Jim Paxson, Sr.

James Edward Paxson Sr. (December 19, 1932 – October 28, 2014) was an American professional basketball player.

A 6'6" swingman, Paxson attended the University of Dayton during the mid-1950s, averaging 10.9 points per game in his collegiate career. He helped the Flyers attain two consecutive second-place finishes in the National Invitation Tournament. After his sophomore year, Paxson Sr. was drafted into the Army during the Korean War. He spent two years in the Army and played with the Armed Forced All-Stars who won the Pan-Am games in Mexico in 1955 before returning for his final season in 1955–56. He averaged 15.5 points per game as a senior as the Flyers went 25-4 and lost to Louisville in the NIT championship game. After graduating in 1956, he was selected by the Minneapolis Lakers with the third pick of the NBA draft, then played two seasons in the NBA with the Lakers and Cincinnati Royals. When his basketball career ended, he entered the insurance business.

Paxson's sons Jim and John both played in the NBA and have also served as NBA general managers. His son Michael played collegiately at Ohio University for one year.

Paxson died on October 28, 2014. He was 81.

Career statistics

NBA Source

Regular season Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG Minneapolis 71 17.9 .285 .720 3.7 1.2 6.3 Cincinnati 67 26.8 .352 .733 5.2 2.1 9.8Career 138 22.2 .323 .727 4.5 1.6 8.0

Playoffs Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG Minneapolis 5 10.8 .333 .500 2.8 .6 5.0 Cincinnati 2 15.0 .150 .750 4.0 2.5 6.0Career 7 12.0 .255 .591 3.1 1.1 5.3