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Max Zaslofsky

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Max Zaslofsky
Zaslofsky in 1948
Personal information
BornDecember 7, 1925
Brooklyn, New York
DiedOctober 15, 1985(1985-10-15) (aged 59)
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight170 lb (77 kg)
Career information
High schoolThomas Jefferson
(Brooklyn, New York)
CollegeSt. John's (1945–1946)
Playing career1946–1956
PositionShooting guard
Number10, 5, 14, 6
Coaching career1966–1968
Career history
As player:
1946–1950Chicago Stags
1950–1953New York Knicks
1953Baltimore Bullets
1953Milwaukee Hawks
1953–1956Fort Wayne Pistons
As coach:
1966–1968New Jersey Americans/New York Nets
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points7,990 (14.8 ppg)
Assists1,093 (2.0 apg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference

Max "Slats" Zaslofsky (December 7, 1925 – October 15, 1985) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He was First Team All-NBA four different seasons.[1] In 1947–48, at 21 years of age he led the NBA in scoring, and in 1949–50 he led the league in free throw percentage (.843).

Early life

Zaslofsky, who was Jewish, was the son of Russian immigrant parents, Morris and Ida.[2] He had two older brothers, Irving and Abe.[2] He grew up in Brooklyn, attended cheder until he had his bar mitzvah, and spent many hours as a child on the playgrounds trying to perfect his two-handed set shot.[2] Raised on Riverdale Street in the predominantly Jewish section of Brownsville, he attended Thomas Jefferson High School, where he was an All-PSAL selection in basketball and also played for the baseball team.[2] He graduated from high school in 1943, and then spent two years in the U.S. Navy during World War II.[3]

College career

He attended St. John's University, where he played basketball for one season. The 20-year-old Zaslofsky started at guard and averaged 7.8 points per game. He was named honorable mention All-Metropolitan as St. John's posted a 17-5 record and played in the postseason National Invitation Tournament (NIT).[3]

Professional career

After his freshman season, he left St. John's to join the Chicago Stags of the newly organized Basketball Association of America, the forerunner of the National Basketball Association.[4]

While playing for the Chicago Stags, Zaslofsky was named All-NBA First Team 1946–47 at the age of 21.[5] He was the youngest player to hold that distinction for nearly 60 years until he was surpassed by LeBron James in 2005–06. The next season, 1947–48, he led the league in scoring.[5] At 22 years, 121 days old, he was the youngest player to lead the league in scoring until 2010, when Kevin Durant broke his mark. In 1949–50, he led the league in free throw percentage (.843).[6]

After the Stags broke up, Zaslofsky joined the New York Knicks. On August 24, 1953, he was traded by the Knicks with Jim Luisi and Roy Belliveau to the Baltimore Bullets for Jim Baechtold.[7] On November 25, 1953, he was traded by the Bullets to the Milwaukee Hawks for Bob Houbregs.[7] On December 21, 1953, he was traded by the Hawks to the Fort Wayne Pistons for Chuck Share.[7] In 1956 he ended his career as the league's third-leading scorer of all-time, behind George Mikan and Joe Fulks.[2] In addition to his 1946–47 first-team All-NBA honors, Zaslofsky was named to the All-NBA first team in 1947–48, 1948–49, and 1949–50. He also played in the 1952 NBA All-Star Game.

He later coached for two seasons in the American Basketball Association with the New Jersey Americans/New York Nets. He went 53-103 in two seasons with the club before resigning in March 1969.[6]

Zaslofsky was nominated for the NBA 25th Anniversary Team in 1971. He is one of only two members nominated to the team that are not elected in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

Personal life

Zaslofsky is a member of the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame.[8][3]

Zaslofsky died in 1985 at age 59 due to complications from leukemia. He was survived by his wife, Elaine, two daughters, a son, and two grandchildren.[4]

BAA/NBA career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
 *  Led the league

Regular season

Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1946–47 Chicago 61 – .329 .737 – .7 14.4
1947–48 Chicago 48 – .323 .784 – .6 21.0
1948–49 Chicago 58 – .350 .840 – 2.6 20.6
1949–50 Chicago 68 – .351 .843* – 2.3 16.4
1950–51 New York 66 – .354 .775 3.5 2.1 12.7
1951–52 New York 66 32.0 .336 .755 2.9 2.4 14.1
1952–53 New York 29 24.9 .384 .690 2.6 1.9 11.9
1953–54 Baltimore 11 38.0 .352 .767 3.9 3.0 16.4
1953–54 Milwaukee 9 33.2 .341 .712 3.1 2.6 15.1
1953–54 Fort Wayne 45 25.9 .382 .693 2.0 2.2 11.0
1954–55 Fort Wayne 70 26.6 .328 .702 2.7 2.9 11.2
1955–56 Fort Wayne 9 20.2 .358 .857 1.8 1.8 9.8
Career 540 28.3 .343 .769 2.8 2.0 14.8
All-Star 1 25.0 .429 1.000 4.0 2.0 11.0

Playoffs

Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1947 Chicago 11 – .302 .659 – .4 13.5
1948 Chicago 5 – .341 .787 – .0 19.4
1949 Chicago 2 – .306 .778 – 3.0 22.0
1950 Chicago 2 – .469 .833 – 3.0 22.5
1951 New York 14 – .406 .740 4.1 2.7 17.9
1952 New York 14 36.1 .373 .809 3.1 1.6 16.2
1954 Fort Wayne 4 24.5 .306 .867 .8 1.5 8.8
1955 Fort Wayne 11 11.7 .409 .800 1.5 1.6 4.7
Career 63 25.3 .360 .772 2.8 1.6 14.3

See also

References

  1. ^ Pro Basketball's All-Time All-Stars: Across the Eras - Robert W. Cohen
  2. ^ a b c d e When Basketball Was Jewish: Voices of Those Who Played the Game - Douglas Stark
  3. ^ a b c Zaslofsky, Max: Jews In Sports
  4. ^ a b MAX ZASLOFSKY IS DEAD AT 59; STAR IN EARLY DAYS OF KNICKS - The New York Times
  5. ^ a b Mr. Basketball: George Mikan, the Minneapolis Lakers, and the Birth of the NBA - Michael Schumacher
  6. ^ a b A Biographical Directory of Professional Basketball Coaches - Jeff Marcus
  7. ^ a b c Max Zaslofsky Stats | Basketball-Reference.com
  8. ^ Max Zaslofsky
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