View source for Paul Arizin

{{Short description|American basketball player (1928–2006)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name = Paul Arizin
| image = Paul Arizin 50-62.JPG
| width = 
| caption = Arizin with the [[Philadelphia Warriors]]
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 4
| weight_lb = 190
| birth_date = {{birth date|1928|4|9}}
| birth_place = [[Philadelphia]], Pennsylvania, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2006|12|12|1928|4|9}}
| death_place = [[Springfield Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania|Springfield Township, Pennsylvania]], U.S.
| high_school = {{nowrap|[[La Salle College High School|La Salle]] ([[Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania]])}}
| college = [[Villanova Wildcats men's basketball|Villanova]] (1947–1950)
| draft_round = 
| draft_pick = [[NBA territorial pick|territorial pick]]
| draft_year = 1950
| draft_team = [[Philadelphia Warriors]]
| career_start = 1950
| career_end = 1965
| career_number = 11
| career_position = [[Small forward]]
| years1 = {{nbay|1950|start}}–{{nbay|1951|end}}
| team1 = [[Philadelphia Warriors]]
| years2 = 1954
| team2 = [[Berwick Carbuilders]]
| years3 = {{nbay|1954|start}}–{{nbay|1961|end}}
| team3 = Philadelphia Warriors
| years4 = 1962–1965
| team4 = [[Camden Bullets]]
| highlights = *[[NBA champion]] ([[1956 NBA Finals|1956]])
*10× [[NBA All-Star]] ({{nasg|1951}}, {{nasg|1952}}, {{nasg|1955}}–{{nasg|1962}})
* [[NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award|NBA All-Star Game MVP]] ([[1952 NBA All-Star Game|1952]])
*3× [[All-NBA First Team]] ([[1951–52 NBA season|1952]], [[1955–56 NBA season|1956]], [[1956–57 NBA season|1957]])
* [[All-NBA Second Team]] ([[1958–59 NBA season|1959]])
*2× [[List of National Basketball Association annual scoring leaders|NBA scoring champion]] ({{nbay|1951|end}}, {{nbay|1956|end}})
* [[NBA anniversary team]] ([[NBA 25th Anniversary Team|25th]], [[50 Greatest Players in NBA History|50th]], [[NBA 75th Anniversary Team|75th]])
* [[Eastern Professional Basketball League|EPBL]] champion (1964)
* [[Continental Basketball Association MVP Award|EPBL Most Valuable Player]] (1963)
* 2× All-EPBL First Team (1963, 1964)
* All-EPBL Second Team (1965)
* [[Helms Foundation College Basketball Player of the Year|Helms Foundation Player of the Year]] (1950)
* [[Sporting News Men's College Basketball Player of the Year|''Sporting News'' Player of the Year]] (1950)
* Consensus first-team [[NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|All-American]] ([[1950 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|1950]])
* [[List of NCAA Division I men's basketball season scoring leaders|NCAA scoring champion]] (1950)
* No. 11 [[Villanova Wildcats men's basketball#Retired/honored jerseys|retired by Villanova Wildcats]]
| stat1label = [[Point (basketball)|Points]]
| stat1value = 16,266 (22.8 ppg)
| stat2label = [[Rebound (basketball)|Rebounds]]
| stat2value = 6,129 (8.6 rpg)
| stat3label = [[Assist (basketball)|Assists]]
| stat3value = 1,665 (2.3 apg)
| HOF_player = paul-arizin
| CBBASKHOF_year = 2006
}}
[[File:Paul J. Arizin, 1953 (13083903393).jpg|thumb|Paul J. Arizin in his Quantico Marine basketball uniform]]
'''Paul Joseph Arizin''' (April 9, 1928 – December 12, 2006), nicknamed "''''Pitchin Paul'''", was an American [[basketball]] player who spent his entire [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA) career with the [[Philadelphia Warriors]] from [[1950–51 NBA season|1950]] to [[1961–62 NBA season|1962]]. He retired with the third highest career point total (16,266) in NBA history, and was named to the [[NBA 25th Anniversary Team|NBA's 25th]], [[50 Greatest Players in NBA History|50th]] and [[NBA 75th Anniversary Team|75th anniversary teams]]. He was a high-scoring [[basketball position|forward]] at [[Villanova University]] before being drafted by the Warriors of the fledgling NBA.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Paul Arizin Stats|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/arizipa01.html|access-date=2020-11-05|website=Basketball-Reference.com|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Rowe|first=Dan|title=Basketball Hall of Fame Member PAUL ARIZAN * Two Signed Items* - The Written Word Autographs|url=https://writtenwordautographs.com/shop/sports/paul-arizin/|language=en-US|access-date=November 5, 2020|archive-date=May 17, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517152026/https://writtenwordautographs.com/shop/sports/paul-arizin/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Early life==
Paul Joseph Arizin was born on April 9, 1928, in [[Philadelphia]], Pennsylvania, to French immigrants. Arizin did not play basketball at [[La Salle College High School]], failing to make the team in his only tryout as a senior. Arizin graduated just a year before another Basketball Hall of Famer, [[Tom Gola]], entered La Salle College High School as a freshman.

