Joe Fulks
Encyclopedia
Joseph Franklin "Jumping Joe" Fulks (October 26, 1921 - March 21, 1976) was an American
professional basketball
player, sometimes called "the first of the high-scoring forwards". He was one of the first players, albeit posthumously, enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978. The 63 points Fulks scored on February 10, 1949, was the most in an NBA
game (then called the Basketball Association of America
) until Elgin Baylor
scored 64 points on November 8, 1959. Fulks' 63-point outburst came during a Warriors 108-87 victory over the Indianapolis Jets
. Fulks made 27 of 56 field goal attempts and nine of 14 free throws. Along the way he shattered the record for most points in one half (33), field goals, and field goal attempts.
Fulks was born in Birmingham
, Kentucky
, a small town in the state's far-western Purchase region
that was inundated in the 1940s after the Tennessee Valley Authority
dammed the Tennessee River
to create Kentucky Lake
. He played college ball at Murray State University
for two years before leaving school to join the Marines
.
Fulks joined the BAA's Philadelphia Warriors in 1946 at age 25; and in his rookie season, his team won the BAA title in 1947. During his career, he was considered the league's greatest offensive player. During his first three seasons, Fulks averaged 23.9 points per game at a time when, before the advent of the shot-clock, teams rarely scored over 70 points in a game. In his first season in 1946 - 47, he won the league's first scoring title with a 23.2 points per game average. He had a career best 26.0 points per game average in the 1948-49 season.
Fulks set the BAA/NBA single game scoring record four different times. On December 3, 1946, in just his eight game as a professional, Fulks became the league's record holder for most points scored in a single game when he scored 37 points, making 16 field goals and five free throws, in Philadelphia's 76 to 68 win over the Providence Steam Rollers. Just 20 games later on January 14, 1947, Fulks set a new single game scoring record when he scored 41 points, making 15 field goals and 11 free throws, in Philadelphia's 104 to 74 win over the Toronto Huskies
. The following season on December 18, 1948, Fulks again set a single game scoring record when he scored 47 points, making 18 field goals and 11 free throws, in Philadelphia's 71 to 99 loss to the New York Knickerbockers
. For the fourth and final time, Fulks set a new single game scoring record when he scored 63 points on February 10, 1949.
The 6'5" (1.96 m) Fulks was known both for his athletic drives to the basket as well as his shooting. He was perhaps most remembered as one of the pioneers of the modern jump shot. In 1971, he was one of 25 players named to the NBA Silver Anniversary Team.
Upon his retirement he returned to Marshall County, Kentucky
where he lived the remainder of his life. He worked at the Kentucky State Penitentiary
as the prison recreation director. He was shot and killed on March 21, 1976, by Gregg Bannister, the son of his girlfriend, Roberta Bannister, during an argument over a handgun.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player, sometimes called "the first of the high-scoring forwards". He was one of the first players, albeit posthumously, enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978. The 63 points Fulks scored on February 10, 1949, was the most in an NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
game (then called the Basketball Association of America
Basketball Association of America
The Basketball Association of America was a professional basketball league in North America, founded in 1946. The league merged with the National Basketball League in 1949, forming the National Basketball Association ...
) until Elgin Baylor
Elgin Baylor
Elgin Gay Baylor is a retired Hall of Fame American basketball player and former NBA general manager who played 13 seasons as a forward for the NBA's Minneapolis Lakers/Los Angeles Lakers....
scored 64 points on November 8, 1959. Fulks' 63-point outburst came during a Warriors 108-87 victory over the Indianapolis Jets
Indianapolis Jets
The Indianapolis Jets were a Basketball Association of America team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The team lasted for one season and was later replaced by a new franchise.-Franchise history:...
. Fulks made 27 of 56 field goal attempts and nine of 14 free throws. Along the way he shattered the record for most points in one half (33), field goals, and field goal attempts.
