounds per game, second only to [[Bill Bridges (basketball)|Bill Bridges]] (13.7) in the Big-Eight.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bob Boozer College Stats |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/bob-boozer-1.html |access-date=2025-06-08 |website=College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=March 12, 1958 |title=Wilt Wins Big 8 Title With 65-Point Margin |work=Evening World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska) |pages=28}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=1958-59 Men's Big Eight Conference Season Summary |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/big-8/men/1959.html |access-date=2025-06-08 |website=College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=1958-59 Men's College Basketball Season Summary |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/seasons/men/1959.html |access-date=2025-06-08 |website=College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> Boozer is one of only two Kansas State players in school history to average a career double-double (21.9 points and 10.7 rebounds per game over 77 games). His 25.6 points per game was a school record until 2007-08 when broken by [[Michael Beasley]].<ref name=":3" /> 

A versatile 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) forward, he was selected by the [[Cincinnati Royals]] with the [[NBA first overall draft pick|first non-territorial pick]] of the 1959 [[NBA draft]], but he postponed his [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] career for one year so that he could remain eligible to play in the [[Basketball at the 1960 Summer Olympics|1960 Summer Olympics]].<ref name="crowe">{{citation |last=Crowe |first=Jerry |title=Bob Boozer put his NBA dreams on hold to play for a dream team | newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=October 8, 2010 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-aug-08-la-sp-0809-crowes-nest-20100809-story.html}}</ref>  During that year he played with the [[Peoria Caterpillars]], where he won the National AAU Tournament title and earned MVP honors for the tournament.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gpshof.org/Inductees/caterpillarbasketball1960.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050918053435/http://www.gpshof.org/Inductees/caterpillarbasketball1960.html|url-status=usurped|archive-date=September 18, 2005|title=1960 CATERPILLAR BASKETBALL Greater Peoria Sports Hall Of Fame<!-- Bot generated title -->}}</ref>

He won a gold medal with the [[1960 United States men's Olympic basketball team|Olympic team]] after they won eight games by an average of 42.4 points. The team was inducted into the [[Basketball Hall of Fame]] in 2010.<ref name=crowe/><ref>{{cite news |title=Bob Boozer, a 1960 Olympian, Is Dead at 75 |agency=Associated Press |newspaper=The New York Times |page=A24 |date=May 22, 2012 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/22/sports/basketball/bob-boozer-former-nba-and-olympic-star-dies-at-75.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120907124606/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/22/sports/basketball/bob-boozer-former-nba-and-olympic-star-dies-at-75.html?_r=1 |archive-date=September 7, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==NBA career==

=== Cincinnati Royals ===

In the fall of 1960, Boozer joined the Royals with Olympic teammate [[Oscar Robertson]], who would be the NBA's rookie-of-the-year that season and is considered one of the NBA's greatest all-time players. As a rookie, Boozer played in all 79 games the Royals played, contributing 8.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game in a reserve role.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20151121020045/http://archive.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/team/p/sid/2935/tid/379/_/1960_Olympic_Games_Tournament_for_Men/accumulated-statistics.html 1960 Olympic Games : Tournament for Men.]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=1960-61 Cincinnati Royals Roster and Stats |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CIN/1961.html |access-date=2025-06-08 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Archive 75: Oscar Robertson {{!}} NBA.com |url=https://www.nba.com/news/archive-75-oscar-robertson |access-date=2025-06-09 |website=NBA |language=en}}</ref>  The following season, he earned a spot at power forward in the Royals’ starting lineup and averaged 13.7 points and 10.2 rebounds.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=1961-62 Cincinnati Royals Roster and Stats |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CIN/1962.html |access-date=2025-06-08 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> While the Royals lost to the [[Detroit Pistons]] in the playoffs, Boozer averaged 18.3 points and 10.5 rebounds in four games.<ref name=":2" />

Boozer continued to improve, averaging 14.3 points and 11.1 rebounds during the 1962–1963 season.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=1962-63 Cincinnati Royals Roster and Stats |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CIN/1963.html |access-date=2025-06-08 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> In the Royals 3–2 playoff series win against the [[History of the Philadelphia 76ers|Syracuse Nationals]], Boozer averaged 17 points and 8.6 rebounds in five games. The Royals lost the ensuing seven game playoff series to the [[Boston Celtics]], where Boozer averaged 10.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.<ref name=":2" /> 

