Wikipedia

George Lehmann

For the literary critic and academic, see Andrew George Lehmann.

George Lehmann (May 1, 1941 – November 8, 2024) was an American professional basketball player.

George Lehmann
Personal information
Born(1941-05-01)May 1, 1941
Riverside Township, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedNovember 8, 2024(2024-11-08) (aged 83)
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
High schoolCamden Catholic
(Camden, New Jersey)
CollegeCampbell (1959–1960)
NBA draft1963: undrafted
Playing career1962–1974
PositionPoint guard / shooting guard
Number20, 12, 32, 26, 21, 24
Career history
1962–1963Sunbury Mercuries
1963–1964Allentown Jets
1964–1967Trenton Colonials
1967–1968St. Louis / Atlanta Hawks
1968–1969Los Angeles Stars
1969–1970New York Nets
1970Miami Floridians
1970–1972Carolina Cougars
1972–1974Memphis Pros / Tams
Career highlights and awards
  • All-EPBL Second Team (1967)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Lehmann played only one year of high school basketball as a freshman.[1] He played basketball at Campbell Junior College (now Campbell University) during the 1959–60 season and was third in the nation in scoring amongst junior college players.[2] He transferred to Wake Forest University and played on the freshman team during the 1960–61 sesaon.[2] In April 1961, Lehmann was expelled by Wake Forest for an honor code violation.[2]

Lehmann started his professional career in the Eastern Professional Basketball League (EPBL) with the Sunbury Mercuries during the 1962–63 season.[3] He was invited to training camp by the St. Louis Hawks in 1963 but declined to move because his family lived in Camden, New Jersey.[4] Lehmann was purchased by the Allentown Jets five games into the 1963–64 season.[4] He was traded to the Trenton Colonials in 1964,[5] and then spent the following three seasons with the team.[1] Lehmann was selected to the All-EPBL Second Team in 1967.[6]

Lehmann played in the NBA and ABA from 1967 to 1974 as a member of the St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Stars, New York Nets, Miami Floridians, Carolina Cougars, Memphis Pros, and Memphis Tams. He averaged 11.9 points per game and 4.5 assists per game in his professional career and holds the ABA's third best career three-point field goal percentage (.365).[7] Lehmann was the first professional basketball player to make more than 40% of his three-point attempts in a season, which he did in 1970–71.[8]

After retiring as a player, Lehmann hosted basketball clinics,[9] worked for Pony Shoes,[10] and owned a T-shirt business.[11] His children, Nicole and Todd, played college basketball at North Carolina State University and Drexel University, respectively.[12][13]

Lehmann died on November 8, 2024, at the age of 83.[14]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
 *  Led the league

NBA

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Source[7]

Regular season

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Year Team GP MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1967–68 St. Louis 55 9.0 .343 .814 .8 1.7 2.8
1968–69 Atlanta 11 12.5 .388 .667 .8 2.5 5.5
1968–69 L.A. Stars (ABA) 32 29.3 .415 .350 .805 2.3 5.0 18.9
1969–70 L.A. Stars (ABA) 10 23.7 .295 .250 .917 1.2 2.8 11.6
1969–70 N.Y. Nets (ABA) 46 14.8 .370 .325 .862 .8 2.3 7.5
1969–70 Miami (ABA) 25 43.1 .405 .329 .815 2.8 5.0 17.9
1970–71 Carolina (ABA) 83 35.2 .451 .403* .836 2.4 5.6 17.3
1971–72 Carolina (ABA) 38 36.8 .499 .392 .897 1.9 7.8 16.0
1971–72 Memphis (ABA) 15 34.8 .375 .297 .839 1.8 7.7 15.8
1972–73 Memphis (ABA) 28 26.9 .396 .388 .824 1.2 5.4 9.9
1973–74 Memphis (ABA) 33 16.8 .384 .360 .947 1.1 3.5 .4 .1 5.2
Career (NBA) 66 9.6 .356 .782 .8 1.8 3.2
Career (ABA) 310 29.3 .422 .365 .845 1.8 5.0 .4 .1 13.7
Career (overall) 376 25.8 .418 .365 .841 1.6 4.5 .4 .1 11.9

Playoffs

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Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1968 St. Louis 1 2.0 .000 – .0 2.0 .0

Notes

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  1. ^ a b Cafone, Pete (August 12, 1967). "George Lehmann Gets NBA Shot". Courier-Post. p. 22. Retrieved December 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b c "Council Expels Wake Cage Star". Winston-Salem Journal. April 15, 1961. p. 7. Retrieved December 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Riverside, N.J. Gets 1st Pro". The Bristol Daily Courier. August 22, 1964. p. 13. Retrieved December 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b "Jets Entertain Miners Tonight; Buy Sunbury Backcourt Player". The Morning Call. December 7, 1963. p. 13. Retrieved December 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Revamped Trenton Test For Bullets on Sunday". Courier-Post. December 24, 1964. p. 23. Retrieved December 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "George Lehmann minor league basketball statistics". Stats Crew. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  7. ^ a b "George Lehmann NBA/ABA Stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  8. ^ Bill Hass. "Roots of 3-pointer in wide open ABA". Greensboro News and Record. 3 March 1991.
  9. ^ Bill Buchalter. "Shooting clinic free to basketball players". The Orlando Sentinel. 15 October 1991.
  10. ^ Jeff White. "Hoop wizards stress need for discipline". Richmond Times-Dispatch. 14 December 1988.
  11. ^ Leonard Laye. "Notable Cougars". The Charlotte Observer. 19 March 2003.
  12. ^ Lou Misselhorn. "Catching up with ------Nicole Lehmann Tharrington". Burlington County Times. 23 January 2005.
  13. ^ Ted Silary. "It's in the genes: Like his father, Lehmann is able to score from long range". Philadelphia Daily News. 21 November 1989.
  14. ^ "George A. Lehmann". Weber Funeral Home Inc. November 2024. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
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