Arthur Cornelius Spoelstra (September 11, 1932 – April 9, 2008) was an American basketball player. A 6'9" center from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Spoelstra played college basketball at Western Kentucky. After graduating from WKU, he was drafted by the Rochester Royals in the 1954 NBA draft (fourth round, 34th pick overall). He played four seasons in the NBA for the Royals, Minneapolis Lakers and New York Knicks. He averaged 7.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game for his career.[1]
 Spoelstra as a junior at WKU | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 11, 1932 Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | April 9, 2008 (aged 75) Evansville, Indiana, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Godwin Heights (Grand Rapids, Michigan) |
| College | Western Kentucky (1951–1954) |
| NBA draft | 1954: 4th round, 34th overall pick |
| Selected by the Rochester Royals | |
| Playing career | 1954–1958 |
| Position | Center |
| Number | 20, 8, 27, 18 |
| Career history | |
| 1954–1957 | Rochester Royals |
| 1957–1958 | Minneapolis Lakers |
| 1958 | New York Knicks |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 2,012 (7.2 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 1,273 (4.6 rpg) |
| Assists | 266 (1.0 apg) |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Following his basketball career, Spoelstra worked in the insurance industry and the theatre. He died on April 9, 2008, in Evansville, Indiana.[2]
Career statistics
edit| 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 |
NBA
editSource[1]
Regular season
edit| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954–55 | Rochester | 70 | 16.1 | .398 | .692 | 4.1 | .8 | 6.1 |
| 1955–56 | Rochester | 72 | 22.8 | .392 | .685 | 6.1 | 1.3 | 8.5 |
| 1956–57 | Rochester | 69 | 17.0 | .388 | .733 | 3.2 | .8 | 7.6 |
| 1957–58 | Minneapolis | 50 | 22.0 | .399 | .667 | 5.6 | 1.0 | 7.6 |
| 1957–58 | New York | 17 | 12.2 | .303 | .730 | 3.0 | .4 | 3.9 |
| Career | 278 | 18.9 | .391 | .693 | 4.6 | 1.0 | 7.2 | |
Playoffs
edit| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Rochester | 3 | 9.3 | .500 | 1.000 | 3.0 | .0 | 5.0 |
References
edit- ^ a b "Art Spoelstra NBA stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
- ^ Mathews, Garret (April 11, 2008). "When the NBA was a long ride and a poor paycheck". Evansville Courier & Press. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
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