James Edward Paxson Sr. (December 19, 1932 – October 28, 2014) was an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player. A 6'6"

swingman A swingman is an athlete capable of playing multiple positions in their sport. Basketball In basketball, the term "swingman" (a.k.a. "wing" or "guard-forward") denotes a player who can play both the shooting guard (2) and small forward (3) positi ...

, Paxson attended the

University of Dayton The University of Dayton (UD) is a Private university, private, Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary (Marianists), Society of Mary, it is one of three Marianist universities in the U ...

during the mid-1950s, averaging 10.9 points per game in his collegiate career. He helped the Flyers attain two consecutive second-place finishes in the

National Invitation Tournament The National Invitation Tournament (NIT) is an annual men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Since 2023, all rounds of the tournament are played at various sites across the country whi ...

. After his sophomore year, Paxson Sr. was drafted into the Army during the Korean War. He spent two years in the Army and played with the Armed Forced All-Stars who won the Pan-Am games in Mexico in 1955 before returning for his final season in 1955–56. He averaged 15.5 points per game as a senior as the Flyers went 25-4 and lost to Louisville in the NIT championship game. After graduating in 1956, he was selected by the

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with the third pick of the

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, then played two seasons in the NBA with the Lakers and

Cincinnati Royals The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The Kings are the ...

. When his basketball career ended, he entered the

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business. Paxson's sons Jim and

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

both played in the

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and have also served as NBA

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s. His son Michael played collegiately at

Ohio University Ohio University (Ohio or OU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Athens, Ohio, United States. The university was first conceived in the 1787 contract between the United States Department of the Treasury#Re ...

for one year. Paxson died on October 28, 2014. He was 81.Ohio basketball legend Jim Paxson Sr. dies at 81
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Career statistics

NBA

Source

Regular season

Playoffs

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paxson, Jim Sr. 1932 births 2014 deaths American men's basketball players Basketball players at the 1955 Pan American Games Basketball players from Indiana Basketball players from Dayton, Ohio Cincinnati Royals players Dayton Flyers men's basketball players Medalists at the 1955 Pan American Games Minneapolis Lakers draft picks Minneapolis Lakers players Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in basketball People from Jay County, Indiana Rochester Royals draft picks Shooting guards Small forwards