Joe Lapchick
Joe Lapchick was a significant figure in the history of basketball, both as a player and a coach. Born on April 12, 1900, in Yonkers, New York, to immigrant parents, he began his basketball career at a young age. Standing 6 feet 5 inches tall, Lapchick became one of the first prominent big men in the sport, playing for teams such as the New York Celtics and the Cleveland Rosenblums during the 1920s and 1930s. His playing style, characterized by agility and skill as a center, helped revolutionize the game, contributing to the development of innovative offensive and defensive strategies.
After retiring as a player in 1937, Lapchick transitioned to coaching, leading St. John's University to multiple victories and championships. He later became the head coach of the New York Knicks, where he guided them to three consecutive NBA Finals. Despite facing challenges, including losing those title series, Lapchick’s coaching legacy continued with further success at St. John's later in his career. He is remembered for his contributions to modern basketball and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1966. Joe Lapchick passed away in 1970, leaving behind a lasting impact on the sport.
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Subject Terms
Joe Lapchick
Basketball Player
- Born: April 12, 1900
- Birthplace: Yonkers, New York
- Died: August 10, 1970
- Place of death: New York, New York
Sport: Basketball
Early Life
Joseph Bohomiel Lapchick was born on April 12, 1900, in Yonkers, New York, to Joseph and Frances (Kassick) Lapchick, who were both immigrants. Joe’s father was a police officer, and life for immigrant families during this time was often difficult. At the age of twelve, Joe began to play basketball for the Trinity City Midgets. At the age of fifteen, he dropped out of high school to earn money for his family, working as an apprentice machinist for fifteen dollars per week. During this time, he also began his professional career with the Yonkers Bantams, earning five dollars a game.
The Road to Excellence
By 1917, Joe had grown to be 6 feet 5 inches tall and weighed 185 pounds. With his height and speed, he was already considered a fine player at the age of seventeen. He left the Bantams to play for a New York professional team known as the Whirlwinds, one of the many professional teams in New York.
Joe was one of the first big men to play basketball. He was agile for a center and played for several teams from 1917 to 1919, in the Western Massachusetts League and the Metropolitan League. His earnings increased as well; he initially earned up to ten dollars per game and eventually commanded seventy-five dollars per game. In 1919, Joe played for Troy of the New York State League, and he remained with this semiprofessional team through the 1923 season.
The Emerging Champion
In 1923, Joe joined the New York Celtics, the best professional team in New York, and began his professional basketball career in earnest. He teamed with George “Horse” Haggarty, Pete Barry, Davey Banks, Nat Holman, Dutch Dehnert, and Johnny Beckman. Because of his height, Joe immediately became a star. Big men such as Joe are not considered unusual today, but in the early days of professional basketball, few players were as tall as Joe. He soon became the first effective pivotman to play the game and was the most feared player on the court during the 1920’s and 1930’s.
During the first two seasons, the Celtics played as an independent team. In 1926, they joined the old American Basketball League—a forerunner of the National Basketball Association—which they dominated for the first two years. In the 1927-1928 season, they finished with a record of 80 wins and 20 losses. With Joe as center, the Celtics never lost a series.
The Celtics were the best and most innovative of the early professional teams. The team revolutionized basketball with a switching defense, a “give and go” offense, and the inclusion of the pivotman. Joe’s height and jumping ability made the Celtics exceptionally successful. The rules at that time required that a jump ball occur after each basket. Joe’s talent enabled the Celtics to control the ball more than their opponents and, consequently, they scored more.
The American Basketball League dissolved the Celtics because of their dominance; they were far better than other professional teams. Joe and three of his teammates joined the Cleveland Rosenblums, who won two titles in the 1928-1929 and 1929-1930 seasons and established an impressive 72-33 won-lost record. The Rosenblums team was dissolved during the 1930-1931 season because of the Depression.
Joe consequently became a free agent with a Toledo team, which ended during the same year because the American Basketball League folded. For the next six years, he continued his professional career, touring on the exhibition circuit with Kate Smith’s Celtics. He retired as a player in 1937.
Continuing the Story
During the nineteen years of his playing career, Joe was considered the best center in basketball. After his career ended, big men took over basketball as the popularity of both the professional and intercollegiate game increased.
After his retirement, Joe was named head basketball coach at St. John’s University, even though he had no formal high school or college education. During the years from 1937 to 1947, he coached the Redmen of St. John’s to 181 victories and two National Invitational Tournament (NIT) Championships in 1943 and 1944. In 1948, he was lured away from St. John’s to coach the professional New York Knicks. During the following nine seasons, he developed the team into national contenders. He led the Knicks to a 326-247 record and three straight NBA Finals in 1951, 1952, and 1953, losing all three playoff series.
Joe was an emotional coach, and the stress of losing three NBA titles in a row was difficult for him. He was forced to quit the Knicks, retiring from coaching in 1956. One month after his retirement, he returned to St. John’s, where he had four twenty-victory seasons, and produced two more NIT Championship teams in 1959 and 1965. In 1965, his last year as a coach, Joe had several heart attacks and retired after winning a fourth NIT Championship, a record that long remained unbroken.
Joe is regarded as the first big coordinated man in basketball. He could jump and shoot and was unusually good at playing defense. He joined the New York Celtics during the 1920’s, considered by many as the “golden age” of sport. The Celtics dominated professional basketball and revolutionized the game, adding changes in both offensive and defensive play and popularizing professional basketball.
Joe was equally as successful as a coach, in both amateur and professional basketball. His career was an unusual one. He entered basketball as a professional; he never played amateur high school or college basketball. After twenty years as a professional player, he became a coach of amateur, intercollegiate players and later returned to the professional game as a coach.
Summary
As a player, Joe Lapchick led the New York Celtics to two successful, victorious seasons and the Cleveland Rosenblums to two world titles. As a coach, he led St. John’s to four national intercollegiate championships and the New York Knicks to three NBA Finals. He helped bring basketball into the modern era.
Joe left basketball and spent his retirement as sports coordinator for Kutsher’s Country Club in New York, playing golf until his death in 1970. He was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1966.
Bibliography
Alfieri, Gus. Lapchick: The Life of a Legendary Player and Coach in the Glory Days of Basketball. Guilford, Conn.: Lyons Press, 2006.
Hubbard, Jan, and David J. Stern. The Official NBA Encyclopedia. New York: Doubleday, 2000.
Lapchick, Richard. “A Legacy of Tolerance.” The Sporting News 223, no. 16 (April 19, 1999): 11.