Paul Arizin
Paul Arizin was one of the earliest stars in the NBA, and unlike most of the other players on this portion of the list, injuries were not the reason he didn't make it higher on the list. Arizin was drafted in 1950 by his hometown Philadelphia Warriors, and went on to average 17.2 points and 9.8 rebounds as a rookie, earning Rookie of the Year honors.
He really took a leap in his second season, leading the league in field goal percentage (.448) and scoring (25.4 ppg) while also pulling down 11.3 rebounds per game. Those numbers earned him a spot on the All-NBA First Team, but right when he was looking like the next big star, he joined the Marines for two years to fight in Korea, taking away a big chunk of the prime of his career.
When he returned, he was not quite at the same level as before, but he still finished #2 in the league in scoring at 21.0 per game, behind his teammate Neil Johnston. The next season was a special one, with Arizin making the All-NBA First Team for the second time and leading the Warriors to the league's best record at 45-27. During the playoffs, Paul boosted his numbers to 28.9 points and 8.4 rebounds and earned Philadelphia the championship.
He was never able to win another championship during his career, but he did continue to score a lot of points, reaching 20 points per game for 9 straight seasons. He led the league in scoring twice, field goal percentage once, and minutes per game twice, along with being the best player on a championship team.
Even with all of that, perhaps the biggest contribution Arizin made to the game of basketball was the invention of the jump shot. He developed it as a young man playing in recreational leagues, which often used ballrooms as their courts. He said that the floors were often so slippery that he couldn't keep his footing while shooting a hook shot, so he developed the jump shot so that he could keep his balance while shooting. It would turn out to be one of the most important innovations in the history of the sport, and did a lot to help him become one of the greatest players of all time.
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