Joe Fulks
Inducted:
1978
Player Stats
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
Born
October 26, 1921
Birmingham, Kentucky, U.S.
Died
March 21, 1976
Eddyville, Kentucky, U.S.
Position
Power forward
College
Murray State (1941–1943)
Joe Fulks was the NBA’s first true scoring superstar and a fundamental architect of the modern game. At a time when flat-footed set shots were the standard, the 6'5" "Jumpin' Joe" revolutionized basketball by introducing the one-handed jump shot to the professional ranks.
As the centerpiece of the Philadelphia Warriors, he became the league's inaugural scoring champion, averaging 23.2 points per game in 1947—a figure that was nearly seven points higher than his closest competitor. His high-volume, high-energy style led the Warriors to the 1947 BAA Championship, the first title in the history of the league that would become the NBA.
For his role as the "Babe Ruth of Basketball" and the pioneer who literally lifted the game off the floor, he was posthumously inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978.
Fulks's Awards & Records
- BAA champion (1947)
- 2× NBA All-Star (1951, 1952)
- 3× All-BAA First Team (1947–1949)
- All-NBA Second Team (1951)
- BAA scoring champion (1947)
- NBA 25th Anniversary Team
NBA Teams
Philadelphia Warriors (1946–1954)
Number Worn
10
NBA Stats
Seasons:
8 (1946–1954)
Games Played:
489
Points:
8,003 (16.4 ppg)
Rebounds:
1,379 (5.3 rpg)
Assists:
587 (1.2 apg)
Field Goal(%):
30.2
Free Throw(%):
76.6
Playoff Game:
31