Shaler Halimon Explained

Shaler Halimon Jr. (March 30, 1945 – April 19, 2021) was an American basketball player. He played five seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and American Basketball Association (ABA).

Halimon, a 6'5" swingman from Tampa, Florida, played college basketball at Imperial Valley Community College and Utah State University. Halimon averaged 25.1 points and 10.2 rebounds per game in his two seasons at Utah State.^[1]

At the conclusion of his college career, Halimon was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the 1968 NBA draft (14th overall pick). He played in the NBA for the 76ers, Chicago Bulls, Portland Trail Blazers and Atlanta Hawks and for the Dallas Chaparrals of the ABA. He averaged 6.7 points and 3.4 rebounds per game in the NBA and 6.2 points and 3.1 rebounds in the ABA.^[2]

In 1973, Halimon retired from the game. He worked first as a social worker in San Antonio, Texas, then as a city bus driver in Portland, Oregon.^[3] He became a driver for TriMet, the transit agency for the Portland metropolitan area, in 1978.^[4] The agency named him its "Bus operator of the year" in 2010".^{[4] [5]} He retired from TriMet in 2012.^[6]

Halimon died on April 19, 2021.^{[7] [8]}

Career statistics

NBA/ABA

Source^[2]

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	PPG
	Philadelphia	50		7.0	.449		.313	1.7	.4	3.7
	Chicago	38		13.6	.393		.671	1.8	1.8	6.3
	Chicago	2	0	11.5	.125		.000	1.0	2.0	1.0
	Portland	79		20.6	.387		.665	5.3	2.7	8.9
	Atlanta	1		4.0	-		-	.0	.0	.0
	Dallas (ABA)	55		14.0	.418	-	.721	2.8	1.3	5.6
	Dallas (ABA)	29		12.2	.396	.143	.622	1.9	1.7	4.9
Career (NBA)		170		14.8	.397		.622	3.4	1.8	6.7
Career (ABA)		84		13.4	.411	.111	.691	2.5	1.4	5.4
Career (overall)		254		14.4	.400	.111	.644	3.1	1.7	6.2

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	PPG
1969	Philadelphia	1	2.0	.500		-	.0	.0	2.0
1970	Chicago	5	21.2	.344		.667	4.0	3.6	8.8
1972	Dallas (ABA)	4	13.8	.529	-	.571	3.3	1.8	5.5
Career (NBA)		6	18.0	.349		.667	3.3	3.0	7.7
Career (overall)		10	16.3	.388	-	.600	3.3	2.5	6.8

Notes and References

1. Web site: Shaler Halimon Draft Review profile . Draft Review . February 10, 2013.
2. Web site: Shaler Halimon NBA stats. Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. August 15, 2024.
3. Web site: Maxey. Wendell. Ex-Blazer Shaler Halimon knows route. May 18, 2010. ESPN. December 16, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20180425040713/http://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story?page=maxey/100518_shaler_halimon_bus_driver&sportCat=nba . April 25, 2018 . live.
4. News: Rose . Joseph . Joseph Rose (journalist) . TriMet names former NBA journeyman, Blazer bus driver of the year . December 16, 2021 . . April 21, 2010.
5. News: Freeman . Joe . Shaler Halimon, one of the original Portland Trail Blazers and long-time TriMet bus driver, dead at 76. December 16, 2021 . . April 20, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210425190641/https://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/2021/04/shaler-halimon-one-of-the-original-portland-trail-blazers-and-long-time-trimet-bus-driver-dead-at-76.html . April 25, 2021 . live.
6. News: Eggers . Kerry . Ex-Blazers' Home Court: A look at former players who have chosen to stay Rip City . December 16, 2021 . . March 30, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180409204424/https://pamplinmedia.com/pt/12-sports/352229-221078-ex-blazers-home-court-portland . April 9, 2018 . live.
7. Web site: Statement From the Portland Trail Blazers on the Passing of Shaler Halimon. NBA. April 19, 2021. April 19, 2021.
8. Web site: Death notices . . Vancouver, Washington . December 16, 2021 . April 24, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210505161620/https://www.columbian.com/news/2021/apr/24/death-notices-2574/ . May 5, 2021 . live.