Alex Hannum: Difference between revisions
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===San Francisco Warriors (1963–1966)=== |
===San Francisco Warriors (1963–1966)=== |
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[[File:Alex Hannum 1963.jpg|thumb|140px|left|Hannum, circa 1963]] |
[[File:Alex Hannum 1963.jpg|thumb|140px|left|Hannum, circa 1963]] |
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Hannum had expressed interest in coaching the San Francisco Warriors when the team had moved to the region from [[Syracuse, New York]] in 1962. [[Eddie Gottlieb]], the operator of the team, stated that Hannum was his third choice in mind next to [[Frank McGuire]] (who had coached the team the previous season) and [[Bob Feerick]]. McGuire elected to resign and Feerick went 31-49 before being fired. As such, Hannum was hired to coach the team for the 1963 season.<ref>https://www.basketballnetwork.net/old-school/how-alex-hannum-made-the-1960s-warriors-go-from-non-playoffs-to-title-contenders</ref> That year, the Warriors, bolstered by rookie [[Nate Thurmond]] to go with [[Wilt Chamberlain]], went 48–32 and advanced all the way to the NBA Finals, losing to the [[Boston Celtics]]. Hannum was named NBA Coach of the Year after the season ended. The following year was a disaster, as the Warriors won just 17 games while trading Chamberlain to the [[Philadelphia 76ers]] at the All-Star break. Despite the arrival of draft pick [[Rick Barry]] in 1965, the Warriors went 35–45 and missed the playoffs by one game. Hannum was fired after the season ended.<ref>https://vault.si.com/vault/1967/05/08/the-waiting-made-it-sweeter</ref> |
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In 1964, Hannum was named NBA Coach of the Year while with the [[San Francisco Warriors]] after leading them to the Finals against the Celtics. |
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===Philadelphia 76ers (1966–1968)=== |
===Philadelphia 76ers (1966–1968)=== |
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Revision as of 13:16, 21 February 2024
.jpg) Hannum, circa 1947 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 19, 1923 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Died | January 18, 2002 (aged 78) San Diego, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Listed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Alexander Hamilton (Los Angeles, California) |
| College | USC (1942–1943; 1946–1948) |
| NBA draft | 1948: – round, – |
| Selected by the Indianapolis Jets | |
| Playing career | 1948–1957 |
| Position | Power forward / center |
| Number | 10, 11, 20, 4, 6, 33, 18 |
| Coaching career | 1956–1974 |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1948–1949 | Oshkosh All-Stars |
| 1949–1951 | Syracuse Nationals |
| 1951–1952 | Baltimore Bullets |
| 1952–1954 | Rochester Royals |
| 1954–1956 | Milwaukee / St. Louis Hawks |
| 1956 | Fort Wayne Pistons |
| 1956–1957 | St. Louis Hawks |
| As coach: | |
| 1956–1958 | St. Louis Hawks |
| 1960–1963 | Syracuse Nationals |
| 1963–1966 | San Francisco Warriors |
| 1966–1968 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1968–1969 | Oakland Oaks |
| 1969–1971 | San Diego Rockets |
| 1971–1974 | Denver Rockets |
| Career highlights and awards | |
As player:
As coach: | |
| Career NBA playing statistics | |
| Points | 3,078 (6.0 ppg) |
| Rebound | 2,013 (4.5 rpg) |
| Assists | 857 (1.7 apg) |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
| Career coaching record | |
| ABA & NBA | 649–564 (.535) |
| Basketball Hall of Fame as coach | |
Alexander Murray Hannum (July 19, 1923 – January 18, 2002) was a professional basketball player and coach. Hannum coached two National Basketball Association (NBA) teams and one American Basketball Association (ABA) team to league championships. He had a combined NBA-ABA record of 649–564 (.535) in the regular season and 61–46 (.570) in the playoffs over 16 seasons. In 1998, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach.
Early life
Alexander Murray Hannum was born on July 19, 1923, in Los Angeles, California. He attended Hamilton High School, where he excelled in basketball.
College career
Hannum played at USC, where he was captain of the 1948 team.
Professional career
On May 10, 1948, Hannum was drafted by the Indianapolis Jets in the 4th round of the 1948 BAA Draft.
Oshkosh All-Stars (1948–1949)
Hannum played for the Oshkosh All-Stars from 1948 to 1949.