Boozer had averaged 31.5 minutes per game in his second and third years.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> With the emergence of rookie power forward [[Jerry Lucas]], 1963-64 rookie-of-the-year and a future [[Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame|Hall-of-Fame]]r who averaged over 41 minutes per game,<ref>{{Cite web |title=1963-64 Cincinnati Royals Roster and Stats |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CIN/1964.html |access-date=2025-06-08 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=1963-64 NBA Awards Voting |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/awards/awards_1964.html |access-date=2025-06-08 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: Jerry Lucas |url=https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/jerry-lucas/ |access-date=2025-06-08 |website=www.hoophall.com |language=en}}</ref> Boozer was out of the starting lineup and his playing time fell to less than 23 minutes per game,<ref>{{Cite web |title=1963-64 Cincinnati Royals Roster and Stats |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CIN/1964.html |access-date=2025-06-08 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> pushing Boozer out of the Royals' long-term plans. Lucas was one of Boozer's 1960 Olympic teammates.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kelly |first=Michael |date=April 28, 1998 |title=Boozer, Lucas Marvel at NBA Player Salaries |work=Omaha World-Herald |pages=43}}</ref>

=== Time with the Knicks and Lakers ===

In December 1963, Boozer was involved in a three-team set of trades. The [[New York Knicks]] traded [[Donnis Butcher]] and [[Bob Duffy (basketball, born 1940)|Bob Duffy]] and a player to be named later to the Detroit Pistons, for [[Johnny Egan (basketball)|Johnny Egan]] and [[Larry Staverman]]. Boozer was then traded to the Knicks for Staverman and undisclosed amount of cash.<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 16, 1963 |title=Knicks Obtain Bob Boozer |work=The Ithaca Journal |pages=16}}</ref> Once traded to the Knicks, Boozer averaged 11 more minutes per game, with a 17.5 point and 8.5 rebound per game average with the Knicks during the remainder of the 1963-64 season.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bob Boozer Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/boozebo01.html |access-date=2025-06-08 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> Boozer played the 1964-65 season with the Knicks, averaging 14.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1964-65 New York Knicks Roster and Stats |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/NYK/1965.html |access-date=2025-06-08 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref>  

Though Boozer was a productive player with the Knicks, he was traded to the [[Los Angeles Lakers]] in 1965 for future Hall of fame guard [[Dick Barnett]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 15, 1965 |title=Boozer Goes To Lakers |work=The Baltimore Sun |pages=C1}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: Dick Barnett |url=https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/dick-barnett/ |access-date=2025-06-08 |website=www.hoophall.com |language=en}}</ref> After one season in Los Angeles, where he played a supporting role amid players like [[Jerry West]] and [[Elgin Baylor]], averaging 12.2 points and seven rebounds in nearly 24 minutes per game,<ref>{{Cite web |title=1965-66 Los Angeles Lakers Roster and Stats |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAL/1966.html |access-date=2025-06-09 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> Boozer was left open in the 1966 NBA [[Expansion draft]], where he was taken by the [[Chicago Bulls]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 2, 1966 |title=The Chicago Bulls Need Coachers |work=The South Bend Tribune (South Bend, Indiana) |pages=23}}</ref>

=== Chicago Bulls ===

Boozer flourished in his first year with Chicago, under coach [[Johnny Kerr|Johnny "Red" Kerr]], averaging 18.0 points and 8.5 rebounds. He led the young franchise into the playoffs, along with two all-star guards, future Hall of fame player [[Guy Rodgers]] and Hall of fame coach [[Jerry Sloan]]. The team was only 33–48, but that was good enough to qualify for the 1967 playoffs.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1966-67 Chicago Bulls Roster and Stats |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHI/1967.html |access-date=2025-06-09 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=1966-67 NBA Standings |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_1967_standings.html |access-date=2025-06-09 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: Guy Rodgers |url=https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/guy-rodgers/ |access-date=2025-06-09 |website=www.hoophall.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: Jerry Sloan |url=https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/jerry-sloan/ |access-date=2025-06-09 |website=www.hoophall.com |language=en}}</ref> Although swept by the [[Atlanta Hawks|St. Louis Hawks]] in the playoffs (3–0), Boozer averaged team highs in points (19.7) and rebounds (11.7) per game.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1967 NBA Western Division Semifinals - Bulls vs. Hawks |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/1967-nba-western-division-semifinals-bulls-vs-hawks.html |access-date=2025-06-09 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref>