Fulks was born in Birmingham
Birmingham, Kentucky
Birmingham, Kentucky was a town in Kentucky that was destroyed by the creation of Kentucky Lake.Birmingham was located on land owned by Thomas A. Grubbs in 1849, was laid out and platted in 1853 and incorporated in 1860. Early residents included L. S. Locker, Thomas Love and Thomas C. Grubbs...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, a small town in the state's far-western Purchase region
Jackson Purchase
The Jackson Purchase is a region in the state of Kentucky bounded by the Mississippi River to the west, the Ohio River to the north, and Tennessee River to the east. Although technically part of Kentucky at its statehood in 1792, the land did not come under definitive U.S. control until 1818, when...
that was inundated in the 1940s after the Tennessee Valley Authority
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected...
dammed the Tennessee River
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...
to create Kentucky Lake
Kentucky Lake
Kentucky Lake is a major navigable reservoir along the Tennessee River in Kentucky and Tennessee. Created in 1944 by the Tennessee Valley Authority's impounding of the Tennessee River by Kentucky Dam, the lake is the largest artificial lake by surface area in the United States east of the...
. He played college ball at Murray State University
Murray State University
Murray State University, located in the city of Murray, Kentucky, is a four-year public university with approximately 10,400 students. The school is Kentucky’s only public university to be listed in the U.S.News & World Report regional university top tier for the past 20 consecutive years...
for two years before leaving school to join the Marines
Marines
Marines may refer to :* The plural of Marine , a member of a naval infantry force* Chiba Lotte Marines, a Japanese professional baseball team* "The Marines", an episode of the Adult Swim animated television series, Aqua Teen Hunger Force'People...
.
Fulks joined the BAA's Philadelphia Warriors in 1946 at age 25; and in his rookie season, his team won the BAA title in 1947. During his career, he was considered the league's greatest offensive player. During his first three seasons, Fulks averaged 23.9 points per game at a time when, before the advent of the shot-clock, teams rarely scored over 70 points in a game. In his first season in 1946 - 47, he won the league's first scoring title with a 23.2 points per game average. He had a career best 26.0 points per game average in the 1948-49 season.
Fulks set the BAA/NBA single game scoring record four different times. On December 3, 1946, in just his eight game as a professional, Fulks became the league's record holder for most points scored in a single game when he scored 37 points, making 16 field goals and five free throws, in Philadelphia's 76 to 68 win over the Providence Steam Rollers. Just 20 games later on January 14, 1947, Fulks set a new single game scoring record when he scored 41 points, making 15 field goals and 11 free throws, in Philadelphia's 104 to 74 win over the Toronto Huskies
Toronto Huskies
The Toronto Huskies were a team in the Basketball Association of America during the 1946–47 season, based in Toronto, Ontario...
. The following season on December 18, 1948, Fulks again set a single game scoring record when he scored 47 points, making 18 field goals and 11 free throws, in Philadelphia's 71 to 99 loss to the New York Knickerbockers
New York Knickerbockers
The New York Knickerbockers were one of the first organized baseball teams which played under a set of rules similar to the game today. The team was founded by Alexander Cartwright, considered one of the original developers of modern baseball....
. For the fourth and final time, Fulks set a new single game scoring record when he scored 63 points on February 10, 1949.
The 6'5" (1.96 m) Fulks was known both for his athletic drives to the basket as well as his shooting. He was perhaps most remembered as one of the pioneers of the modern jump shot. In 1971, he was one of 25 players named to the NBA Silver Anniversary Team.
Upon his retirement he returned to Marshall County, Kentucky
Marshall County, Kentucky
Marshall County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 30,125. The 2007 Census Bureau population estimate was 31,258. Its county seat is Benton. It was a dry county until 2004, when residents of Calvert City voted to allow sales of liquor by the drink in...
where he lived the remainder of his life. He worked at the Kentucky State Penitentiary
Kentucky State Penitentiary
The Kentucky State Penitentiary, also known as the "Castle on the Cumberland," is a prison of the Kentucky Department of Corrections located in Eddyville, Kentucky. The state's only maximum security male facility, the prison is located on Lake Barkley on the Cumberland River, about from downtown...
as the prison recreation director. He was shot and killed on March 21, 1976, by Gregg Bannister, the son of his girlfriend, Roberta Bannister, during an argument over a handgun.
See also
- List of National Basketball Association players with most points in a game
- List of Individual NBA Scoring Champions
External links
- Official NBA profile
- Basketball Hall of Fame profile
- College & NBA stats @ basketballreference.com