View source for Clyde Lovellette

{{Short description|American basketball player (1929–2016)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name = Clyde Lovellette
| image = Clyde Lovellette 1956 (1).jpeg
| caption = Lovellette with his mother Myrtle in 1956
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 9
| weight_lbs = 234
| birth_date = {{birth date|1929|9|7}}
| birth_place = [[Petersburg, Indiana]], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2016|03|09|1929|09|07}}
| death_place = [[North Manchester, Indiana]], U.S.
| high_school = Garfield ([[Terre Haute, Indiana]])
| college = [[Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball|Kansas]] (1949–1952)
| draft_year = 1952
| draft_round = 1
| draft_pick = 9
| draft_team = [[Minneapolis Lakers]]
| career_start = 1951
| career_end = 1964
| career_number = 4, 34, 89
| career_position = [[Center (basketball)|Center]]
| years1 = 1951–1953
| team1 = [[Phillips 66ers]]
| years2 = {{nbay|1953|start}}–{{nbay|1956|end}}
| team2 = [[Minneapolis Lakers]]
| years3 = {{nbay|1957|full=y}}
| team3 = [[Cincinnati Royals]]
| years4 = {{nbay|1958|start}}–{{nbay|1961|end}}
| team4 = [[St. Louis Hawks]]
| years5 = {{nbay|1962|start}}–{{nbay|1963|end}}
| team5 = [[Boston Celtics]]
| cyears1 = 
| cteam1 = 
| highlights = * 3× [[NBA champion]] ([[1954 NBA Finals|1954]], [[1963 NBA Finals|1963]], [[1964 NBA Finals|1964]])
* 4× [[NBA All-Star]] ({{nasg|1956}}, {{nasg|1957}}, {{nasg|1960}}, {{nasg|1961}})
* [[All-NBA Second Team]] ({{nbay|1955|end}})
* No. 34 [[Los Angeles Lakers#Retired numbers|honored by Los Angeles Lakers]]
* [[List of NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Champions|NCAA champion]] ([[1952 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|1952]])
* [[NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player|NCAA Final Four MOP]] (1952)
* [[Helms Foundation College Basketball Player of the Year|Helms Foundation Player of the Year]] ([[1951–52 NCAA men's basketball season|1952]])
* 2× Consensus first-team [[NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|All-American]] ([[1951 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|1951]], [[1952 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|1952]])
* Third-team All-American – [[Associated Press|AP]] ([[1950 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|1950]])
* [[List of NCAA Division I men's basketball season scoring leaders|NCAA scoring champion]] (1952)
* No. 16 jersey [[Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball#Retired jerseys|retired by Kansas Jayhawks]]
| stats_league = NBA
| stat1label = [[Point (basketball)|Points]]
| stat1value = 11,947 (17.0 ppg)
| stat2label = [[Rebound (basketball)|Rebounds]]
| stat2value = 6,663 (9.5 rpg)
| stat3label = [[Assist (basketball)|Assists]]
| stat3value = 1,165 (1.6 apg)
| bbr = lovelcl01
| HOF_player = clyde-lovellette
| medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Men's basketball}}
{{MedalCountry | the {{flagicon|USA}} [[United States men's national basketball team|United States]] }}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Olympic Games]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[1952 Summer Olympics|1952 Helsinki]] | [[Basketball at the 1952 Summer Olympics|Team Competition]]}}
}}

'''Clyde Edward Lovellette''' ({{IPAc-en|l|oʊ|ˈ|v|ɛ|l|ɛ|t}} {{respell|loh|VEL|et}};<ref name=nytimesobit>{{citation |last1=Litsky |first1=Frank |last2=McDonald |first2=William |title=Clyde Lovellette, Hall of Famer Who Brought Size and Skill to Basketball, Dies at 86 | newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=March 10, 2016 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/11/sports/basketball/clyde-lovellette-86-one-of-the-early-big-men-of-basketball-is-dead.html?_r=0}}</ref> September 7, 1929 – March 9, 2016) was an American professional [[basketball]] player. Lovellette was inducted into the [[Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame]] in 1988. He was the first basketball player in history to achieve the [[Triple Crown (American basketball)|Triple Crown]] – playing on an [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] championship team, Olympics gold medal basketball team, and [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] championship squad.

== Early life ==
Lovellette was born on September 7, 1929, in [[Petersburg, Indiana]], moving to [[Terre Haute, Indiana|Terre Haute]] as a child.<ref name="nytimesobit" /> He attended [[Terre Haute North Vigo High School|Garfield High School]] in Terre Haute, where he was a two-time All-State performer on the school's basketball team.<ref name="Cardinal Publishers Group-2016">{{Cite web |last= |date=2016-03-11 |title=A Tribute to Basketball Great Clyde Lovellette |url=https://cardinalpub.com/a-tribute-to-basketball-great-clyde-lovellette/ |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=Cardinal Publishers Group |language=en-US}}</ref> As a high school junior (1946–47), Lovellette's previously undefeated Garfield team, which had won 31 straight games, lost in the Indiana state championship finals to a [[Shelbyville, Indiana|Shelbyville]] team led by [[Bill Garrett (basketball)|Bill Garrett]] (though Lovellette was high scorer with 25 points in the championship game).<ref>{{Cite news |last=Burgess |first=Dale |date=March 23, 1947 |title=Shelbyville's Golden Bears Win State; Top Garfield of Terre Haute, 68–58 |work=Palladium Item (Richmond, Indiana) |pages=10}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Burgess |first=Dale |date=March 23, 1947 |title=Terre Haute Garfield And Shelbyville Win Afternoon Contests In State Net Tourney |work=Palladium-Item (Richmond, Indiana) |pages=10}}</ref><ref name="hoopshall.com">{{Cite web |title=Clyde Lovellette, Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame |url=https://hoopshall.com/inductees/clyde-lovellette/ |access-date=2025-07-02 |website=hoopshall.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Lovelette was selected All-State center that year.<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 23, 1947 |title=All-State Net Team |work=Palladium-Item (Richmond, Indiana) |pages=10}}</ref> He was selected to the 1948 Indiana all-star team to play against a team of Kentucky high school all-stars.<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 13, 1948 |title=Indiana All-Stars Start Preparations For Kentuckians With Double Drills |work=The Indianapolis Star |pages=41}}</ref>