Syracuse Nationals (1949–1951)
Hannum played for the Syracuse Nationals from 1949 to 1951. Hannum is one of only three NBA players to receive more than six personal fouls in a single game (Don Otten and Cal Bowdler are the others). On December 26, 1950, Hannum received seven personal fouls in a game against the Boston Celtics.[1]
Baltimore Bullets (1951–1952)
On July 14, 1951, Hannum was traded by the Syracuse Nationals with Fred Scolari to the Baltimore Bullets for Red Rocha. Hannum played for the Baltimore Bullets from 1951 to 1952.
Rochester Royals (1952–1954)
On January 18, 1952, Hannum's player rights were sold by the Baltimore Bullets to the Rochester Royals. Hannum played for the Rochester Royals from 1952 to 1954.
Milwaukee / St. Louis Hawks (1954–1956)
On December 10, 1954, Hannum's player rights were sold by the Rochester Royals to the Milwaukee Hawks. Hannum played for the Milwaukee / St. Louis Hawks from 1954 to 1956.
Fort Wayne Pistons (1956)
Hannum signed and played for the Fort Wayne Pistons in 1956.
Return to St. Louis Hawks (1956–1957)
On December 17, 1956, Hannum signed as a free agent with the St. Louis Hawks. Hannum played for the St. Louis Hawks from 1956 to 1957.
Coaching career
St. Louis Hawks (1956–1958)
Midway through the 1956–57 season, Hannum was named player-coach of the St. Louis Hawks. He was actually the Hawks' third head coach that year. Red Holzman had been fired midway through the season in favor of Hannum's teammate, Slater Martin. However, Martin didn't want to be a coach and a player, and gave up the reins after only eight games. Hannum led the team to a 15–16 record for the rest of the season. Despite a losing overall record, the West was so weak that year (no team finished with a winning record) that the Hawks actually won the division title. They advanced all the way to the NBA Finals and lost to the Boston Celtics in seven games.
Hannum retired as a player after that season. A year later, led by Bob Pettit and Martin, the Hawks won their only NBA Championship over the Celtics in the NBA Finals. It is one of the only two seasons in Bill Russell's 13-year career in which the Celtics' center did not win an NBA championship.
Hannum coached the Wichita Vickers of the AAU National Industrial Basketball League in the 1958–59 and 1959–60 season.[2][3]
Syracuse Nationals (1960–1963)
Hannum returned to the NBA in 1960 with the Syracuse Nationals, advancing to the Eastern finals in his first season and losing in the first round two years in a row.
San Francisco Warriors (1963–1966)
Hannum had expressed interest in coaching the San Francisco Warriors when the team had moved to the region from Syracuse, New York in 1962. Eddie Gottlieb, the operator of the team, stated that Hannum was his third choice in mind next to Frank McGuire (who had coached the team the previous season) and Bob Feerick. McGuire elected to resign and Feerick went 31-49 before being fired. As such, Hannum was hired to coach the team for the 1963 season.[4] That year, the Warriors, bolstered by rookie Nate Thurmond to go with Wilt Chamberlain, went 48–32 and advanced all the way to the NBA Finals, losing to the Boston Celtics. Hannum was named NBA Coach of the Year after the season ended. The following year was a disaster, as the Warriors won just 17 games while trading Chamberlain to the Philadelphia 76ers at the All-Star break. Despite the arrival of draft pick Rick Barry in 1965, the Warriors went 35–45 and missed the playoffs by one game. Hannum was fired after the season ended.[5]
Philadelphia 76ers (1966–1968)
In 1966, Hannum was named the head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers. That team had moved from Syracuse three years earlier. He succeeded Dolph Schayes, who had been named coach after the move from Central New York. During his first season as coach, the 76ers had a record setting season as they started 46–4,[6] en route to a record of 68–13, the best record in league history at the time.[7] After a 129–103 win over the Pistons on March 3, 1967, he joined Red Auerbach as the only coaches to have won 60 games in a season at that period.[8] Hannum led the Sixers towards the 63rd victory, breaking the NBA-record for most wins in a single season, in an OT win over the Boston Celtics.[9] On March 14, 1967, he became the first coach to have won 65 games in a season.[10] Hannum then coached the Wilt Chamberlain-led Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA championship, ending the eight-year title streak of the Boston Celtics.[11] The 1967 Championship made him the first of only three head coaches in NBA history to win championships with two different teams (the other two are Phil Jackson and Pat Riley).