==College career==
During his freshman year at Villanova, Arizin played CYO (Catholic Youth Organization) basketball in Philadelphia. Late in that season, [[Al Severance]], then the Villanova varsity basketball coach, attended one of Arizin's CYO games. Afterwards, Severance approached Arizin and asked him if he would like to go to Villanova, to which Arizin answered: "I already go to Villanova."<ref>[https://www.espn.com/nba/news/story?page=arizinappreciation/061213 Cut from H.S. team, Arizin rose in NBA - NBA - ESPN]</ref>

Arizin made the team in 1947, his sophomore year, and played for three years. In 1950 he was named the collegiate basketball player of the year after leading the nation with 25.3 points per game. During a game on {{Dts|1949|February|12|format=mdy}}, Arizin scored 85 points against the Naval Air Materials Center roster.  Arizin also scored at least 100 points in a game while playing for Villanova, but the game is not recognized by the NCAA because the opponent was a junior college.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/sports/year_in_sports/03.02.html|title = The Night of the Century|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 9, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web| last = Wolfley| first = Bob| title = THE GAME and Wilt still loom large| work = [[The Milwaukee Journal]]| date = March 1, 1987| url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=VGMaAAAAIBAJ&dq=paul%20arizin%20100%20points%20junior%20college&pg=6984%2C158430| format = PDF| access-date = December 9, 2010}}{{Dead link|date=March 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==Professional career==
===Philadelphia Warriors (1950–1962)===
After being selected by the Warriors with their first pick in the [[1950 NBA draft]], Arizin averaged 17.2 points per game in his rookie season and was named [[NBA Rookie of the Year Award#Unofficial winners|NBA Rookie of the Year]] — a designation not currently sanctioned by the NBA for the 1950–51 season. He became one of the greatest NBA players of the 1950s, leading the league in scoring during the [[1951–52 NBA season|1951–52]] and [[1956–57 NBA season|1956–57 seasons]] and leading in field goal percentage in 1951–52. Arizin sat out the 1952–53 and 1953–54 NBA seasons while serving in the [[United States Marine Corps|Marines]] during the [[Korean War]].<ref name=NBA.com.bio>{{cite web|access-date=June 15, 2007|url=http://www.nba.com/history/players/arizin_bio.html|title=Paul Arizin Bio |work=NBA.com}}</ref> On March 20, 1954, he appeared in a game for the [[Berwick Carbuilders]] of the [[Eastern Professional Basketball League]] (EPBL) and scored 32 points.<ref>{{cite news |title=Carbuilders Upset Sunbury, 80-70, Then Lose Tough One At Lancaster, 74-73, Sunday |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/berwick-enterprise-arizin-plays-with-ber/104609509/ |access-date=February 16, 2025 |work=Berwick Enterprise |date=March 22, 1954 |page=6 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

Arizin became famous for his line-drive [[Jump shot (basketball)|jump shot]]s, and teamed with center [[Neil Johnston]] to form the best offensive one-two punch in the NBA at the time, leading the Warriors to the [[1956 NBA Finals|1956 NBA title]]. He also played with scoring star [[Joe Fulks]] early in his career, and with Philadelphia legends [[Tom Gola]] and [[Wilt Chamberlain]] toward the end of his career in the early 1960s. Arizin chose to retire from the NBA rather than move with the Warriors to San Francisco. At the time of his retirement, no player had retired from the game with a higher scoring average (21.9 points per game) in his final season. This record would stand until [[Bob Pettit]]'s retirement in 1965 following a season in which he averaged 22.5 PPG.

