Paul Napolitano
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]
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 3, 1923 Clayton, California |
| Died | June 22, 1997 (aged 74) Martinez, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | McClymonds (Oakland, California) |
| College | San Francisco (1942–1943, 1945–1946) |
| BAA draft | 1947: 6th round, 54th overall pick |
| Selected by the St. Louis Bombers | |
| Playing career | 1945–1949 |
| Position | Forward / guard |
| Career history | |
| 1945–1946 | San Francisco Dardis Dandies |
| 1946–1947 | Oakland Bittners |
| 1947–1948 | Minneapolis Lakers |
| 1948 | Indianapolis Jets |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
High school career
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
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
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
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
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | ||||
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | ||||
| FT% | Free-throw percentage | ||||
| APG | Assists per game | ||||
| PPG | Points per game | ||||
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | FG% | FT% | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948–49 | Indianapolis | 1 | .000 | .000 | .0 | .0 |
| Career | 1 | .000 | .000 | .0 | .0 | |
References
- Paul Napolitano. basketball-reference.com. Retrieved on January 30, 2013.
- "Paul Napolitano". Quad-City Times. 9 November 1947. p. 42. Retrieved 15 March 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.
- "Napolitano's California shot hits the hoop". Times, the Picture Paper. 11 November 1947. p. 32. Retrieved 15 March 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Napolitano to flip 'em in". The Minneapolis Star. 24 December 1947. p. 15. Retrieved 15 March 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- Heimie Petchenik (11 December 1940). "Oakland boasts new prep cage sensation!". The San Francisco Examiner. p. 29. Retrieved 15 March 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- Heimie Petchenik (4 March 1941). "Oakland All-City Quintet selected". The San Francisco Examiner. p. 22. Retrieved 15 March 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Paul Napolitano joins Sealions". The San Francisco Examiner. 16 April 1943. p. 21. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
- "3 tied for cage lead". The San Francisco Examiner. 24 December 1943. p. 18. Retrieved 15 March 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- Harry Borba (25 January 1944). "Watches, Other Awards for Cagers". The San Francisco Examiner. p. 21. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
- Bob Brachman (22 March 1946). "Dons beat Dandies". The San Francisco Examiner. pp. 18, 20. Retrieved 27 March 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Napolitano joins Bittners". Oakland Tribune. 30 November 1946. p. 13. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
- Emmons Byrne (13 February 1947). "Bittners, L.A. in clash saturday". Oakland Tribune. p. 27. Retrieved 15 March 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Title won by Bittners". The San Francisco Examiner. 9 March 1947. p. 25. Retrieved 15 March 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Pollard, Napolitano turn pro; Will play for Minneapolis". The San Francisco Examiner. 11 September 1947. p. 31. Retrieved 27 March 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- Bill Carlson (17 December 1947). "Napolitano still a guard". The Minneapolis Star. p. 43. Retrieved 15 March 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.
- "Paul Napolitano basketball statistics on StatsCrew.com". statscrew.com. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
- Bill Carlson (12 April 1948). "Lakers 'World Champions' now". The Minneapolis Star. p. 23. Retrieved 15 March 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Lakers annex title 75-65". Star Tribune. 18 April 1948. p. 33. Retrieved 15 March 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Lakers start drills today". Star Tribune. 4 October 1948. p. 21. Retrieved 15 March 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- Angelo Angelopolous (21 December 1948). "Risen, Royals call on Jets". The Indianapolis News. p. 26. Retrieved 15 March 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Paul Napolitano Tops City Cage Loops's Sharpshooters". Concord Transcript. 17 December 1954. p. 21. Retrieved 27 March 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Police arrest on theft charge". Contra Costa Times. 18 December 1960. p. 2. Retrieved 27 March 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- "EAST BAY / Ex-NBA Player, Wife Die in Mobile Home Fire". SFGate. June 24, 1997. Retrieved September 17, 2021.