Oakland Oaks (1968–1969)
In 1968, Hannum was named head coach and executive vice president of the Oakland Oaks of the American Basketball Association. Hannum coached the Rick Barry-led Oaks to the 1969 ABA Championship, becoming the first of two coaches to win championships in both the NBA and ABA. Hannum won the ABA Coach of the Year honors the same season.
San Diego Rockets (1969–1971)
Hannum was head coach of the San Diego Rockets from 1969 to 1971.
Denver Rockets (1971–1974)
Hannum left his position as head coach of the San Diego Rockets of the NBA to become president, general manager and head coach of the ABA's Denver Rockets on April 8, 1971.[12] In his first season the Rockets lost their opening playoff match to the Texas Chaparrals. On June 13, 1972, Hannum bought control of the Rockets with A.G. "Bud" Fischer and Frank M. Goldberg. In the 1972–73 season Hannum coached the Rockets to the 1973 ABA Playoffs where they lost in the first round of the Western Division playoffs to the Indiana Pacers, 4 games to 1. Hannum returned the Rockets to the 1974 ABA Playoffs where they lost to the San Diego Conquistadors. On April 30, 1974, Hannum was dismissed as president, general manager and head coach of the Rockets.
Hannum's combined record (NBA and ABA), was 649–564 (.535) with a 61–46 record (.570) in the playoffs on 11 trips in 16 seasons.
Honors
Hannum was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998.
Thirteen Hall-of-Famers played for Hannum. In addition to Pettit, Chamberlain and Barry, he had also coached Cliff Hagan, Ed Macauley, Slater Martin, Dolph Schayes, Nate Thurmond, Billy Cunningham, Hal Greer, Elvin Hayes, Calvin Murphy and Chet Walker.
Personal life
Hannum, a native of Los Angeles, and graduate of the University of Southern California, died at the age of 78 in San Diego.[13]
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 |
Playing
NBA
Source[14]
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949–50 | Syracuse | 64 | – | .363 | .688 | – | 2.0 | 7.5 |
| 1950–51 | Syracuse | 63 | – | .368 | .543 | 4.8 | 1.9 | 7.5 |
| 1951–52 | Baltimore | 35* | 27.4 | .353 | .683 | 5.5 | 2.1 | 7.7 |
| 1951–52 | Rochester | 31* | 17.7 | .395 | .750 | 4.6 | 1.9 | 5.5 |
| 1952–53 | Rochester | 68 | 18.9 | .358 | .662 | 4.1 | 1.2 | 5.1 |
| 1953–54 | Rochester | 72 | 23.7 | .348 | .622 | 4.9 | 1.5 | 6.3 |
| 1954–55 | Milwaukee | 53 | 20.5 | .352 | .570 | 4.6 | 2.0 | 5.9 |
| 1955–56 | St. Louis | 71 | 20.8 | .322 | .604 | 4.8 | 2.2 | 5.4 |
| 1956–57 | Fort Wayne | 22 | 10.0 | .382 | .600 | 2.5 | .5 | 3.2 |
| 1956–57 | St. Louis | 37 | 11.4 | .327 | .694 | 2.8 | .5 | 3.3 |
| Career | 516 | 19.8 | .354 | .629 | 4.5 | 1.7 | 6.0 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Syracuse | 11 | – | .442 | .500 | – | .9 | 8.5 |
| 1951 | Syracuse | 7 | – | .436 | .800 | 6.7 | 2.4 | 6.0 |
| 1952 | Rochester | 6 | 24.3 | .381 | .615 | 4.3 | 1.3 | 6.7 |
| 1953 | Rochester | 3 | 17.3 | .400 | .375 | 1.3 | .7 | 3.7 |
| 1954 | Rochester | 6 | 17.8 | .414 | .625 | 3.7 | .8 | 6.5 |
| 1956 | St. Louis | 8 | 19.9 | .318 | .543 | 3.6 | 1.3 | 7.6 |
| 1957 | St. Louis | 2 | 3.0 | .000 | – | .0 | .0 | .0 |
| Career | 43 | 18.8 | .394 | .565 | 4.0 | 1.2 | 6.7 | |
Head coaching record
| Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win–loss % |
| Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PW–L % | Playoff win–loss % |
| Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis | 1956–57 | 31 | 15 | 16 | .484 | 1st in Western | 10 | 6 | 4 | .600 | Lost in NBA Finals |
| St. Louis | 1957–58 | 72 | 41 | 31 | .569 | 1st in Western | 11 | 8 | 3 | .727 | Won NBA Finals |
| Syracuse | 1960–61 | 79 | 38 | 41 | .481 | 3rd in Eastern | 8 | 4 | 4 | .500 | Lost Division finals |
| Syracuse | 1961–62 | 80 | 41 | 39 | .513 | 3rd in Eastern | 5 | 2 | 3 | .400 | Lost Division semifinals |
