Joe Louis Caldwell (born November 1, 1941) is an American former 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. Caldwell played six seasons (1964–1970) in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA) and five seasons (1970–1975) in the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major professional basketball league that operated for nine seasons from 1967 to 1976. The upstart ABA operated in direct competition with the more established National Basketball Association thr ...

(ABA). Caldwell was one of the few players to be an

All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

in both leagues, making 2 All-Star teams in each league. Caldwell was a member of the United States Olympic basketball team that won the gold medal in the

1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subseq ...

. Caldwell was Team USA's fourth leading scorer.

Early life

Caldwell was one of 11 children born in Texas City, near

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. He was the son of a longshoreman and mechanic and a homemaker. When he was six, Caldwell witnessed the Texas City disaster in 1947, when a docked ship blew up and 581 people died with thousands injured. Caldwell's family was left unharmed, but he said decades later, "I can still see people flying through the air." When Caldwell was 15, he moved with his sister to Los Angeles, California. He emerged as a late-bloomer player and

John Wooden John Robert Wooden (October 14, 1910 – June 4, 2010) was an American basketball coach and player. Nicknamed "the Wizard of Westwood", he won ten National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, nati ...

courted him to play for him at

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

. He ended up at Arizona State instead.

Collegiate career

Caldwell attended John C. Fremont High School in Los Angeles, not playing until his junior year. He then played collegiately at

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

. Caldwell played for Arizona State from 1961 to 1964, setting the Sun Devils career scoring record with 1,515 points (18.2 ppg). His 929 rebounds (11.2), are the second-best total in school history. Caldwell led Arizona State to the NCAA Tournament in each of his three varsity seasons and a 65–18 overall record.

1964 Olympic Team

Selected to the U.S.A. Team, Caldwell was the fourth-leading scorer (9.0 ppg) on the 1964 United States men's Olympic basketball team. Team U.S.A. went 9–0 under coach Hank Iba to capture the Olympic gold medal in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, Japan. Caldwell scored 14 points for the US in the 73–59 gold medal game victory over the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

Professional career

Nicknamed "Pogo Joe" or "Jumping Joe" for his leaping abilities, Caldwell was a guard/forward. In the 1964 NBA draft, Caldwell was the No. 2 overall pick by the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

. Olympic teammate Jim "Bad News" Barnes went No. 1. Caldwell spent the majority of his NBA career with the St. Louis/

Atlanta 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 (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

franchise. After averaging 21.1 points per game for the

in the

1969–70 NBA season The 1969–70 NBA season was the 24th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the New York Knicks winning the NBA Championship, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals. Regular season The 1969 ...

, Caldwell averaged a team-leading 25 points per game during the 1970 NBA playoffs, as the Hawks beat the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

in the first round before losing to the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

in the Western Division Finals. Caldwell then jumped to the rival ABA, playing for the

Carolina Cougars The Carolina Cougars were a basketball franchise in the American Basketball Association that existed from 1969 through 1974. The Cougars were originally a charter member of the ABA as the Houston Mavericks in 1967. The Mavericks moved to North Ca ...

from 1970 to 1974. Caldwell's contract with Carolina called for him to earn $150,000 per year and another $70,000 deferred for five years. A clause called for him to receive $6,600 per month beginning at age 55. Later, the Carolina owner, Tedd Munchak, sued to try to negate the pension. Caldwell was interviewed on ''

60 Minutes ''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who distinguished it from other news programs by using a unique style o ...

'', who ran a segment on the lawsuit. Caldwell prevailed and received his pension payments beginning in 1996. During the 1974–75 ABA season, the Carolina franchise had moved to become the St. Louis Spirits. Spirits' management blamed Caldwell for influencing team star

Marvin Barnes Marvin Jerome "Bad News" Barnes (July 27, 1952 – September 8, 2014) was an American professional basketball player. A forward (basketball), forward, he was an NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans, All-American at Providence College, and played p ...

to briefly leave the team. Caldwell denied doing this but he was suspended for "activities detrimental to the best interests of professional basketball." Caldwell never played another professional basketball game. He filed various lawsuits, alleging that he was wrongly blacklisted by the ABA and later the NBA. Tedd Munchak, who was suing Caldwell was now Commissioner of the ABA. Caldwell, who was President of the ABA Players Association, had his case (Caldwell vs. American Basketball Association, 95–1012) go all the way to the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

. Caldwell averaged 16.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists in eleven professional seasons. He scored 12,619 combined NBA/ABA career points.

Personal life

Joe Caldwell is the grandfather of

Marvin Bagley III Marvin Bagley III (born March 14, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils men's basketball, Duke Blue Devi ...

, a power forward for the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the ...

and Marcus Bagley, a small forward for the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

. Bagley's mother is Caldwell's daughter, Tracy Caldwell. Bagley was the No. 2 overall selection in the

2018 NBA draft The 2018 NBA Draft was held on June 21, 2018, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible players, including internationa ...

, the same pick as his grandfather in the 1964 NBA draft. Caldwell attended his grandson's games throughout high school and college.

