Paul Arizin

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Arizin did not play basketball at La Salle College High School, failing to make the team in his only tryout as a senior. He made the Villanova team in 1947, his sophomore year, and played for three years. In 1950 he was named the collegiate basketball player of the year after leading the nation with 25.3 points per game. During a game on February 12, 1949, Arizin scored 85 points against the Naval Air Materials Center roster. Arizin also scored at least 100 points in a game while playing for Villanova, but the game is not recognized by the NCAA because the opponent was a junior college.

In Their Own Story

The source highlights the intense scoring battles of the early 1950s where Paul Arizin and Neil Johnston were the primary weapons for Philadelphia. Between the 1951–52 and 1956–57 seasons, these two players secured five of the six available NBA scoring titles, a feat that defined their era. Their partnership was instrumental in leading the Warriors to the 1955–56 championship, where they overcame the Fort Wayne Pistons in a decisive four-game series. While specific game-by-game narratives for Arizin are not detailed in the text beyond his role as a star and scoring title winner, his contribution is framed alongside Johnston's rebounding dominance and Gola's presence as the trio that carried the team through its most successful Philadelphia years before Wilt Chamberlain arrived.

Reader's Guide

Arizin was selected by the Philadelphia Warriors with their first pick in the 1950 NBA draft. He averaged 17.2 points per game in his rookie season and was named NBA Rookie of the Year. He led the league in scoring during the 1951–52 and 1956–57 seasons and led in field goal percentage in 1951–52. Arizin sat out the 1952–53 and 1953–54 NBA seasons while serving in the Marines during the Korean War. He teamed with center Neil Johnston to form the best offensive one-two punch in the NBA at the time, leading the Warriors to the 1956 NBA title. Arizin chose to retire from the NBA rather than move with the Warriors to San Francisco. At the time of his retirement, no player had retired from the game with a higher scoring average (21.9 points per game) in his final season. Arizin played in a total of 10 NBA All-Star Games (he was the 1952 NBA All-Star Game MVP) and was named to the All-NBA First-Team in 1952, 1956, and 1957. After retiring from the NBA, Arizin played for three seasons with the Camden Bullets of the Eastern Professional Basketball League (EPBL), who won the 1964 title. Averaging over 20 points per game each season, he was named the EPBL MVP in 1963, was named to the EPBL All-Star First Team in 1963 and 1964 and to the EPBL All-Star Second Team in 1965.

Did You Know?

• Paul Arizin won two NBA scoring titles: in 1951–52 and 1956–57.
• Arizin and teammate Neil Johnston combined to win five of the six NBA scoring titles between the 1951–52 and 1956–57 seasons, with Johnston winning three and Arizin winning two.
• Arizin scored 85 points in a college game on February 12, 1949, against the Naval Air Materials Center roster.