== College ==
Lovellette originally committed to play basketball at [[Indiana Hoosiers|Indiana University]], but [[Kansas Jayhawks|University of Kansas]] and future [[Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame]] head coach [[Phog Allen|Forrest "Phog" Allen]] persisted in recruiting Lovellette, even traveling to his home in Terre Haute. After visiting Kansas's campus Lovellette was convinced to attend college there and play basketball under Allen.<ref name="George-2017">{{Cite web |last=George |first=Mitch |date=2017-02-22 |title=Clyde Lovellette dominated on the collegiate, professional and Olympic stages |url=https://www.kansan.com/sports/retired_jerseys/clyde-lovellette-dominated-on-the-collegiate-professional-and-olympic-stages/article_ab0cce64-f627-11e6-83ae-bbd98120fd6a.html |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=The University Daily Kansan |language=en}}</ref><ref name="hoophall.com-2">{{Cite web |title=The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: Phog Allen |url=https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/phog-allen/ |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=www.hoophall.com |language=en}}</ref> At Kansas, he became a member of the [[Sigma Chi]] fraternity.{{citation needed|date=July 2025}} He obtained his bachelor's degree in 1952.<ref name="nytimesobit" />

During his three years on the varsity (1949–1952), Lovellette averaged 21.8 points per game as a sophomore, 22.8 points per game as a junior, and 24.8 points per game as a senior. He averaged 7.7, 9.9 and 12.8 rebounds per game over those years, respectively.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Clyde Lovellette College Stats |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/clyde-lovellette-1.html |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> As a sophomore in 1949–50, he led the [[Big Eight Conference|Big Seven]] conference in scoring and was named to All-Big Seven first team.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1949-50 Men's Big Seven Conference Season Summary |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/big-7/men/1950.html |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> He achieved the same heights as a junior in 1950–51 and senior in 1951–52.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1950-51 Men's Big Seven Conference Season Summary |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/big-7/men/1951.html |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=1951-52 Men's Big Seven Conference Season Summary |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/big-7/men/1952.html |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref>

Lovellette led all [[United States]] men's college basketball players in scoring his senior year (1951–52) with 28.4 points per game<ref>{{Cite web |title=1951-52 Men's College Basketball Leaders |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/seasons/men/1952-leaders.html |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> and was named the [[Helms Foundation Player of the Year|Helms College Player of the Year]].<ref name="George-2017" /><ref name="Kansas Sports HOF">{{Cite web |title=Clyde Lovellette |url=https://www.kshof.org/team/clyde-lovellette |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=Kansas Sports HOF |language=en}}</ref> He was a two-time first-team consensus [[All-America]]n in his junior and senior years.<ref name="nytimesobit" /><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=2025-07-03 |website=College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> Future [[Major League Baseball|major league baseball]] All-Star and most valuable player [[Dick Groat]] of [[Duke Blue Devils|Duke]] was also selected a first team NCAA All-American basketball player both of those years, along with Lovellette.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Meier |first=Ted |date=March 6, 1952 |title=Groat, Lovellette Top All-America Voting |work=Arizona Daily Star (Tucson, Arizona) |pages=21}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Dick Groat Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/groatdi01.shtml |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref>

Lovelette led the [[1951–52 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team|1951-52 Jayhawks]] to the [[1952 NCAA basketball tournament|1952 NCAA title]], capturing Most Valuable Player honors.<ref name="nytimesobit" /><ref name="George-2017" /> He scored a then-NCAA ([[National Collegiate Athletic Association]])-record 141 points in the tournament (35.2 points per game), at a time when the tournament championship team played in four games. He also became the first player to score 40 or more points in an [[NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament upsets|NCAA tournament]] game when he scored 44 against [[Saint Louis Billikens men's basketball|Saint Louis]] in a West Region final game on March 22, 1952 (breaking the old record of 31 points set in 1941).<ref name="George-2017" /><ref name="The Kansas City Star-1952a">{{Cite news |date=March 27, 1952 |title=N.C.A.A. Tourney Records and All-Stars. All-Tournament Team. |work=The Kansas City Star |pages=18}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Saint Louis vs. Kansas Box Score (Men), March 22, 1952 |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/boxscores/1952-03-22-kansas.html |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> In the championship game against [[St. John's Red Storm|St. John's]], Lovellette had 33 points and 17 rebounds in Kansas's 80–63 victory, Kansas's, and Allen's, first NCAA championship.<ref name="George-2017" /><ref name="The Kansas City Star-1952b">{{Cite news |date=March 27, 1952 |title=K. U. Power Covered Up Mistakes. |work=The Kansas City Star |pages=18}}</ref> He also was named to the All-Tournament Team.<ref name="The Kansas City Star-1952a" /> St. John's coach [[Frank McGuire]] said "'We lost to a great club and Lovellette is a great man".<ref name="The Kansas City Star-1952b" />

Lovellette's three-year 1,888 total points set a major college record (passing Dick Groat's 1,886).<ref name="Blackwell Journal-Tribune (Blackwell, Oklahoma)-1952">{{Cite news |date=March 27, 1952 |title=Jays Win NCAA Title |work=Blackwell Journal-Tribune (Blackwell, Oklahoma) |pages=13}}</ref>

Lovellette and basketball legend [[Dean Smith]] were teammates at Kansas.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Newell |first=Jesse |title=Teammates: Dean Smith's KU career also included coaching |url=https://www.cjonline.com/story/sports/college/2015/02/08/stub-872/16639901007/ |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=The Topeka Capital-Journal |language=en-US}}</ref> He is the only college player to lead the nation in scoring and win the NCAA title in the same year.<ref name="George-2017" /><ref name="hoophall.com" /> When Lovellette finished his college career in 1952, Allen, a seminal figure in basketball history who had played under the game's inventor [[James Naismith]], considered Lovellette the greatest player in basketball history.<ref name="hoophall.com-2" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=April 2, 1952 |title=Lovellette Greatest Of All, Coach Says |work=The Buffalo News (Associated Press) |pages=9}}</ref>

== Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) ==
Lovelette played in the 1951–52{{additional citation needed|date=July 2025}} and 1952–53 seasons for the [[Bartlesville Phillips 66ers]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=NIBL-Clyde Lovellette |url=https://www.nasljerseys.com/EBA/Players/L/Lovelette.Clyde.htm}}</ref> The 66ers were an [[Amateur Athletic Union]] team in the [[National Industrial Basketball League]] (NIBL). They won the 1952-53 league championship with a 50–5 record. Lovellette scored 944 points and was on the NIBL All–Star Team.<ref name="hoopshall.com" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=December 9, 1952 |title=Big Clyde Lovellette On Scoring Spree |work=The Norman Transcript (Norman, Oklahoma) |pages=7}}</ref> He was the first player to win NCAA, Olympic, AAU and NBA championships.<ref name="hoophall.com" /> Even though Lovellette committed to play for the 66ers before the 1952 Olympics began, he was able to play in the Olympics because it was an amateur team.<ref name="nytimesobit" />

In April 1952, the NBA's [[Atlanta Hawks|Milwaukee Hawks]] (now the Atlanta Hawks) had offered Lovellette a three-year contract to play professional basketball, which he turned down to play for the 66ers, operated by the [[Phillips Petroleum Company]]. The Hawks' coach claimed the 66ers had paid Lovellette's way through Kansas, and questioned Lovellette's being allowed to play in the Olympics. The 66ers responded that the claim was ridiculous, and Lovellette did play in the Olympics.<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 25, 1952 |title=Clyde Lovellette Squabble Goes On |work=Woodward Daily Press (Woodward, Oklahoma) |pages=5}}</ref> Phog Allen stated that he had been approached by professional teams with offers of payment to convince Lovellette to join professional basketball. However, Allen turned his efforts to convincing Lovellette to choose the 66ers, which would offer greater job security in the long run with a job at Phillips Petroleum once he stopped playing basketball.<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 29, 1952 |title='Phog' Predicts Midwest School Next in Scandal |work=Blackwell Journal Tribune (Blackwell, Oklahoma) |pages=5}}</ref>

== 1952 Olympics ==
Lovellette participated as a member of his Kansas team in the Olympic Basketball Tournament that would provide players to the men's U.S. Olympic basketball team for the [[Basketball at the 1952 Summer Olympics|1952 Summer Olympics]] in [[Helsinki, Finland]]. The Olympic team was mostly chosen from the NCAA and AAU champion teams, as opposed to a more selective player by player process from every college and AAU team. Other college teams in the tournament included [[Southwest Missouri State|Southwest Missouri]] (the [[NAIA men's basketball championship|NAIA]] tournament winner), St. John's and [[La Salle University|LaSalle]] (the [[National Invitation Tournament|NIT]] winner). The AAU champion [[Caterpillar Diesels|Peoria Caterpillars]] and Phillips were also included. Peoria defeated Kansas 62–60 in the tournament championship game when Lovellette missed a layup. The 14 players selected to the 1952 team (seven AAU and seven college players) included five from Peoria, seven from Kansas (including Lovellette) and two from the Phillips team.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Falls |first=Joe |date=April 2, 1952 |title=Peoria Caterpillars Edge Kansas, 62–60 in Olympic Finals |work=The Leavenworth Times (Leavenworth, Kansas) |pages=8}}</ref><ref name="Blackwell Journal-Tribune (Blackwell, Oklahoma)-1952" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Hartman |first=Sid |date=March 13, 1956 |title=Better U.S. Cage Play Predicted |work=Star-Tribune (Minneapolis, Minnesota) |pages=18}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=April 1, 1952 |title=K. U., Peoria In Olympic Cage Finals |work=The Decatur Daily Review (Decatur, Illinois) |pages=10}}</ref>

The Olympic team was coached by the Caterpillar's [[Warren Womble]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=July 22, 1992 |title=U.S. Olympic Teams – 1936–1988 |work=The Palm Beach Post |pages=58}}</ref> Lovellette starred on the [[gold medal]] winning team, and was the team's dominating player and leading scorer.<ref name="SportsRef">{{cite Sports-Reference|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/lo/clyde-lovellette-1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418061137/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/lo/clyde-lovellette-1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 18, 2020|title=Clyde Lovellette Olympic Results|access-date=June 15, 2018}}</ref><ref name="nytimesobit" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=1952 Stats - United States |url=https://www.basketball-reference.cominternational/teams/united-states/1952.html |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en }}{{Dead link|date=October 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref> In the gold medal game, after having lost once to the U.S. 86–58, the Soviet Union team used a slowed down ball control approach to compete against the U.S. team, which resulted in a low scoring 36–25 victory for the United States. The game was in question until the last three minutes when Lovellette and Phillips 66er [[Bob Kurland]] led the American team to the win; Lovellette ending with a game-high nine points.<ref name="SportsRef" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=August 3, 1952 |title=U.S. Wins Olympics on Final Surge |work=Detroit Free Press |pages=34}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=August 2, 1952 |title=Yank Cagers Cop Title, Despite Red Freeze, 36–25 |work=Redwood City Tribune (Redwood City, California) |pages=6}}</ref> Kurland retired from the Phillips 66ers after the 1952 Olympics (his second Olympics), and Lovellette succeeded him at center.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Riddington |first=Al |date=November 25, 1952 |title=Phillips Appearance Here In Dec. Will Be 7th Of 55 Games |work=Beatrice Daily Sun (Beatrice, Nebraska) |pages=3}}</ref>

==Professional basketball career==
[[File:Clyde Lovellette 1961.jpg|thumb|left|Lovellette in 1961]]

In the [[1952 NBA draft]], Lovelette was picked ninth<ref name="George-2017" /> or tenth overall as the first-round pick of the [[Minneapolis Lakers]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=1952 NBA Draft |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_1952.html |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> In his career, the 6&nbsp;ft, 9&nbsp;in (2.06 m) Lovellette fostered the trend of tall, physical, high-scoring centers, who had a higher degree of athleticism than their predecessors. At the professional level, Lovellette became one of the first big men to move outside and utilize the one-handed set shot that extended his shooting range and offensive repertoire. This tactic enabled him to play either the small forward, power forward or center positions, forcing the opposition's big man to play out of position.<ref name="hoophall.com">{{Cite web |title=The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: Clyde Lovellette |url=https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/clyde-lovellette/ |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=www.hoophall.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name="nytimesobit" />