The following year, he averaged 21.5 points and 9.8 rebounds and became the third Bull to appear in the [[1968 NBA All-Star Game|NBA All-Star Game]] (after Guy Rodgers and Jerry Sloan).<ref>{{Cite web |title=1967-68 Chicago Bulls Roster and Stats |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHI/1968.html |access-date=2025-06-09 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=1968 NBA All-Star Game Box Score |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/allstar/NBA_1968.html |access-date=2025-06-09 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> Although the Bulls had a 29–53 record they again made the playoffs, losing in five games to the Lakers, Boozer averaging 18.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1968 NBA Western Division Semifinals - Bulls vs. Lakers |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/1968-nba-western-division-semifinals-bulls-vs-lakers.html |access-date=2025-06-09 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> During the 1968–1969 season, Boozer averaged a career-high 21.7 points per game, but the Bulls failed to make the playoffs.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=1968-69 Chicago Bulls Roster and Stats |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHI/1969.html |access-date=2025-06-09 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> In September of 1969, Boozer was traded along with [[Barry Clemens]] to the [[Seattle SuperSonics]] for [[Bob Kauffman]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 7, 1969 |title=Bulls Trade Vets To Supersonics |work=Richmond Times-Dispatch |pages=85}}</ref> In three years with the Bulls, Boozer averaged 20.4 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, his best all around performance on any of his teams.<ref name=":2" />

=== Seattle SuperSonics and Milwaukee Bucks ===

In 1969-70, Boozer started at power forward for Seattle, playing in all 82 games, and averaging 15.2 points and 8.7 rebounds per game.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1969-70 Seattle SuperSonics Roster and Stats |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/SEA/1970.html |access-date=2025-06-09 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> After a season with the SuperSonics, Boozer was traded in September 1970 to the Bucks with [[Lucius Allen]] for [[Zaid Abdul-Aziz|Zaid Abdul-Aziz (Don Smith)]].<ref name=":2" /> Boozer played a key role as a reserve as the Bucks won their first NBA championship, in Boozer's final NBA season (1970-71).<ref>{{Cite web |title=1971 NBA Finals - Bullets vs. Bucks |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/1971-nba-finals-bullets-vs-bucks.html |access-date=2025-06-09 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> Boozer averaged 22.2 minutes, 9.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.<ref name=":2" />  He was the 6th leading scorer and 5th leading rebounder on a team that included his Olympic and Cincinnati teammate Oscar Robertson, and future Hall of fame center [[Kareem Abdul-Jabbar|Kareem Abdul Jabbar]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks Roster and Stats |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MIL/1971.html |access-date=2025-06-09 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref>

== Honors ==
Boozer was inducted to the inaugural Kansas State Athletics Hall of Fame class of 1990, and his Kansas State No. 30 jersey was retired in 2005. He received the most votes of any player for Kansas State's team of the century. Boozer was inducted into the [[National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame]] in 2016. He was also selected to the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=Bob Boozer – Omaha Tech – Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame |url=https://nebhalloffame.org/bob-boozer-omaha-tech/ |access-date=2025-06-09 |language=en-US}}</ref>

==NBA career statistics==
{{NBA player statistics legend|champion=y}}

===Regular season===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;"
|-
! Year !! Team !! GP !! MPG !! FG% !! FT% !! RPG !! APG !! PPG
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1960–61 NBA season|1960–61]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1960–61 Cincinnati Royals season|Cincinnati]]
| 79 || 19.9 || .415 || .672 || 6.2 || 1.4 || 8.4
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1961–62 NBA season|1961–62]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1961–62 Cincinnati Royals season|Cincinnati]]
| 79 || 31.5 || .438 || .707 || 10.2 || 1.6 || 13.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1962–63 NBA season|1962–63]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1962–63 Cincinnati Royals season|Cincinnati]]
| 79 || 31.5 || .444 || .714 || '''11.1''' || 1.3 || 14.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"|{{nbay|1963}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1963–64 Cincinnati Royals season|Cincinnati]]
| 32 || 22.7 || .416 || .622 || 5.6 || 1.0 || 11.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1963–64 New York Knicks season|New York]]
| 49 || 33.7 || .432 || .770 || 7.6 || 1.3 || 17.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1964–65 NBA season|1964–65]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1964–65 New York Knicks season|New York]]
| 80 || 26.7 || .440 || .779 || 7.6 || 1.4 || 14.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1965–66 NBA season|1965–66]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1965–66 Los Angeles Lakers season|L.A. Lakers]]
| 78 || 23.7 || .484 || .779 || 7.0 || 1.1 || 12.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1966–67 NBA season|1966–67]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1966–67 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago]]
| 80 || 30.6 || .487 || .781 || 8.5 || 1.1 || 18.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1967–68 NBA season|1967–68]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1967–68 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago]]
| 77 || '''38.8''' || '''.492''' || .768 || 9.8 || 1.6 || 21.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1968–69 NBA season|1968–69]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1968–69 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago]]
| 79 || 36.4 || .481 || .806 || 7.8 || '''2.0''' || '''21.7'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1969–70 NBA season|1969–70]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1969–70 Seattle SuperSonics season|Seattle]]
| '''82''' || 31.1 || .491 || '''.822''' || 8.7 || 1.3 || 15.2
|-
|style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"|[[1970–71 NBA season|1970–71]]†
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1970–71 Milwaukee Bucks season|Milwaukee]]
| 80 || 22.2 || .450 || .818 || 5.4 || 1.6 || 9.1
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career
| 874 || 29.2 || .462 || .761 || 8.1 || 1.4 || 14.8
|}

