![]() King from The Monticola, 1962
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Personal information | |
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Born |
Charleston, West Virginia |
August 16, 1928
Died | October 5, 2006 Naples, Florida |
(aged 78)
Nationality | American |
Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
Listed weight | 175 lb (79 kg) |
Career information | |
High school |
Stonewall Jackson (Charleston, West Virginia) |
College | Charleston (1946–1950) |
NBA draft | 1950 / Round: 8 / Pick: 89th overall |
Selected by the Chicago Stags | |
Playing career | 1951–1958 |
Position | Guard |
Number | 3, 15 |
Career history | |
As player: | |
1951–1956 | Syracuse Nationals |
1957–1958 | Cincinnati Royals |
As coach: | |
1957 | Morris Harvey College |
1958–1960 | West Virginia (Asst.) |
1961–1965 | West Virginia |
1966–1972 | Purdue |
Career highlights and awards | |
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Career statistics | |
Points | 4,219 (10.3 ppg) |
Rebounds | 1,606 (3.9 rpg) |
Assists | 1,958 (4.8 apg) |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
George Smith King, Jr. (August 16, 1928 – October 5, 2006) was an American professional basketball player and collegiate coach. He was born in Charleston, West Virginia.
George King attended Morris Harvey College (now the University of Charleston), where he led his team to four NCAA championship tournaments. He averaged 31.2 points per game in 1950 and scored a total of 2,535 points in 117 games in his college career. He received his A.B. degree in physical education in 1950. In both his junior and senior years, he was named West Virginia's Amateur Athlete of the Year.
George King was picked in the 8th round of the 1950 NBA draft. In 1955, King led the Syracuse Nationals to the Finals, where he hit the series-clinching free throw in Game 7 and had a key steal to win the championship. After five seasons with the Nationals, he spent his last season in the NBA with the Cincinnati Royals. He holds career averages of 10.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists a game in six seasons.
In 1956, King toured eleven Middle East countries with the Nationals for the Educational Exchange Service of the State Department. A year later, he became the first American to give basketball coaching clinics in Africa.
After his tenure with the Nationals, King spent a season coaching college basketball at his alma mater, Morris Harvey, before returning for his last season in the NBA with the Royals.
George King began his coaching career at West Virginia University as an assistant under head coach Fred Schaus. In 1961, he became the head coach after Schaus left for the chance to coach the Los Angeles Lakers. He coached the Mountaineers with an overall record of 102-43 and led them to three Southern Conference tournament championships and three NCAA Tournaments.