| Syracuse | 1962–63 | 80 | 48 | 32 | .600 | 2nd in Eastern | 8 | 4 | 4 | .500 | Lost Division semifinals |
| San Francisco | 1963–64 | 80 | 48 | 32 | .600 | 1st in Western | 8 | 4 | 4 | .500 | Lost in NBA Finals |
| San Francisco | 1964–65 | 80 | 17 | 63 | .213 | 5th in Western | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| San Francisco | 1965–66 | 80 | 35 | 45 | .438 | 4th in Western | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| Philadelphia | 1966–67 | 81 | 68 | 13 | .745 | 1st in Eastern | 15 | 11 | 4 | .733 | Won NBA Finals |
| Philadelphia | 1967–68 | 82 | 62 | 20 | .756 | 1st in Eastern | 13 | 7 | 6 | .538 | Lost Division finals |
| Oakland | 1968–69 | 78 | 60 | 18 | .769 | 1st in Western | 16 | 12 | 4 | .750 | Won ABA Finals |
| San Diego | 1969–70 | 56 | 18 | 38 | .321 | 7th in Western | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| San Diego | 1970–71 | 82 | 40 | 42 | .488 | 3rd in Pacific | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| Denver | 1971–72 | 84 | 34 | 50 | .405 | 4th in Western | 7 | 3 | 4 | .429 | Lost Division semifinals |
| Denver | 1972–73 | 84 | 47 | 37 | .565 | 3rd in Western | 5 | 1 | 4 | .200 | Lost Division semifinals |
| Denver | 1973–74 | 84 | 37 | 47 | .440 | 4th in Western | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| Career | 1,213 | 649 | 564 | .535 | 107 | 61 | 46 | .570 | |||
References
- ^ The Official NBA Basketball Encyclopedia. Villard Books. 1994. p. 388. ISBN 0-679-43293-0.
- ^ "Wichita Vickers Oilers Rosters".
- ^ "Wichita Vickers Oilers Rosters".
- ^ https://www.basketballnetwork.net/old-school/how-alex-hannum-made-the-1960s-warriors-go-from-non-playoffs-to-title-contenders
- ^ https://vault.si.com/vault/1967/05/08/the-waiting-made-it-sweeter
- ^ nba.com/history, Top 10 Teams in NBA History Archived May 2, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, accessed January 16, 2007
- ^ Sachare, Alex (2008). "NBA Encyclopedia Playoff Edition: The Best Team Ever". NBA.com.
- ^ "Philadelphia 76ers vs Detroit Pistons Box Score, March 3, 1967". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
- ^ "Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics Box Score, March 8, 1967". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
- ^ "Philadelphia 76ers at San Francisco Warriors Box Score, March 14, 1967". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
- ^ Corpuz (August 29, 2008). "1967 Philadelphia 76ers: Greatest NBA Championship Team Ever?". Bleacher Report. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
- ^ "Hannum Will Head A.B.A. Denver Club," United Press International (UPI), Thursday, April 8, 1971. Retrieved November 16, 2020
- ^ "NBA, ABA Coach Alex Hannum Dies". AP News. January 20, 2002. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
- ^ "Alex Hannum NBA stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com
- Basketball Reference statistics (as a coach)
- Alex Hannum at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
- 1923 births
- 2002 deaths
- Amateur Athletic Union men's basketball players
- American men's basketball coaches
- American men's basketball players
- Baltimore Bullets (1944–1954) players
- Basketball coaches from California
- Basketball players from Los Angeles
- Centers (basketball)
- Denver Rockets head coaches
- Fort Wayne Pistons players
- Indianapolis Jets draft picks
- Milwaukee Hawks players
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees
- National Basketball Association championship-winning head coaches
- Oakland Oaks executives
- Oakland Oaks head coaches
- Oshkosh All-Stars players
- Philadelphia 76ers head coaches
- Player-coaches
- Power forwards
- Rochester Royals players
- San Diego Rockets head coaches
- San Francisco Warriors head coaches
- St. Louis Hawks head coaches
- St. Louis Hawks players
- Syracuse Nationals head coaches
- Syracuse Nationals players
- USC Trojans men's basketball players