=== Minneapolis Lakers ===
Though drafted in 1952, Lovellette did not begin playing in the NBA until the 1953–54 season. He joined the Lakers, who had been NBA champions the previous two seasons. Lovellette initially had no interest in playing for an NBA team. It took Lakers' general manager [[Max Winter]] three months of dogged pursuit to convince Lovellette and his wife for Lovellette to sign with the Lakers (which also involved the Hawks giving up draft rights to Lovellette). Playing under future Hall of Fame head coach [[John Kundla]], the Lakers already included future Hall of Fame players [[George Mikan]], [[Vern Mikkelsen|Vern Mikkelson]], [[Slater Martin]] and [[Jim Pollard]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 29, 1953 |title=Minneapolis Lakers Seek Third Straight NBA Crown |work=Staten Island Advance |pages=35}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Johnson |first=Charley |date=October 8, 1953 |title=Lowdown on Sports |work=The Minneapolis Star |pages=49}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: George Mikan |url=https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/george-mikan/ |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=www.hoophall.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: Vern Mikkelsen |url=https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/vern-mikkelsen/ |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=www.hoophall.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: Slater Martin |url=https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/slater-martin/ |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=www.hoophall.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: John Kundla |url=https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/john-kundla/ |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=www.hoophall.com |language=en}}</ref>

The 1953-54 Lakers won their third consecutive NBA title.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Los Angeles Lakers Historical Statistics and All-Time Top Leaders |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAL/ |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> Lovelette was a reserve, backing up Mikan at center.<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 19, 1954 |title=Johnston Still Leads |work=The News-Herald (Franklin, Pennsylvania) |pages=7}}</ref> [[New York Knicks]] coach [[Joe Lapchick]] was concerned that if the Lakers played Mikan and Lovellette at the same time, their dominance would turn NBA basketball into a farce.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Talbot |first=Gayle |date=October 31, 1953 |title=Mikan, Lovellette Duo Scares NBA |work=Tucson Daily News |pages=8}}</ref> During the regular season, Lovellette averaged 8.2 points and 5.8 rebounds in 17.4 minutes per game.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1953-54 Minneapolis Lakers Roster and Stats |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MNL/1954.html |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> He averaged 10.4 points per game in the Lakers' seven-game NBA finals victory against the [[History of the Philadelphia 76ers|Syracuse Nationals]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=1954 NBA Finals - Nationals vs. Lakers |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/1954-nba-finals-nationals-vs-lakers.html |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> Mikan suffered knee problems during the year, and retired after winning his final championship (the fifth in six years) with the Lakers; becoming the team's general manager the following season.<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 21, 2010 |title=Los Angeles Lakers NBA Champions |work=The Los Angeles Times |pages=52}}</ref>

Lovellette became the Lakers' starting center in 1954–55. He averaged 18.7 points and 11.5 rebounds per game.<ref name="Basketball-Reference.com">{{Cite web |title=1954-55 Minneapolis Lakers Roster and Stats |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MNL/1955.html |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> The Lakers had a 40–32 regular season record and lost in the [[1955 NBA playoffs|Western Division Finals]] to the [[Detroit Pistons|Fort Wayne Pistons]]. Lovellette led the Lakers in scoring against the Pistons with a 16.3 points per game average.<ref name="Basketball-Reference.com" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=1955 NBA Western Division Finals - Lakers vs. Pistons |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/1955-nba-western-division-finals-lakers-vs-pistons.html |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> The Lakers' record fell to 33–39 the following season, and they lost in the [[1956 NBA playoffs|Western Division Semifinals]] to the St. Louis Hawks.<ref name="Basketball-Reference.com-2">{{Cite web |title=1955-56 Minneapolis Lakers Roster and Stats |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MNL/1956.html |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> Lovellette averaged 21.5 points and 14 rebounds per game, and was selected to the Western division all-star team.<ref name="Basketball-Reference.com-2" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=1956 NBA All-Star Game Box Score |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/allstar/NBA_1956.html |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> He was also named second-team All-NBA at center, behind [[Neil Johnston]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=NBA & ABA All-League Teams |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/awards/all_league.html |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref>

In 1956–57, Lovellette had another all-star season, though he did not play in the 1957 all-star game due to injury.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1957 NBA All-Star Game Box Score |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/allstar/NBA_1957.html |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> He averaged 20.8 points and 13.5 rebounds per game during the regular season.<ref name="Basketball-Reference.com-3">{{Cite web |title=1956-57 Minneapolis Lakers Roster and Stats |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MNL/1957.html |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> Lovelette led the 34–38 Lakers to the NBA [[1957 NBA playoffs|Western Division Finals]] by averaging a playoffs career best 24.2 points along with 9.4 rebounds per game.<ref>{{cite web |title=Clyde Lovelette Per Game Playoffs |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/lovelcl01.html#per_game |website=Basketball Reference}}</ref><ref name="Basketball-Reference.com-3" /> Despite performing big, including scoring 33 points and grabbing 9 rebounds in Game 2 of the series,<ref>{{cite web |title=1957 NBA Western Division Finals Game 2 |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/195703240STL.html |website=Basketball Reference}}</ref> Lovelette and the Lakers were eliminated by future Hall of Fame forward [[Bob Pettit]], former teammate Slater Martin and the [[St. Louis Hawks]] three games to none.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1957 NBA Western Division Finals - Lakers vs. Hawks |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/1957-nba-western-division-finals-lakers-vs-hawks.html |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: Bob Pettit |url=https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/bob-pettit/ |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=www.hoophall.com |language=en}}</ref>

