Raúl Feliciano

Raúl "Tinajón" Feliciano Rodríguez (July 31, 1930 – July 17, 2016) was a Puerto Rican professional basketball player and lawyer who played in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). He debuted in the BSN in 1947 with UPR of Río Piedras, averaging 7.78 points over 14 games. Feliciano led the league in scoring each season from 1948 through 1952, until Fufi Santori took the title in 1953. His scoring prowess drew unprecedented media attention to the BSN and helped attract a record 114,468 paying fans. He retired with 4,719 career points. Feliciano was the first BSN player to score 40 or more points in a game, putting up 46 points on September 5, 1949, in an 83–66 win over the Cardenales de Río Piedras while playing for the Gallitos de la UPR. He also became the first player in the league to average over 20 points per game in a season. Feliciano was the first Puerto Rican basketball player to receive offers from NBA teams, including the Baltimore Bullets and the New York Knicks. His offensive game featured a right hook shot and a jumpshot. Born in Ciales, Puerto Rico, he took up basketball early and played at Escuela Superior de Río Piedras. He began studies at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus in 1945, earned a degree in Business Administration at age 18, and completed a law degree from the University of Puerto Rico School of Law two years later. Feliciano died on July 17, 2016, at his home in Río Piedras due to kidney failure.