George Lehmann | |
Height Ft: | 6 |
Height In: | 3 |
Weight Lb: | 180 |
Birth Date: | 1 May 1941 |
Birth Place: | Riverside Township, New Jersey, U.S. |
Highschool: | Camden Catholic (Camden, New Jersey) |
College: | Campbell (1959–1960) |
Draft Year: | 1963 |
Career Start: | 1962 |
Career End: | 1974 |
Career Number: | 20, 12, 32, 26, 21, 24 |
Career Position: | Point guard / shooting guard |
Years1: | 1962–1963 |
Team1: | Sunbury Mercuries |
Years2: | 1963–1964 |
Team2: | Allentown Jets |
Years3: | 1964–1967 |
Team3: | Trenton Colonials |
Years4: | – |
Team4: | St. Louis / Atlanta Hawks |
Years5: | 1968–1969 |
Team5: | Los Angeles Stars |
Years6: | 1969–1970 |
Team6: | New York Nets |
Years7: | 1970 |
Team7: | Miami Floridians |
Years8: | 1970–1972 |
Team8: | Carolina Cougars |
Years9: | 1972–1974 |
Team9: | Memphis Pros / Tams |
Highlights: |
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George Lehmann (May 1, 1941 – November 8, 2024) was an American professional basketball player.
Lehmann played only one year of high school basketball as a freshman.[1] He played basketball at Campbell Junior College (now Campbell University) during the 1959–60 season and was third in the nation in scoring amongst junior college players.[2] He transferred to Wake Forest University and played on the freshman team during the 1960–61 sesaon.[2] In April 1961, Lehmann was expelled by Wake Forest for an honor code violation.[2]
Lehmann started his professional career in the Eastern Professional Basketball League (EPBL) with the Sunbury Mercuries during the 1962–63 season.[3] He was invited to training camp by the St. Louis Hawks in 1963 but declined to move because his family lived in Camden, New Jersey. Lehmann was purchased by the Allentown Jets five games into the 1963–64 season.[4] He was traded to the Trenton Colonials in 1964,[5] and then spent the following three seasons with the team.[1] Lehmann was selected to the All-EPBL Second Team in 1967.[6]
Lehmann played in the NBA and ABA from 1967 to 1974 as a member of the St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Stars, New York Nets, Miami Floridians, Carolina Cougars, Memphis Pros, and Memphis Tams. He averaged 11.9 points per game and 4.5 assists per game in his professional career and holds the ABA's third best career three-point field goal percentage (.365).[7] Lehmann was the first professional basketball player to make more than 40% of his three-point attempts in a season, which he did in 1970–71.[8]
After retiring as a player, Lehmann hosted basketball clinics,[9] worked for Pony Shoes,[10] and owned a T-shirt business.[11] His children, Nicole and Todd, played college basketball at North Carolina State University and Drexel University, respectively.[12] [13]
Lehmann died on November 8, 2024, at the age of 83.[14]
Source[7]
Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
St. Louis | 55 | 9.0 | .343 | .814 | .8 | 1.7 | 2.8 | ||||
Atlanta | 11 | 12.5 | .388 | .667 | .8 | 2.5 | 5.5 | ||||
L.A. Stars (ABA) | 32 | 29.3 | .415 | .350 | .805 | 2.3 | 5.0 | 18.9 | |||
L.A. Stars (ABA) | 10 | 23.7 | .295 | .250 | .917 | 1.2 | 2.8 | 11.6 | |||
N.Y. Nets (ABA) | 46 | 14.8 | .370 | .325 | .862 | .8 | 2.3 | 7.5 | |||
Miami (ABA) | 25 | 43.1 | .405 | .329 | .815 | 2.8 | 5.0 | 17.9 | |||
Carolina (ABA) | 83 | 35.2 | .451 | .403* | .836 | 2.4 | 5.6 | 17.3 | |||
Carolina (ABA) | 38 | 36.8 | .499 | .392 | .897 | 1.9 | 7.8 | 16.0 | |||
Memphis (ABA) | 15 | 34.8 | .375 | .297 | .839 | 1.8 | 7.7 | 15.8 | |||
Memphis (ABA) | 28 | 26.9 | .396 | .388 | .824 | 1.2 | 5.4 | 9.9 | |||
Memphis (ABA) | 33 | 16.8 | .384 | .360 | .947 | 1.1 | 3.5 | .4 | .1 | 5.2 | |
Career (NBA) | 66 | 9.6 | .356 | .782 | .8 | 1.8 | 3.2 | ||||
Career (ABA) | 310 | 29.3 | .422 | .365 | .845 | 1.8 | 5.0 | .4 | .1 | 13.7 | |
Career (overall) | 376 | 25.8 | .418 | .365 | .841 | 1.6 | 4.5 | .4 | .1 | 11.9Playoffs |