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When one glances over the list of the NBA’s 50 greatest players of all time, Arizin might not be a name that immediately rolls off the tongue like Chamberlain, Jordan and Johnson, but this former St. Monica grade school pupil certainly left his permanent mark on the game. Arguably the greatest basketball player to come out of South Philly, the 1978 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee amassed career totals of 16,266 points and 6,129 rebounds.
Arizin, who passed away in 2006 at the age of 78, went from attending Villanova University without a scholarship to being a 10-time NBA All-Star and two-time league scoring champ. Of course, in this land of not-so-frequent championship teams, old-timers may remember Arizin being a key member and leading scorer of the Philadelphia Warriors’ 1956 title squad.
Contact Editor Bill Gelman at bgelman@southphillyreview.com or ext. 121.
The South Philadelphia Walk of Fame 2013 inductees
/ Marian Anderson / Paul Arizin / Frankie Avalon / Joey Bishop / John Chaney /
/ James Darren / Angelo Dundee / Fabian / Larry Fine / Eddie Fisher /
/ Kenny Gamble / Frank Gasparro / Joey Giardello / Stephen Girard / Sherman Hemsley /
/ Irvin Kershner / Jack Klugman / Eddie Lang / Mario Lanza / Rob McElhenney /
/ Joe Medeiros / Earl "The Pearl" Monroe / Nathan Morris / Michelle Nader / Gene Perret /
/ Frank Rizzo / Bobby Rydell / Lisa Scottoline / Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter / Anna Verna /
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