Harold C. Lear Jr. (January 31, 1935 – June 25, 2016) was an American professional basketball player.

Hal Lear
Personal information
Born(1935-01-31)January 31, 1935
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedJune 25, 2016(2016-06-25) (aged 81)
White Plains, New York, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight163 lb (74 kg)
Career information
High schoolOverbrook (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
CollegeTemple (1953–1956)
NBA draft1956: 1st round, 7th overall pick
Selected by the Philadelphia Warriors
Playing career1956–1967
PositionPoint guard
Number16
Career history
1956Philadelphia Warriors
1956–1961Easton Madisons
1962–1965Camden Bullets
1965–1966Johnstown C-J's
1966–1967New Haven Elms
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Biography

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A 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) guard born in Philadelphia, Lear starred at Temple University in his hometown during the 1950s. He earned the NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player in 1956 after leading Temple to the Final Four, where they lost to the University of Iowa.[1]

After college, Lear was selected by the Philadelphia Warriors with the seventh pick of the 1956 NBA draft. His NBA career was brief, however: he appeared in just three games during the 1956–57 NBA season and scored four points.[2] He played for the Easton Madisons of the Eastern Professional Basketball League (EPBL) and was named the league's Most Valuable Player in 1957.[3]

He was a four-time selection to the All-EPBL First Team and two-time selection to the Second Team.[4]

In 2013, Temple retired his No. 6 jersey.[5]

Death

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Lear died on June 25, 2016, at his home in White Plains, New York, after an illness.[6]

Career statistics

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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

Source[2]

Regular season

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Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1956–57 Philadelphia 3 4.7 .333 .3 .3 1.3

References

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  1. ^ NCAA Postseason History at BradleyRD Member Page, AOL.com
  2. ^ a b "Hal Lear NBA sats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  3. ^ Bradley, Robert. "History of the Eastern League". The Association for Professional Basketball Research. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  4. ^ "Harold Lear minor league basketball statistics". Stats Crew. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  5. ^ Hunt, Donald (January 25, 2013). "Temple's Lear joins select few with retired jersey". phillytrib.com.
  6. ^ Pompey, Keith (June 26, 2016). "Philly hoops legend Hal Lear passes away". philly.com.