Arizin played in a total of 10 [[National Basketball Association All-Star Game|NBA All-Star Games]] (he was the [[1952 NBA All-Star Game]] MVP) and was named to the All-NBA First-Team in 1952, 1956, and 1957.

===Camden Bullets (1962–1965)===
After retiring from the NBA, Arizin played for three seasons with the [[Camden Bullets]] of the [[Continental Basketball Association|Eastern Professional Basketball League]] (EPBL), who won the 1964 title. Averaging over 20 points per game each season, he was named the EPBL MVP in 1963, was named to the EPBL All-Star First Team in 1963 and 1964 and to the EPBL All-Star Second Team in 1965.<ref name=sportingnews>{{Cite book| title = NBA Register: 1986-87 Edition | publisher = The Sporting News Publishing Company | year = 1986 | page = 285 | isbn = 9780892042272}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Paul Arizin minor league basketball statistics |url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbasketball/stats/p-arizipau001 |website=Stats Crew |access-date=February 16, 2025}}</ref>

===Legacy===
Arizin was named to the [[NBA 25th Anniversary Team]] in 1971. He was inducted into the [[Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame]] in 1978,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/tag/paul-j-arizin|title=Hall of Famers|publisher=Basketball Hall of Fame|access-date=August 2, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121008071749/http://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/tag/paul-j-arizin|archive-date=October 8, 2012}}</ref> and was selected to the [[50 Greatest Players in NBA History]] in 1996. In October 2021, Arizin was honored as one of the league's greatest players of all time by being named to the [[NBA 75th Anniversary Team|NBA's 75th Anniversary Team]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nba.com/news/nba-75th-anniversary-team-announced|title=NBA 75th Anniversary Team announced|website=[[NBA.com]]}}</ref> He was inducted into the inaugural class of the [[Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame]] in 2004.<ref>{{cite web |title=Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame Inductees  |url=http://www.phillyhall.org/inductees.asp |access-date=August 3, 2009}}</ref> Arizin died in his sleep at age 78 on December 12, 2006, in [[Springfield Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania|Springfield]], [[Pennsylvania]].<ref>[http://www.chron.com/sports/rockets/article/NBA-Hall-of-Famer-Arizin-dies-at-78-1529799.php NBA Hall of Famer Arizin dies at 78]</ref>

==NBA career statistics==
{{NBA player statistics legend|champion=y|leader=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;" |[[1950–51 NBA season|1950–51]]
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1950–51 Philadelphia Warriors season|Philadelphia]]
|65
|{{sort|-|—}}
|.407
|.793
|9.8
|2.1
|17.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1951–52 NBA season|1951–52]]
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1951–52 Philadelphia Warriors season|Philadelphia]]
|66
| style="background:#cfecec;" |'''44.5*'''
| style="background:#cfecec;" |'''.448*'''
|.818
|'''11.3'''
|2.6
| style="background:#cfecec;" |25.4*
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1954–55 NBA season|1954–55]]
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1954–55 Philadelphia Warriors season|Philadelphia]]
|72
| style="background:#cfecec;" |41.0*
|.399
|.776
|9.4
|'''2.9'''
|21.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" |[[1955–56 NBA season|1955–56]]†
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1955–56 Philadelphia Warriors season|Philadelphia]]
|72
|37.8
|'''.448'''
|.810
|7.5
|2.6
|24.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1956–57 NBA season|1956–57]]
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1956–57 Philadelphia Warriors season|Philadelphia]]
|71
|39.0
|.422
|.829
|7.9
|2.1
|style="background:#cfecec;" |25.6*
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1957–58 NBA season|1957–58]]
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1957–58 Philadelphia Warriors season|Philadelphia]]
|68
|35.0
|.393
|.809
|7.4
|2.0
|20.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1958–59 NBA season|1958–59]]
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1958–59 Philadelphia Warriors season|Philadelphia]]
|70
|40.0
|.431
|.813
|9.1
|1.7
|'''26.4'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1959–60 NBA season|1959–60]]
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1959–60 Philadelphia Warriors season|Philadelphia]]
|72
|36.4
|.424
|.798
|8.6
|2.3
|22.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1960–61 NBA season|1960–61]]
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1960–61 Philadelphia Warriors season|Philadelphia]]
|'''79'''
|37.2
|.425
|'''.833'''
|8.6
|2.4
|23.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1961–62 NBA season|1961–62]]
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1961–62 Philadelphia Warriors season|Philadelphia]]
|78
|35.7
|.410
|.805
|6.8
|2.6
|21.9
|- class="sortbottom"
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |Career
|713
|38.4
|.421
|.810
|8.6
|2.3
|22.8
|- class="sortbottom"
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |All-Star
|9
|22.9
|.466
|.806
|5.2
|0.7
|15.2
|}

