Nat Militzok

Nat Militzok
Personal information
Born(1923-05-03)May 3, 1923
The Bronx, New York City, U.S.
DiedMay 14, 2009(2009-05-14) (aged 86)
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High schoolStuyvesant
(New York City, New York)
College
Playing career1946–1952
PositionForward
Number4, 16
Career history
1946–1947New York Knicks
1947Toronto Huskies
1948–1951Scranton Miners
1951–1952Saratoga Harlem Yankees
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference

Nathan Militzok (May 3, 1923 – May 14, 2009) was an American professional basketball player. He played the forward position for various teams, including the New York Knicks.[1][2][3]

Early life

Militzok, who was Jewish, was born in The Bronx, New York.[1][4][5][6] Recalling his childhood, he said: "I never saw a dirt field. Everything was cement. ... We had two choices: either go to the schoolyard and play ball or hang around on the corner and get in trouble. So, we played basketball all our lives."[4] He attended Stuyvesant High School, where he played for the basketball team.[2][6]

He began his college basketball career as a freshman at CCNY in 1941, playing for a team that had a 16–1 record.[1] He then transferred to Hofstra University.[1][7] World War II broke out, and he joined the Navy. Stationed at Cornell University, he joined its basketball team for the 1943–44 season.[1][7]

Professional career

After the end of World War II, Militzok joined the New York Knicks in 1946 in the Basketball Association of America, which merged with the National Basketball League in 1949 to become the NBA.[1] Militzok played in the first game in NBA history for the Knicks against the Huskies on November 1, 1946, and was credited with the first assist in the league's history.[1][8][9] He was traded to the Toronto Huskies in February 1947 for cash.[1][2][10]

He joined the Scranton Miners of the American Basketball League in 1948–49.[1] He played with them through 1951–52, when he was sent to the Saratoga Harlem Yankees.[1]

Later life

After his basketball career, he became an attorney.[3]

In 1999, he and the other Jewish players on the Knicks, Sonny Hertzberg, Ralph Kaplowitz, Leo Gottlieb, Hank Rosenstein, and Ossie Schectman, were inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in New York.[1]

BAA career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played  FG%  Field-goal percentage
 FT%  Free-throw percentage  APG  Assists per game
 PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season

Year Team GP FG% FT% APG PPG
1946–47 New York 36 .243 .548 .8 4.0
1946–47 Toronto 21 .295 .615 .7 4.8
Career 57 .262 .571 .7 4.3

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Militzok, Nat". Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c "Nat Militzok NBA & ABA Statistics". Basketball-Reference.com. November 1, 1946. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  3. ^ a b "Deaths MILITZOK, NAT". New York Times. May 19, 2009. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  4. ^ a b "Basketball: The Original City Game". Jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  5. ^ Bob Wechsler (2008). Day by day in Jewish sports history. KTAV Publishing House. ISBN 9780881259698. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  6. ^ a b "Nat Militzok". Miami Herald. May 19, 2009. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  7. ^ a b Robert Peterson (January 2002). Cages to jump shots: pro basketball's early years. U of Nebraska Press. ISBN 0803287720. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  8. ^ Charles Rosen (October 5, 2008). The first tip-off: the incredible story of the birth of the NBA. McGraw Hill Professional. ISBN 9780071642415. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  9. ^ Jeffrey A. Kroessler (November 22, 2009). The Greater New York Sports Chronology. Columbia University Press. ISBN 9780231146494. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  10. ^ George Kalinsky (1997). The New York Knicks: The Official 50th Anniversary Celebration. Macmillan USA. ISBN 9780028619910. Retrieved August 11, 2011.