=== Cincinnati Royals ===
Less than a week after the 1956-57 NBA season ended with the Celtics winning the championship on April 13, 1957, Lovelette was traded along with [[Jim Paxson Sr.]] to the Cincinnati Royals for the first overall pick in the [[1957 NBA draft]] and four players ([[Monk Meineke]], [[Art Spoelstra]], [[Bob Burrow]] and [[Ed Fleming]]). The Lakers used that first pick to draft [[Hot Rod Hundley]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 18, 1957 |title=Lovellette, Mate Traded to Royals |work=Tulsa Daily World (Associated Press) |pages=48}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=ROYALS, IN TRADE, SEND 5 TO LAKERS; Minneapolis Gives Lovelette and Gets Hundley |work=The New York Times |date=April 18, 1957 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1957/04/18/archives/royals-in-trade-send-5-to-lakers-minneapolis-gives-lovelette-and.html }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=1957 NBA Draft |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_1957.html |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref>

Lovellette led the 1957–58 Royals in scoring with 23.4 points per game average, and was second on the team with 12.1 rebounds per game (behind [[Maurice Stokes]]'s 18.1 rebounds per game).<ref>{{Cite web |title=1957-58 Cincinnati Royals Roster and Stats |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CIN/1958.html |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> Though not selected to the All-Star team, he was 12th in NBA most valuable player voting.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1957-58 NBA Awards Voting |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/awards/awards_1958.html |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> The Royals lost to the Pistons in the [[1958 NBA playoffs|Western Division Semifinals]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=1958 NBA Western Division Semifinals - Royals vs. Pistons |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/1958-nba-western-division-semifinals-royals-vs-pistons.html |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> Tragically, Stokes suffered a head injury during the regular season's final game against the Lakers, that a few days later led to his collapse and paralysis from encephalitis after the first playoff game against the Pistons. He never recovered, and died 12 years later at the age of 36.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1970-04-07 |title=Maurice Stokes Dies at 36 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/04/07/archives/maurice-stokes-dies-at-36.html |access-date=2025-07-03 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=June 17, 1958 |title=Unhappy Birthday For Maurice Stokes |work=The Republican (Springfield, Massachusetts) |pages=33}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Furlong |first=Bill |date=December 24, 1961 |title=Friends To Greet Stokes At Christmas Party Monday |work=The Forum (Fargo, North Dakota) |pages=D1}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=August 24, 1958 |title=Pro Cage Star Maurice Stokes Now Improving |work=The Morning Union (Springfield, Massachusetts) |pages=23}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Carter |first=Bob |title=ESPN Classic - Stokes' life a tale of tragedy and friendship |url=https://www.espn.com/classic/biography/s/stokes_maurice.html |access-date=2025-06-23 |website=www.espn.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=1957-58 Cincinnati Royals Schedule |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CIN/1958_games.html |access-date=2025-06-23 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref>

The Royals and Lovellette were also at an impasse over Lovellette's salary demands for the upcoming season. Lovellette wanted a sizable pay increase and the Royals were unwilling to meet his demands. Without two-thirds of their 1957–58 front-line going into the 1958–59 season, the Royals traded Lovellette to the St. Louis Hawks for recently drafted center and future all-star and Hall of Famer [[Wayne Embry]] and four other rookies (Gerry Calvert, [[Darrell Floyd]], [[Jim Palmer (basketball)|Jim Palmer]] and Ken Sidle).<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 6, 1958 |title=Hawks' Floyd Goes To Royals |work=The Herald-Sun (Durham, North Carolina) |pages=16}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=September 16, 1958 |title=St. Louis Hawks Acquire Lovellette |work=Hays Daily News (Hays, Kansas) |pages=7}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=September 17, 1958 |title=Clyde Lovelette Traded By Royals To St. Louis Hawks |work=The Cumberland News (Cumberland, Maryland) |pages=19}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: Wayne Embry |url=https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/wayne-embry/ |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=www.hoophall.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=September 17, 2021 |title=Sacramento Kings: Best trade in team history with every NBA franchise |url=https://aroyalpain.com/2021/09/17/sacramento-kings-best-trade-team-history-every-nba-franchise/8/ |website=Fansided}}</ref>

=== St. Louis Hawks ===
Before the 1958–59 season started, Hawks owner [[Ben Kerner]] informed Lovellette that he would play as a reserve on the talented Hawks team. Despite trading five players to obtain Lovellette, Kerner said Lovellette was "'no bed of roses'" and the team had plenty of talented players even without Lovellette. Kerner consulted with Slater Martin and coach [[Andy Phillip]] who both encouraged Kerner to trade for Lovellette.<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 17, 1958 |title=Lovellette Traded to St. Louis Hawks |work=St. Joseph Gazette (St. Joseph, Missouri) |pages=7}}</ref> The 1958–59 Hawks included Bob Pettit and Martin, as well as another future Hall of Fame forward, [[Cliff Hagan]].<ref name="Basketball-Reference.com-4">{{Cite web |title=1958-59 St. Louis Hawks Roster and Stats |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/STL/1959.html |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: Cliff Hagan |url=https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/cliff-hagan/ |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=www.hoophall.com |language=en}}</ref> During his first season with the Hawks, Lovellette averaged 14.4 points and 8.6 rebounds in less than 23 minutes per game.<ref name="Basketball-Reference.com-4" /> In the six game [[1959 NBA playoffs|Western Division Finals]] loss to the Lakers, Lovellette averaged 15.3 points per game, third best on the Hawks.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1959 NBA Western Division Finals - Lakers vs. Hawks |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/1959-nba-western-division-finals-lakers-vs-hawks.html |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref>

By the next season, Lovellette was the Hawks' starting center, though still playing less than 30 minutes per game. He averaged 20.8 points and 10.6 rebounds per game, and was selected as an all-star for the third time in his career.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1959-60 St. Louis Hawks Roster and Stats |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/STL/1960.html |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> The Hawks reached the [[1960 NBA Finals|NBA finals]], losing to the [[Boston Celtics]] in seven games. Lovellette averaged 16.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game in the championship series.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1960 NBA Finals - Hawks vs. Celtics |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/1960-nba-finals-hawks-vs-celtics.html |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> Lovellette had played a key offensive role against Hall of Fame defensive great [[Bill Russell]] in the Hawks winning Game 6 against the Celtics.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Valkenburg |first=Jim |date=April 8, 1960 |title=St. Louis Wins, 105–102; Almost Blows 26 Point Lead |work=Danville Register and Bee (Danville, Virginia) |pages=8}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: Bill Russell |url=https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/bill-russell/ |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=www.hoophall.com |language=en}}</ref>

