Philip Jordon (September 12, 1933 – June 7, 1965) was an American professional basketball player. He played seven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Phil Jordon
Personal information
Born(1933-09-12)September 12, 1933
Lakeport, California, U.S.
DiedJune 7, 1965(1965-06-07) (aged 31)
Sumner, Washington, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High schoolWillits (Willits, California)
CollegeWhitworth (1952–1955)
NBA draft1956: 6th round, 42nd overall pick
Selected by the Minneapolis Lakers
Playing career1956–1963
PositionPower forward / center
Number18, 16, 8, 29
Career history
19561957New York Knicks
19571959Detroit Pistons
19591961Cincinnati Royals
19611962New York Knicks
1962–1963St. Louis Hawks
Career NBA statistics
Points4,833 (10.9 ppg)
Rebounds3,028 (6.9 rpg)
Assists769 (1.7 apg)
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Professional career edit

A 6'10" center from Whitworth University, Jordon played seven seasons (1956–1963) in the National Basketball Association as a member of the New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons, Cincinnati Royals, and St. Louis Hawks. He averaged 10.9 points per game and 6.9 rebounds per game in his career.[1]

Jordon was a member of the Knicks' team that surrendered 100 points to the Philadelphia Warriors' Wilt Chamberlain on March 2, 1962, but he missed the game due to what was officially reported as influenza. Although it is speculated that Jordon was also suffering from a hangover, this claim has been disputed by Knicks teammate Willie Naulls.[2] His absence is often cited as a reason for Chamberlain's high point total since it left the Knicks with only one player, Darrall Imhoff, large enough to guard Chamberlain.[3]

Personal life edit

Jordon drowned after a rafting accident in Washington state on June 7, 1965. His raft, which was carrying four men, broke apart, and his body was discovered floating in Puget Sound on June 27.[4]

Jordon was of Wailaki and the Nomlaki Native American descent.[2] His son, Jon Jordon, played for Central Washington University.[2]

Career statistics edit

Legend
  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
 *  Led the league

NBA edit

Source[1]

Regular season edit

Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1956–57 New York 9 10.1 .367 .667 3.8 .2 4.9
1957–58 New York 12 6.3 .471 .833 2.0 .4 3.1
Detroit 46 17.9 .409 .678 6.0 .7 9.0
1958–59 Detroit 72* 28.6 .413 .762 8.3 1.2 14.3
1959–60 Cincinnati 75 27.5 .393 .716 8.3 2.8 13.4
1960–61 Cincinnati 48* 23.8 .395 .731 8.8 2.2 10.9
New York 31* 29.8 .374 .701 8.1 2.4 13.1
1961–62 New York 76 28.9 .392 .571 6.3 2.1 11.9
1962–63 St. Louis 73 19.5 .400 .554 4.4 1.4 6.5
Career 442 24.4 .398 .694 6.9 1.7 10.9

Playoffs edit

Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1958 Detroit 6 10.3 .400 .750 2.0 .3 6.5
1959 Detroit 3 33.0 .333 .833 8.0 1.7 15.0
1963 St. Louis 7 11.7 .375 .750 2.1 1.0 3.0
Career 16 15.2 .364 .786 3.2 .9 6.6

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Phil Jordon NBA stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Barber, Phil (August 14, 2013). "Redwood Empire's forgotten NBA big man". The Press Democrat. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  3. ^ Neyer, Rob (May 30, 2005). "Rewinding Basketball's Clock To a Record-Setting Moment". New York Observer. Archived from the original on March 20, 2012. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  4. ^ Independent Star-News (Pasadena, California). 27 June 1965.