Clyde Edward Lovellette ( ; September 7, 1929 – March 9, 2016) was an American professional basketball player. Lovellette was inducted into the

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pre ...

in 1988. He was the first basketball player in history to achieve the Triple Crown — playing on an

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

championship team, Olympics gold medal basketball team, and NBA championship squad.

Basketball career

Lovellette fostered the trend of tall, physical and high-scoring centers. A two-time All-State performer at Garfield High School in

Terre Haute, Indiana Terre Haute ( ) is a city in Vigo County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 58,389 and Terre Haute metropolitan area, its metropolitan area had a populati ...

. As a high school junior (1946–47), Lovellette's previously undefeated high school team in Terre Haute,

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

, lost in the Indiana state championship finals to a Shelbyville team led by Bill Garrett. The six-foot-nine Lovellette later attended the University of Kansas where he became a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. While at

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

, where he played for Basketball Hall of Fame coach Forrest "Phog" Allen, Lovellette was a two-time first-team All-American and led the Big Seven Conference in scoring in each of his three seasons. Lovellette led the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in scoring his senior year (1951–52) with 28.4 points per game and was named the Helms College Player of the Year. Lovellette and basketball legend Dean Smith were teammates at Kansas. He is still the only college player to lead the nation in scoring and win the NCAA title in the same year. Lovellette's dominance in the paint landed him a place on the

1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics (, ), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad (, ) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952, were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1952 in Helsinki, Finland. After Japan declared in ...

gold medal team in Helsinki, Finland and he was the team's dominating player and leading scorer. In the 1952 NBA draft, Lovelette was picked ninth overall as the first-round pick of the Minneapolis Lakers. Following graduation, Lovelette played in the 1951–1952 and 1952–1953 seasons for the Bartlesville Phillips 66ers. At the professional level, Lovelette became one of the first big men to move outside and utilize the one-handed set shot that extended his shooting range and offensive repertoire. This tactic enabled him to play either the small forward, power forward or center positions, forcing the opposition's big man to play out of position. In 1957, Lovelette led Minneapolis to the NBA Western Division Finals by averaging a playoffs career best 24.2 points along with 9.4 rebounds per game. Despite performing big, including scoring 33 points and grabbing 9 rebounds in Game 2 of the series, Lovelette and the Lakers were eliminated by Bob Pettit and the

St. Louis Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at S ...

. That offseason, Lovelette was traded to Cincinnati for 5 players, including Hot Rod Hundley and Monk Meineke. A year later he was traded again, this time to St. Louis for Wayne Embry, among others. In 704 NBA games with the Minneapolis Lakers, Cincinnati Royals,

and

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

, Lovellette scored 11,947 points (17.0 ppg) and grabbed 6,663 rebounds (9.3 rpg). Selected to play in four NBA All-Star Games, Lovellette was an integral component of championships in Minneapolis (1954) and Boston (1963, 1964). In 1972–73, he coached the Decatur Bullets of the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA), originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association, was a men's professional basketball m ...

for one season before the team folded. He was paid $150 per game.

Honors

Lovellette is one of only eight players in history to achieve the basketball Triple Crown — winning an NCAA championship, an NBA championship, and an Olympic gold medal. He also became the first player to win a championship with both the Boston Celtics and Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers. Rajon Rondo became the second player ever in 2020. Lovellette was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982. Lovelette had his #16 jersey retired by the University of Kansas. Lovelette was inducted into the

in 1988. As of 2018, Lovellette is the only player from the 1952 NBA draft to make the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was featured in the 1950s All-Star roster on NBA Live 2007.

Personal

Clyde married Sally Wheeler while attending the University of Kansas. They had three daughters, Cynthia, Linda, and Cherie. After retiring from his career as a professional basketball player he was elected as Sheriff of Vigo County, Indiana. He owned a small farm, raising and showing cattle. He also engaged in various business activities, eventually getting his master's degree. At Whites Residential Services, a faith-based school in Wabash County, Indiana for at-risk teenagers, he served for 20 years and was successful in providing a positive influence on their lives. A summer residence in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan ultimately became a full time residence in the small town of Munising where he served as the Varsity Basketball Assistant Coach and on the Munising City Council. Clyde came back to Indiana as a full-time resident where he eventually died of cancer in North Manchester, at the age of 86, surrounded by his family.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

References

External links

Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame bioUniversity of Kansas Men's Basketball
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lovellette, Clyde 1929 births 2016 deaths 20th-century American sportsmen All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Basketball players at the 1952 Summer Olympics Basketball Triple Crown winners Boston Celtics players Centers (basketball) Cincinnati Royals players Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball players Medalists at the 1952 Summer Olympics Minneapolis Lakers draft picks Minneapolis Lakers players Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductees NBA All-Stars Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball People from Petersburg, Indiana Phillips 66ers players Power forwards Basketball players from Terre Haute, Indiana St. Louis Hawks players United States men's national basketball team players