Max Zaslofsky
 Zaslofsky in 1948 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 7, 1925 Brooklyn, New York |
| Died | October 15, 1985 (aged 59) |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 170 lb (77 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Thomas Jefferson (Brooklyn, New York) |
| College | St. John's (1945–1946) |
| Playing career | 1946–1956 |
| Position | Shooting guard |
| Number | 10, 5, 14, 6 |
| Coaching career | 1966–1968 |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1946–1950 | Chicago Stags |
| 1950–1953 | New York Knicks |
| 1953 | Baltimore Bullets |
| 1953 | Milwaukee Hawks |
| 1953–1956 | Fort Wayne Pistons |
| 1956 | |
| 1957-58 | Wilkes-Barre Barons |
| As coach: | |
| 1966–1968 | New Jersey Americans/New York Nets |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 7,990 (14.8 ppg) |
| Assists | 1,093 (2.0 apg) |
Stats  at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Max "Slats" Zaslofsky (December 7, 1925 – October 15, 1985) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He was first-team All-NBA in 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[]
| 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[]
- List of select Jewish basketball players
- List of National Basketball Association annual scoring leaders
References[]
- ^ Pro Basketball's All-Time All-Stars: Across the Eras - Robert W. Cohen
- ^ a b c d e When Basketball Was Jewish: Voices of Those Who Played the Game - Douglas Stark
- ^ a b c Zaslofsky, Max: Jews In Sports
- ^ a b MAX ZASLOFSKY IS DEAD AT 59; STAR IN EARLY DAYS OF KNICKS - The New York Times
- ^ a b Mr. Basketball: George Mikan, the Minneapolis Lakers, and the Birth of the NBA - Michael Schumacher
- ^ a b A Biographical Directory of Professional Basketball Coaches - Jeff Marcus
- ^ a b c Max Zaslofsky Stats | Basketball-Reference.com
- ^ Max Zaslofsky
External links[]
- 1925 births
- 1985 deaths
- 20th-century American Jews
- American men's basketball players
- Baltimore Bullets (1944–1954) players
- Basketball players from New York City
- Chicago Stags players
- Deaths from leukemia
- Fort Wayne Pistons players
- Jewish American sportspeople
- Jewish men's basketball players
- Milwaukee Hawks players
- National Basketball Association All-Stars
- New Jersey Americans head coaches
- New York Knicks players
- Shooting guards
- Sportspeople from Brooklyn
- St. John's Red Storm men's basketball players
- Thomas Jefferson High School (Brooklyn) alumni