He had another excellent year for the Hawks in 1960–61, finishing 13th in most valuable player voting.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1960-61 NBA Awards Voting |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/awards/awards_1961.html |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> He was named starting center on the all-star team (his fourth and last all-star appearance), and had 21 points and 10 rebounds in 31 minutes played in the [[1961 NBA All-Star Game|1961 All-Star Game]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=1961 NBA All-Star Game Box Score |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/allstar/NBA_1961.html |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> During the regular season, he averaged his Hawks career highs in minutes played per game (31.5), points per game (22), assists per game (2.6); to go along with a 10.1 rebound per game average.<ref name="Basketball-Reference.com-5">{{Cite web |title=Clyde Lovellette Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/lovelcl01.html |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> The Hawks finished the 1960–61 season with a Western Division best record of 51–28.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1960-61 NBA Standings |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_1961_standings.html |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref>

After defeating the now Los Angeles Lakers in the [[1961 NBA playoffs|1961 Western Division Finals]], four games to three, the Hawks lost again to the Celtics in the NBA finals, four games to one.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1961 NBA Western Division Finals - Lakers vs. Hawks |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/1961-nba-western-division-finals-lakers-vs-hawks.html |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=1961 NBA Finals - Hawks vs. Celtics |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/1961-nba-finals-hawks-vs-celtics.html |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> Lovellette suffered a back injury during the Lakers series, and did not play against the Celtics until Game 3 of the finals, where he scored 16 points in 20 minutes to lead the Hawks to their only victory.<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 4, 1961 |title=Celts Face Key Clash With Hawks |work=Kennebec Journal (Augusta, Maine) |pages=2}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Archibald |first=John J. |date=April 9, 1961 |title=Lovellette Returns, Give Lift With 16; Free Throws Decisive |work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |pages=33}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=April 9, 1961 |title=Seymour Praises Role of Al Ferrari |work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |pages=33}}</ref> Lovelette only played 18 minutes in Game 4 (with 11 points),<ref>{{Cite web |title=1961 NBA Finals Game 4: Celtics vs Hawks, April 9, 1961 |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/196104090STL.html |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> and 25 minutes in Game 5 (with 15 points).<ref>{{Cite web |title=1961 NBA Finals Game 5: Hawks vs Celtics, April 11, 1961 |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/196104110BOS.html |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref>

In 1961–62, his final Hawks season, Lovellette averaged nearly 30 minutes, 21 points and nine rebounds per game; but the Hawks were 29–51 and did not make the playoffs.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1961-62 St. Louis Hawks Roster and Stats |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/STL/1962.html |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref>

=== Boston Celtics and Wilt Chamberlain ===
In October 1962, the Hawks traded the 33-year old Lovellette to the Celtics for cash and a 1963 second round draft pick. The Hawks were originally going to waive Lovellette, but Celtics coach [[Red Auerbach]] asked Kerner to hold off so he could seek a trade for Lovellette.<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 16, 1962 |title=Clyde Lovellette Traded To Celtics by St. Louis |work=Chattanooga Daily Times (Associated Press) |pages=14}}</ref> He was Bill Russell's backup at center on the 1962–63 and 1963–64 Celtics' championship teams, averaging 9.3 and 9.7 minutes per game, respectively.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1962-63 Boston Celtics Roster and Stats |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/BOS/1963.html |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=1963-64 Boston Celtics Roster and Stats |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/BOS/1964.html |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> He averaged 11 minutes per game in the 1964 championship series against the [[Golden State Warriors|San Francisco Warriors]] and Hall of Fame center [[Wilt Chamberlain]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=1964 NBA Finals - Warriors vs. Celtics |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/1964-nba-finals-warriors-vs-celtics.html |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: Wilt Chamberlain |url=https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/wilt-chamberlain/ |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=www.hoophall.com |language=en}}</ref>

During the series Chamberlain (a fellow Kansas alumni) had been fouled by Lovellette, the two exchanged words, and Chamberlain punched Lovellette in the mouth hard enough that it brought Lovelette to his knees. Auerbach was furious because he believed Chamberlain should have been ejected automatically for throwing a punch, but was not. Chamberlain said at the time he hit Lovellette he would not have hit Russell, because he liked Russell and did not like Lovellette. Lovellette had developed a reputation as a rough player over the years. Years later, Chamberlain said he did not think he was ejected because Lovellette was widely hated for his rough play.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Keane |first=Clif |date=April 21, 1964 |title=Wilts Admits 'I don't Like Lovellette' |work=The Boston Globe |pages=33}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=April 21, 1964 |title=Lovellette Can't Understand Why Big Wilt Decked Him |work=The Terre Haute Tribune (Associated Press) |pages=8}}</ref><ref name="nytimesobit" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Winderman |first=Ira |date=May 21, 1993 |title=Knicks are throwback to old days |work=South Florida Sun Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale) |pages=27}}</ref>

Lovellette once complained in an interview that Chamberlain, like other super stars, got special treatment from the referees as exemplified by Chamberlain's not being ejected for punching Lovellette. He is quoted as saying "'Wilt Chamberlain once put me down for the count .... I'd been harassing him real good one night, using all the illegal stuff I knew, when he suddenly turned and punched me in the mouth.'" Lovellette said he threw an elbow to Chamberlain's face in retribution in a later game. Coach [[Frank McGuire]] thought Lovellette was confused about the timing and believed Chamberlain's punching Lovellette actually was in retribution for Lovellette having injured Chamberlain's jaw years earlier with the blow Lovellette described.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Penland |first=Jake |date=February 25, 1966 |title=Jake Penland, Sports Editor |work=The State (Columbia, South Carolina) |pages=26}}</ref>

Lovellette was not embarrassed by his rough player image. "'I was not going to be intimidated and I was so mean. ... I caused a lot of controversy as far as roughness goes. I took my lumps and gave them.'"<ref name="nytimesobit" />

