George Lehmann Explained

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:
  • All-EPBL Second Team (1967)

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]

Career statistics

NBA

Source[7]

Regular season

YearTeamGPMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
St. Louis55 9.0 .343 .814 .8 1.7 2.8
Atlanta11 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 11.9

Playoffs

Notes and References

  1. News: Cafone . Pete . George Lehmann Gets NBA Shot . December 1, 2024 . Courier-Post . August 12, 1967 . 22 . Newspapers.com.
  2. News: Council Expels Wake Cage Star . December 1, 2024 . Winston-Salem Journal . April 15, 1961 . 7 . Newspapers.com.
  3. News: Riverside, N.J. Gets 1st Pro . December 1, 2024 . The Bristol Daily Courier . August 22, 1964 . 13 . Newspapers.com.
  4. News: Jets Entertain Miners Tonight; Buy Sunbury Backcourt Player . December 1, 2024 . The Morning Call . December 7, 1963 . 13 . Newspapers.com.
  5. News: Revamped Trenton Test For Bullets on Sunday . December 1, 2024 . Courier-Post . December 24, 1964 . 23 . Newspapers.com.
  6. Web site: George Lehmann minor league basketball statistics . Stats Crew . December 2, 2024.
  7. Web site: George Lehmann NBA/ABA Stats. 29 June 2024. Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. en.
  8. Bill Hass. "Roots of 3-pointer in wide open ABA". Greensboro News and Record. 3 March 1991.
  9. Bill Buchalter. "Shooting clinic free to basketball players". The Orlando Sentinel. 15 October 1991.
  10. Jeff White. "Hoop wizards stress need for discipline". Richmond Times-Dispatch. 14 December 1988.
  11. Leonard Laye. "Notable Cougars". The Charlotte Observer. 19 March 2003.
  12. Lou Misselhorn. "Catching up with ------Nicole Lehmann Tharrington". Burlington County Times. 23 January 2005.
  13. Ted Silary. "It's in the genes: Like his father, Lehmann is able to score from long range". Philadelphia Daily News. 21 November 1989.
  14. Web site: George A. Lehmann. Weber Funeral Home Inc.. November 2024. 12 November 2024.