Jack Twyman

Lore & Background

Twyman was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and attended Central Catholic High School. After being cut three times from his high school team, he made the team as a senior and earned All-State honors. He played college basketball at the University of Cincinnati, where his #27 was retired. In the NBA, Twyman and Wilt Chamberlain became the first players to average more than 30 points per game in a single season (1959–60). Twyman scored a career-high 59 points that season. He was named to the All-NBA Second Team in 1960 and 1962 and appeared in six NBA All-Star Games. After his playing career, he worked as a broadcaster for The NBA on ABC and famously called Willis Reed's emergence from the tunnel before Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals. Twyman became the legal guardian of his paralyzed teammate Maurice Stokes, organizing fundraising events and caring for Stokes for the rest of his life. Twyman died on May 31, 2012, in Cincinnati from complications of blood cancer.

In Their Own Story

The arena is dim, the kind of half-light that settles over a hardwood court after the last fan has filed out and the only sound is the squeak of a lone shoe on the floor. A left-handed guard in a black-and-gold #14 stands at the top of the key, ball in hand, eyes on the rim. There is no crowd, no clock, no coach barking from the sideline. Just the ball, the hoop, and the quiet certainty that this shot has been taken a thousand times before in a thousand different gyms, and it will go in again. He catches the rhythm, rises, and the ball arcs through the empty air with a soft, familiar whistle. Nothing dramatic. No crowd to roar. Just the thud of leather on the rim and the net swishing, and the quiet understanding that this is how you earn the right to wear the number. The light catches the ball one more time as it drops through, and the court is still again.

Reader's Guide

Jack Twyman was a 6'6" forward who spent eleven seasons in the NBA, all with the Rochester/Cincinnati Royals. He averaged 19.3 points and 8.7 rebounds over 823 regular-season games. His #27 is retired by the Sacramento Kings and the University of Cincinnati. He is a namesake of the NBA's Twyman–Stokes Teammate of the Year Award. The source does not specify his shooting handedness, nor does it mention any connection to the Indiana Pacers or an ABA championship.

Did You Know?

• Twyman was cut three times from his high school basketball team before making it as a senior and earning All-State honors.
• He and Wilt Chamberlain were the first NBA players to average more than 30 points per game in a single season (1959–60).
• Twyman became the legal guardian of his paralyzed teammate Maurice Stokes at age 23 and cared for him until Stokes' death in 1970.
• Twyman's call of Willis Reed's surprise appearance before Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals is a famous moment in broadcasting history.