Career statistics

NBA/ABA

Source

Regular season

{, class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;" , - ! Year ! Team ! GP ! GS ! MPG ! FG% ! 3P% ! FT% ! RPG ! APG ! SPG ! BPG ! PPG , - , style="text-align:left";, , style="text-align:left;",

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, 66 , , , , 23.4 , , .374 , , , , .614 , , 6.7 , , 1.8 , , , , , , 10.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 33 , , , , 21.7 , , .423 , , , , .682 , , 5.8 , , 2.0 , , , , , , 10.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", S.L. Hawks , 46 , , , , 24.8 , , .447 , , , , .717 , , 5.3 , , 1.3 , , , , , , 14.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", S.L. Hawks , style="background:#cfecec;", 81* , , , , 27.9 , , .426 , , , , .649 , , 5.5 , , 2.0 , , , , , , 13.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", S.L. Hawks , 79 , , , , 33.4 , , .463 , , , , .569 , , 4.3 , , 3.0 , , , , , , 16.4 , - , style="text-align:left";, , style="text-align:left;",

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, 81 , , , , 33.6 , , .507 , , , , .537 , , 3.7 , , 4.0 , , , , , , 15.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , , , 34.8 , , .507 , , , , .688 , , 5.0 , , 3.5 , , , , , , 21.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Carolina (ABA) , 72 , , , , 41.8 , , .448 , , .200 , , .558 , , 6.8 , , 4.2 , , , , , , 23.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Carolina (ABA) , 61 , , , , 35.2 , , .471 , , .250 , , .500 , , 5.6 , , 4.2 , , , , , , 16.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Carolina (ABA) , 77 , , , , 35.6 , , .496 , , .167 , , .425 , , 5.1 , , 4.6 , , 2.2 , , , , 16.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Carolina (ABA) , 79 , , , , 33.6 , , .489 , , .176 , , .496 , , 5.2 , , 4.4 , , 2.2 , , .4 , , 14.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", S.L. Spirits (ABA) , 25 , , , , 33.6 , , .494 , , .429 , , .448 , , 4.4 , , 5.1 , , 2.0 , , .4 , , 14.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career (NBA) , 468 , , , , 29.6 , , .459 , , , , .634 , , 5.1 , , 2.7 , , , , , , 15.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career (ABA) , 314 , , , , 36.3 , , .475 , , .225 , , .497 , , 5.6 , , 4.4 , , 2.1 , , .4 , , 17.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career (overall) , 782 , , , , 32.3 , , .466 , , .225 , , .572 , , 5.3 , , 3.4 , , 2.1 , , .4 , , 16.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star (NBA) , 2 , , 0 , , 21.0 , , .550 , , , , .600 , , 5.5 , , 2.0 , , , , , , 12.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star (ABA) , 2 , , , , 27.5 , , .542 , , – , , .500 , , 6.5 , , 2.5 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , 14.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star (overall) , 4 , , 0 , , 24.3 , , .545 , , – , , .556 , , 6.0 , , 2.3 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , 13.3

Playoffs

{, class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;" , - ! Year ! Team ! GP ! MPG ! FG% ! 3P% ! FT% ! RPG ! APG ! SPG ! BPG ! PPG , - , style="text-align:left;",

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

, style="text-align:left;", S.L. Hawks , 10 , , 31.5 , , .462 , , , , .633 , , 5.5 , , 1.6 , , , , , , 18.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...

, style="text-align:left;", S.L. Hawks , 9 , , 24.1 , , .400 , , , , .667 , , 4.3 , , 1.4 , , , , , , 12.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...

, style="text-align:left;", S.L. Hawks , 6 , , 24.7 , , .326 , , , , .133 , , 3.5 , , 2.5 , , , , , , 5.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1969 , style="text-align:left;",

, 11 , , 36.7 , , .485 , , , , .464 , , 5.0 , , 3.4 , , , , , , 14.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 9 , , 43.7 , , .470 , , , , .650 , , 5.0 , , 4.2 , , , , , , 25.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...

, style="text-align:left;", Carolina (ABA) , 12 , , 38.9 , , .491 , , .375 , , .480 , , 5.7 , , 3.3 , , , , , , 15.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

, style="text-align:left;", Carolina (ABA) , 4 , , 26.3 , , .471 , , .000 , , .500 , , 6.8 , , 3.3 , , 2.0 , , .0 , , 9.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career (NBA) , 45 , , 32.8 , , .449 , , , , .560 , , 4.8 , , 2.6 , , , , , , 15.9 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career (ABA) , 16 , , 35.8 , , .487 , , .300 , , .484 , , 5.9 , , 3.3 , , 2.0 , , .0 , , 14.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career (overall) , 61 , , 33.6 , , .458 , , .300 , , .544 , , 5.1 , , 2.8 , , 2.0 , , .0 , , 15.4

Honors

* Caldwell's jersey #32 was retired by

. On November 20, 2010, the ceremony took place before a game against the UAB Blazers. * In 1975 Caldwell was a charter member of the Arizona State Hall of Fame. * In 2005 Caldwell was inducted into the Pac-10 Hall of Fame.

References

External links

*
Joe Caldwell
at Remember the ABA

{{DEFAULTSORT:Caldwell, Joe 1941 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen ABA All-Stars All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Arizona State Sun Devils men's basketball players Atlanta Hawks players Basketball players at the 1964 Summer Olympics Basketball players from Houston Carolina Cougars players Detroit Pistons draft picks Detroit Pistons players John C. Fremont High School alumni Medalists at the 1964 Summer Olympics NBA All-Stars Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Sportspeople from Texas City, Texas Shooting guards Small forwards Spirits of St. Louis players St. Louis Hawks players United States men's national basketball team players