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Paul Napolitano

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Paul Napolitano
Personal information
Born(1923-02-03)February 3, 1923
Clayton, California
DiedJune 22, 1997(1997-06-22) (aged 74)
Martinez, California
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High schoolMcClymonds
(Oakland, California)
CollegeSan Francisco
(1942–1943, 1945–1946)
BAA draft1947: 6th round, 54th overall pick
Selected by the St. Louis Bombers
Playing career1945–1949
PositionForward / guard
Career history
1945–1946San Francisco Dardis Dandies
1946–1947Oakland Bittners
1947–1948Minneapolis Lakers
1948Indianapolis Jets
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Paul Walter Napolitano (February 3, 1923 – June 22, 1997) was an American basketball player.[1] He played college basketball for the University of San Francisco before going on to play professionally. In 1948, he won the National Basketball League championship and the World Professional Basketball Tournament with the Minneapolis Lakers. A good shooter,[2] Napolitano was known for his one-handed jumpshot at a time when two-handed shots where the norm, with coach John Kundla calling it the "California shot".[3][4]

High school career

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Napolitano was a star center for McClymonds High School in Oakland, California[5] and was named the O.A.L. player of the year and to the Oakland All-City Quintet in 1941.[6]

Playing career

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Napolitano's college career at the University of San Francisco was interrupted by World War II and in 1943, he joined the United States Coast Guard.[7] He played basketball for the Coast Guard's Sealions alongside Jim Pollard.[8][9]

After World War II, Pollard played amateur basketball for one season with the Dardi Dandies of the Amateur Athletic Union.[10] The following season, he joined the Oakland Bittners in the same league.[11] He played one season with the Bittners, again alongside Pollard,[12] and was named an AAU All-American that year[13] while helping the team finish as a runner-up to the AAU championship.

Later he was selected in the 1947 BAA Draft by the St. Louis Bombers.[1] The same year, both Napolitano and Pollard joined the Minneapolis Lakers of the National Basketball League.[14] Playing the guard position,[15] he averaged 3.0 points in 52 regular seasons games.[16] In April 1948, he helped the Lakers win the World Professional Basketball Tournament, defeating the New York Renaissance 75–71 in the title game, behind George Mikans 40 points.[17] The same month, he helped the Lakers win the 1948 NBL championship.[18]

He was released by the Lakers prior to the start of the following season.[19] He later signed with the Indianapolis Jets where he appeared in one game before being released in December 1948.[20]

Later life

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Following his professional career, Napolitano continued to play amateur basketball.[21] He was a bar manager and owner[22] for several years and later worked as a bartender at Original Joe's in San Francisco.[23]

Death

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On June 22, 1997, Napolitano and his wife, Pauline, were killed in a mobile home fire in Pacheco, California. Napolitano died soon after he was taken to an area hospital while his wife was declared dead at the scene. Fire investigators said that it appeared to be an accident and was possibly started by a cigarette or electrical problems.[23]

BAA career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played
 FG%  Field-goal percentage
 FT%  Free-throw percentage
 APG  Assists per game
 PPG  Points per game

Regular season

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Year Team GP FG% FT% APG PPG
1948–49 Indianapolis 1 .000 .000 .0 .0
Career 1 .000 .000 .0 .0

References

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  1. ^ a b Paul Napolitano. basketball-reference.com. Retrieved on January 30, 2013.
  2. ^ "Paul Napolitano". Quad-City Times. November 9, 1947. p. 42. Retrieved March 15, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. One of the outstanding sharp-shooters on the floor today with the Minneapolis Lakers will be Paul Napolitano. The clever cage artist is a famous AAU star and former Oakland flash. Napolitano will be one of the main problems of the Blackhawks in the league opener. Open access icon
  3. ^ "Napolitano's California shot hits the hoop". Times, the Picture Paper. November 11, 1947. p. 32. Retrieved March 15, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. ^ "Napolitano to flip 'em in". The Minneapolis Star. December 24, 1947. p. 15. Retrieved March 15, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. ^ Heimie Petchenik (December 11, 1940). "Oakland boasts new prep cage sensation!". The San Francisco Examiner. p. 29. Retrieved March 15, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  6. ^ Heimie Petchenik (March 4, 1941). "Oakland All-City Quintet selected". The San Francisco Examiner. p. 22. Retrieved March 15, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  7. ^ "Paul Napolitano joins Sealions". The San Francisco Examiner. April 16, 1943. p. 21. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  8. ^ "3 tied for cage lead". The San Francisco Examiner. December 24, 1943. p. 18. Retrieved March 15, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Closed access icon
  9. ^ Harry Borba (January 25, 1944). "Watches, Other Awards for Cagers". The San Francisco Examiner. p. 21. Retrieved March 27, 2022. Open access icon
  10. ^ Bob Brachman (March 22, 1946). "Dons beat Dandies". The San Francisco Examiner. pp. 18, 20. Retrieved March 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  11. ^ "Napolitano joins Bittners". Oakland Tribune. November 30, 1946. p. 13. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  12. ^ Emmons Byrne (February 13, 1947). "Bittners, L.A. in clash saturday". Oakland Tribune. p. 27. Retrieved March 15, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Closed access icon
  13. ^ "Title won by Bittners". The San Francisco Examiner. March 9, 1947. p. 25. Retrieved March 15, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Closed access icon
  14. ^ "Pollard, Napolitano turn pro; Will play for Minneapolis". The San Francisco Examiner. September 11, 1947. p. 31. Retrieved March 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  15. ^ Bill Carlson (December 17, 1947). "Napolitano still a guard". The Minneapolis Star. p. 43. Retrieved March 15, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Tonight, coach Johnny Kundla will continue his experiment with Paul Napolitano as a guard. Sunday he was successful, with Napolitano's long shots opening the Anderson defense and permitting the Lakers' "inside game" to work. Thats how the Lakers won. Closed access icon
  16. ^ "Paul Napolitano basketball statistics on StatsCrew.com". statscrew.com. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  17. ^ Bill Carlson (April 12, 1948). "Lakers 'World Champions' now". The Minneapolis Star. p. 23. Retrieved March 15, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Closed access icon
  18. ^ "Lakers annex title 75-65". Star Tribune. April 18, 1948. p. 33. Retrieved March 15, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Closed access icon
  19. ^ "Lakers start drills today". Star Tribune. October 4, 1948. p. 21. Retrieved March 15, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  20. ^ Angelo Angelopolous (December 21, 1948). "Risen, Royals call on Jets". The Indianapolis News. p. 26. Retrieved March 15, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Closed access icon
  21. ^ "Paul Napolitano Tops City Cage Loops's Sharpshooters". Concord Transcript. December 17, 1954. p. 21. Retrieved March 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  22. ^ "Police arrest on theft charge". Contra Costa Times. December 18, 1960. p. 2. Retrieved March 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  23. ^ a b "EAST BAY / Ex-NBA Player, Wife Die in Mobile Home Fire". SFGate. June 24, 1997. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
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