=== Playoffs ===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;"
!Year
!Team
!GP
!MPG
!FG%
!FT%
!RPG
!APG
!PPG
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1951 NBA Playoffs|1951]]
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1950–51 Philadelphia Warriors season|Philadelphia]]
|2
|{{sort|-|—}}
|'''.519'''
|.813
|10.0
|1.5
|20.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1952 NBA Playoffs|1952]]
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1951–52 Philadelphia Warriors season|Philadelphia]]
|3
|40.0
|.453
|'''.879'''
|'''12.7'''
|2.7
|25.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" |[[1956 NBA Playoffs|1956]]†
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1955–56 Philadelphia Warriors season|Philadelphia]]
|10
|40.9
|.450
|.838
|8.4
|2.9
| style="background:#cfecec;" |'''28.9*'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1957 NBA Playoffs|1957]]
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1956–57 Philadelphia Warriors season|Philadelphia]]
|2
|11.0
|.375
|.600
|4.0
|0.5
|4.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1958 NBA Playoffs|1958]]
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1957–58 Philadelphia Warriors season|Philadelphia]]
|8
|38.6
|.391
|.778
|7.8
|2.0
|23.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1960 NBA Playoffs|1960]]
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1959–60 Philadelphia Warriors season|Philadelphia]]
|9
|41.2
|.431
|.873
|9.6
|3.7
|26.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1961 NBA Playoffs|1961]]
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1960–61 Philadelphia Warriors season|Philadelphia]]
|3
|'''41.7'''
|.328
|.697
|8.7
|'''4.0'''
|22.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1962 NBA Playoffs|1962]]
| style="text-align:left;" |[[1961–62 Philadelphia Warriors season|Philadelphia]]
|'''12'''
|38.3
|.375
|.863
|6.7
|2.2
|23.2
|- class="sortbottom"
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |Career
|49
|38.6
|.411
|.829
|8.2
|2.6
|24.2
|}

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography}}
*[[List of individual National Basketball Association scoring leaders by season]]
*[[List of National Basketball Association career free throw scoring leaders]]
*[[List of basketball players who have scored 100 points in a single game]]
*[[List of NCAA Division I men's basketball players with 60 or more points in a game]]
*[[List of NCAA Division I men's basketball season scoring leaders]]
*[[List of National Basketball Association annual minutes leaders]]
*[[Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame]]
*[[List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090212161954/http://hoophall.com/halloffamers/bhof-paul-arizin.html Basketball Hall of Fame profile]
*[http://podcast.fivemag.de/GNexxt/Paul_Arizin_20_12.mp3 Extensive audio interview on Paul Arizin with his son Michael; from 6:50 mark] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110824161839/http://podcast.fivemag.de/GNexxt/Paul_Arizin_20_12.mp3 |date=August 24, 2011 }}

{{Navboxes|list =
{{Sporting News College Men's Basketball Player of the Year}}
{{Helms Foundation College Basketball Player of the Year}}
{{1950 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans}}
{{NCAA Division I men's basketball scoring champion}}
{{1950 NBA draft}}
{{Philadelphia Warriors 1955–56 NBA champions}}
{{1978 Basketball HOF}}
{{Basketball Hall of Fame forwards}}
{{NBA25}}
{{NBA50}}
{{NBA75}}
{{NBA All-Star Game MVP Award}}
{{NBA scoring leaders}}
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arizin, Paul}}
[[Category:1928 births]]
[[Category:2006 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:20th-century United States Marines]]
[[Category:All-American college men's basketball players]]
[[Category:American men's basketball players]]
[[Category:American people of French descent]]
[[Category:Basketball players from Philadelphia]]
[[Category:Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:NBA All-Stars]]
[[Category:Philadelphia Warriors draft picks]]
[[Category:Philadelphia Warriors players]]
[[Category:Shooting guards]]
[[Category:Small forwards]]
[[Category:Villanova Wildcats men's basketball players]]
[[Category:United States Marine Corps personnel of the Korean War]]