===Playoffs===
{|class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;"
|-
!Year
!Team
!GP
!MPG
!FG%
!FT%
!RPG
!APG
!PPG
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|[[1962 NBA Playoffs|1962]]
|style="text-align:left;"|[[1961–62 Cincinnati Royals season|Cincinnati]]
|4||35.8||.561||.750||10.5||0.8||18.3
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|[[1963 NBA Playoffs|1963]]
|style="text-align:left;"|[[1962–63 Cincinnati Royals season|Cincinnati]]
|12||31.8||.413||.714||8.0||1.5||13.3
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|[[1966 NBA Playoffs|1966]]
|style="text-align:left;"|[[1965–66 Los Angeles Lakers season|L.A. Lakers]]
|10||18.1||.400||.750||5.0||0.7||6.7
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|[[1967 NBA Playoffs|1967]]
|style="text-align:left;"|[[1966–67 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago]]
|3||35.0||'''.632'''||'''.786'''||'''11.7'''||0.3||'''19.7'''
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|[[1968 NBA Playoffs|1968]]
|style="text-align:left;"|[[1967–68 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago]]
|5||'''38.0'''||.452||.737||8.8||'''2.4'''||18.8
|-
|style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"|[[1971 NBA Playoffs|1971]]
|style="text-align:left;"|[[1970–71 Milwaukee Bucks season|Milwaukee]]†
|'''14'''||20.2||.482||.759||5.3||1.2||7.4
|-class="sortbottom"
|style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" |Career
|48||26.7||.467||.739||7.1||1.2||11.6
|}

He ended his career with 12,964 total points and 7,119 total rebounds.<ref name=":2" />

==Post-basketball life==
Boozer returned to Omaha after his career ended, and worked as an executive for Bell Systems (Northwestern Bell) for 27 years; including ten years as a federal lobbyist.<ref name=crowe/><ref name=":4" /> He was later appointed to the Nebraska Parole Board and volunteered at [[Boys Town (organization)|Boys Town]], the home for troubled youth.<ref name=wapost/>

Bob Boozer Drive is a street named in his honor in his native Omaha.<ref name=":4" />

== Death ==
Boozer died due to a [[brain aneurysm]] in [[Omaha, Nebraska]] on May 19, 2012.<ref name=wapost>{{citation |title=Ex-NBA great Bob Boozer dies at age 75; helped lead star-studded 1960 US Olympic team to gold | newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=May 20, 2012 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/wizards/ex-nba-great-bob-boozer-dies-at-age-75-helped-lead-star-studded-1960-us-olympic-team-to-gold/2012/05/20/gIQAPlZbdU_story.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120520202759/http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/wizards/ex-nba-great-bob-boozer-dies-at-age-75-helped-lead-star-studded-1960-us-olympic-team-to-gold/2012/05/20/gIQAPlZbdU_story.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 20, 2012}}</ref>  He was 75. He had been married to his wife Ella for 46 years at the time of his death.<ref name=":3" /> After Boozer's death, Oscar Robertson said "'We grew up together. ... We were almost like brothers.'"<ref>{{Cite news |title=Bob Boozer: 1937-2012 |work=Omaha World-Herald |pages=2}}</ref>

==References==
*Sachare, Alex. ''The Chicago Bulls Encyclopedia''. Chicago: Contemporary Books, 1999.
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Basketballstats|nba_historical=bob_boozer|bbr=b/boozebo01}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Boozer, Bob}}
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