 Spector in 1948 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1920-10-17)October 17, 1920 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | June 18, 1987(1987-06-18) (aged 66) New York City, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | West Philadelphia (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) |
| College | Villanova (1940–1941) |
| Playing career | 1946–1950 |
| Position | Forward |
| Number | 12 |
| Career history | |
| 1946–1950 | Boston Celtics |
| Career statistics | |
| Points | 852 |
| Assist | 143 |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Arthur Edward Spector (nicknamed "Speed"; 17 October 1920 – 18 June 1987) was an American basketball player. He played as a forward for the Boston Celtics from 1946 to 1950.
Early life and education
Spector was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and lived in West Philadelphia. He was Jewish. His grandson is American former soccer player Jonathan Spector.
Spector attended and played basketball first at West Philadelphia High School, where he was team captain. He then played basketball at Villanova University, graduating in 1941.
Professional basketball
He was the first player ever to be signed by the Boston Celtics. Later, he was a scout for the Celtics. He played as a forward for the Celtics from 1946 to 1950.
He lived later in Newtown, Connecticut.
BAA and NBA career statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | FG% | Field-goal percentage | ||
| FT% | Free-throw percentage | APG | Assists per game | ||
| PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high | ||
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | FG% | FT% | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946–47 | Boston | 55 | .267 | .553 | .8 | 6.0 |
| 1947–48 | Boston | 48 | .276 | .652 | .4 | 4.0 |
| 1948–49 | Boston | 59 | .300 | .552 | 1.3 | 5.5 |
| 1949–50 | Boston | 7 | .167 | .250 | .4 | .7 |
| Career | 169 | .280 | .575 | .8 | 5.0 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | FG% | FT% | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | Boston | 3 | .222 | .500 | .0 | 2.0 |
| Career | 3 | .222 | .500 | .0 | 2.0 | |
References
- "These are (pretty much) all the nicknames in NBA history". February 25, 2019.
- ^ "Spector, Art : Jews in Sports @ Virtual Museum". Archived from the original on May 24, 2012. Retrieved June 15, 2010.
- ^ Charles Rosen. The Chosen Game: A Jewish Basketball History U of Nebraska Press, 2017.
- "World Cup / Meet America's Jewish players". Haaretz.
- "Two Jewish SoCal Soccer Players Head for World Cup". Jewish Journal. June 8, 2010.
- "The Morning News from Wilmington, Delaware on February 3, 1938 · Page 8". Newspapers.com. February 3, 1938.
- PaganoCORRESPONDENT, Rich (November 7, 2013). "Sports Flashback: Referee Pete D'Ambrosio a part of NBA history". Delco News Network.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - "Art Spector Player Profile, Boston Celtics, NBA Stats, NCAA Stats, Game Logs, Bests, Awards - RealGM". basketball.realgm.com.
- ^ "Celtics Forgotten 50: Part 1 — The Early Years". RSN.
- "ART SPECTOR".
- Neil Singelais. "Art Spector, first player signed to play for Celtics; at 70". Boston Globe. June 20, 1987. Retrieved on August 27, 2009.
- They Cleared the Lane: The NBA's Black Pioneers. U of Nebraska Press. March 2004. ISBN 9780803294547.
- Legendary Locals of Newtown. Arcadia. 2013. ISBN 9781467100717.
External links
- Profile at NBA.com
- 1920 births
- 1987 deaths
- Boston Celtics players
- Boston Celtics scouts
- American men's basketball players
- Basketball players from Philadelphia
- Forwards (basketball)
- Jewish American basketball players
- Jews from Pennsylvania
- NBA scouts
- West Philadelphia High School alumni
- Villanova Wildcats men's basketball players
- 20th-century American sportsmen