=== Career ===
In 704 NBA games with the Minneapolis Lakers, Cincinnati Royals, St. Louis Hawks and Boston Celtics, Lovellette scored 11,947 points (averaging 17 points per game) and grabbed 6,663 rebounds (averaging 9.5 rebounds per game). Selected to play in four NBA all-star games, Lovellette was an integral component as a reserve center on championship teams in Minneapolis (1954) and Boston (1963, 1964).<ref name="Basketball-Reference.com-5" /><ref name="hoophall.com" />

=== Coaching ===
In 1972–73, he coached the Decatur Bullets of the [[Continental Basketball Association (1969–1974)|Continental Basketball Association]] for one season before the team folded. He was paid $150 per game.<ref>{{cite news|first=Bob|last=Fallstrom|title=Shooting stars: Fame proved fleeting for the Decatur Bullets|date=January 3, 2011|newspaper=Herald & Review|url=https://herald-review.com/lifestyles/shooting-stars-fame-proved-fleeting-for-the-decatur-bullets/article_4b5e9dbe-177e-11e0-a760-001cc4c03286.html|access-date=February 4, 2021}}</ref>

==Legacy and honors==
Lovellette is one of only eight players in history to achieve the [[Triple Crown (American basketball)|basketball Triple Crown]] – winning an NCAA championship, an NBA championship, and an Olympic gold medal.<ref><nowiki>{{cite </nowiki>[https://olympics.com/en/athletes/clyde-edward-lovelette]<nowiki>}}</nowiki></ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Beslic |first= Stephen|date=November 11, 2022 |title=Eight players who have won NCAA, NBA, and Olympic titles |url=https://www.basketballnetwork.net/latest-news/seven-players-who-have-won-ncaa-nba-and-olympic-titles |work= Basketball Network|location= |access-date=November 27, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last= Cohn|first=Jordan |date= October 11, 2020|title= Anthony Davis joins 7 other players to win NBA Finals, NCAA Championship, Olympic gold medal|url=https://www.audacy.com/thefandc/sports/nba/anthony-davis-joins-basketballs-triple-crown-club |work=[[106.7 The Fan]] |location= |access-date=November 27, 2024}}</ref> He was the first player to win NCAA, Olympic, AAU and NBA championships.<ref name="hoophall.com" /> He also became the first player to win a championship with both the Boston Celtics and Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers. [[Rajon Rondo]] became the second player ever in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Quinn |first=Sam |date=2020-10-13 |title=Rajon Rondo is the second player in NBA history to win titles with both the Lakers and Celtics |url=https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/rajon-rondo-is-the-second-player-in-nba-history-to-win-titles-with-both-the-lakers-and-celtics/ |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=CBSSports.com |language=en}}</ref>

Lovelette was inducted into the [[Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame]] in 1988.<ref name="hoophall.com"/> As of 2018, Lovellette is the only player from the [[1952 NBA draft]] to make the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1952 NBA Draft: Players Career Achievements and Stats |url=https://www.landofbasketball.com/draft/1952_nba_draft_stats.htm |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=www.landofbasketball.com}}</ref> It has been called the worst draft in NBA history, with Lovellette the only star to come out of that draft.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Worst Draft in NBA history |url=https://nbahoopsonline.com/Articles/1952Draftworstever.html |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=nbahoopsonline.com}}</ref>

Lovellette was inducted into the [[Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame]] in 1982.<ref name="hoopshall.com" /> He was inducted into the [[Kansas Sports Hall of Fame]] in 1996.<ref name="Kansas Sports HOF" /> In 2012, he was inducted into the [[National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame]].<ref name="George-2017" /> He has also been selected to the Helms Foundation Hall of Fame.<ref name="Cardinal Publishers Group-2016" />

Lovelette had his No. 16 jersey retired by the University of Kansas.<ref name="George-2017" />

He was featured in the 1950s All-Star roster on [[NBA Live]] 2007.

==Personal==

Clyde married Sally Wheeler while attending the University of Kansas, though they later divorced. They had three daughters, Cynthia, Linda, and Cherie.<ref name="nytimesobit" />

Lovellette announced his retirement from the Celtics in August 1964, at a time when he was running for sheriff of [[Jefferson County, Missouri]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 13, 1964 |title=Cager Ends 12-Year Pro Career |work=Jefferson County Record (Hillsboro, Missouri) |pages=1}}</ref> He was defeated in that election by former minor league baseball player Walter Buerger.<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 4, 1964 |title=Moss Elected Circuit Judge In 23rd District |work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |pages=29}}</ref> Two years later he was elected sheriff of [[Vigo County, Indiana]].<ref name="Black-1966">{{Cite news |last=Black |first=Del |date=November 11, 1966 |title=Lovellette Takes Over Post–As Sheriff–In Indiana |work=The Kansas City Star |pages=27}}</ref> He owned a small farm, raising and showing cattle. He also engaged in various business activities, eventually getting his master's degree.

At Whites Residential Services, a faith-based school in Wabash County, Indiana for at-risk teenagers,<ref name="Cardinal Publishers Group-2016" /><ref name="nytimesobit" /> he served for 20 years and was successful in providing a positive influence on their lives.

A summer residence in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan ultimately became a full time residence in the small town of Munising where he served as the Varsity Basketball Assistant Coach and on the Munising City Council.

Lovellette wrote the book ''The Story of Basketball Great Clyde Lovellette'' with newspaper sportswriter and author [[Lew Freedman]].<ref name="Cardinal Publishers Group-2016" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Lovellette |first=Clyde |title=The Story of Basketball Great Clyde Lovellette |last2=Freedman |first2=Lew |publisher=Blue River Press |isbn=978-1935628507 |publication-date=December 1, 2005 |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Death ==
Clyde came back to Indiana as a full-time resident where he eventually died of cancer in [[North Manchester, Indiana|North Manchester]], at the age of 86, surrounded by his family.<ref name="kcstar">{{citation |title=KU basketball legend Clyde Lovellette dies at age 86 | newspaper=[[The Kansas City Star]] |date=March 9, 2016 |url=http://www.kansascity.com/sports/college/big-12/university-of-kansas/article65128267.html}}</ref> At the time of his death he had 13 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.<ref name="nytimesobit" />

== 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;background:#afe6ba;" |[[1953–54 NBA season|1953–54]]†
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1953–54 Minneapolis Lakers season|Minneapolis]]
|'''72'''
|17.4
|.423
|.695
|5.8
|0.7
|8.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1954–55 NBA season|1954–55]]
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1954–55 Minneapolis Lakers season|Minneapolis]]
|70
|33.7
|.435
|.686
|11.5
|1.4
|18.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1955–56 NBA season|1955–56]]
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1955–56 Minneapolis Lakers season|Minneapolis]]
|71
|35.5
|.434
|.721
|'''14.0'''
|2.3
|21.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1956–57 NBA season|1956–57]]
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1956–57 Minneapolis Lakers season|Minneapolis]]
|69
|36.1
|.426
|.717
|13.5
|2.0
|20.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1957–58 NBA season|1957–58]]
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1957–58 Cincinnati Royals season|Cincinnati]]
|71
|'''36.5'''
|.441
|.743
|12.1
|1.9
|'''23.4'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1958–59 NBA season|1958–59]]
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1958–59 St. Louis Hawks season|St. Louis]]
|70
|22.8
|.454
|.820
|8.6
|1.3
|14.4
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1959–60 NBA season|1959–60]]
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1959–60 St. Louis Hawks season|St. Louis]]
|68
|28.7
|.468
|.821
|10.6
|1.9
|20.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1960–61 NBA season|1960–61]]
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1960–61 St. Louis Hawks season|St. Louis]]
|67
|31.5
|.453
|'''.830'''
|10.1
|'''2.6'''
|22.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1961–62 NBA season|1961–62]]
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1961–62 St. Louis Hawks season|St. Louis]]
|40
|29.8
|'''.471'''
|.829
|8.8
|1.7
|20.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" |[[1962–63 NBA season|1962–63]]†
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1962–63 Boston Celtics season|Boston]]
|61
|9.3
|.428
|.745
|2.9
|0.4
|6.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" |[[1963–64 NBA season|1963–64]]†
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1963–64 Boston Celtics season|Boston]]
|45
|9.7
|.420
|.789
|2.8
|0.5
|6.7
|- class="sortbottom"
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |Career
|704
|27.1
|.443
|.757
|9.5
|1.6
|17.0
|- class="sortbottom"
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |All-Star
|3
|23.7
|.475
|.500
|9.3
|1.3
|13.3
|}

=== Playoffs ===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;"
!Year
!Team
!GP
!MPG
!FG%
!FT%
!RPG
!APG
!PPG
|-
| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" |[[1954 NBA Playoffs|1954]]†
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1953–54 Minneapolis Lakers season|Minneapolis]]
|13
|20.4
|.450
|.483
|9.7
|0.5
|10.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1955 NBA Playoffs|1955]]
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1954–55 Minneapolis Lakers season|Minneapolis]]
|7
|28.1
|.449
|.725
|9.1
|0.4
|16.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1956 NBA Playoffs|1956]]
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1955–56 Minneapolis Lakers season|Minneapolis]]
|3
|23.0
|.487
|.594
|8.3
|2.0
|19.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1957 NBA Playoffs|1957]]
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1956–57 Minneapolis Lakers season|Minneapolis]]
|5
|'''36.2'''
|.432
|.731
|9.4
|2.2
|'''24.2'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1958 NBA Playoffs|1958]]
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1957–58 Cincinnati Royals season|Cincinnati]]
|2
|36.0
|.387
|.643
|10.5
|0.5
|16.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1959 NBA Playoffs|1959]]
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1958–59 St. Louis Hawks season|St. Louis]]
|6
|26.8
|'''.500'''
|.786
|9.8
|1.3
|15.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1960 NBA Playoffs|1960]]
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1959–60 St. Louis Hawks season|St. Louis]]
|'''14'''
|30.4
|.393
|.824
|'''10.8'''
|'''2.8'''
|17.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1961 NBA Playoffs|1961]]
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1960–61 St. Louis Hawks season|St. Louis]]
|8
|23.9
|.404
|.660
|6.5
|1.4
|15.4
|-
| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" |[[1963 NBA Playoffs|1963]]†
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1962–63 Boston Celtics season|Boston]]
|6
|6.7
|.269
|.667
|0.8
|0.2
|3.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" |[[1964 NBA Playoffs|1964]]†
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1963–64 Boston Celtics season|Boston]]
|5
|8.0
|.235
|'''1.000'''
|1.4
|0.4
|4.0
|- class="sortbottom"
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |Career
|69
|23.8
|.416
|.684
|8.1
|1.3
|14.0
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.hoopshall.com/hall-of-fame/clyde-lovellette/?query=misc1.eq.Terre Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame bio]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050121190341/http://kuathletics.collegesports.com/sports/m-baskbl/ University of Kansas Men's Basketball]
*[https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/lovelcl01.html Basketball-reference.com: Clyde Lovellette stats]
* {{Olympedia}}
* {{Olympics.com|clyde-edward-lovelette}}

{{Navboxes
|title=Articles related to Clyde Lovellette
|list =
{{1952 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball navbox}}
{{NCAA basketball tournament MOP men}}
{{Helms Foundation College Basketball Player of the Year}}
{{NCAA Division I men's basketball scoring champion}}
{{1951 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans}}
{{1952 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans}}
{{Footer 1952 Olympic Champions Basketball Men}}
{{1952 NBA draft}}
{{Minneapolis Lakers 1953–54 NBA champions}}
{{Boston Celtics 1962–63 NBA champions}}
{{Boston Celtics 1963–64 NBA champions}}
{{1988 Basketball HOF}}
{{Basketball Hall of Fame centers}}
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lovellette, Clyde}}
[[Category:1929 births]]
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[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:All-American college men's basketball players]]
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[[Category:Basketball players at the 1952 Summer Olympics]]
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[[Category:Boston Celtics players]]
[[Category:Centers (basketball)]]
[[Category:Cincinnati Royals players]]
[[Category:Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball players]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1952 Summer Olympics]]
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[[Category:Minneapolis Lakers players]]
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[[Category:National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:NBA All-Stars]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball]]
[[Category:People from Petersburg, Indiana]]
[[Category:Phillips 66ers players]]
[[Category:Power forwards]]
[[Category:Basketball players from Terre Haute, Indiana]]
[[Category:St. Louis Hawks players]]
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