Raymond Darlington Felix Sr. (December 10, 1930 – July 28, 1991) 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. He was born in New York City. He played high school basketball at Metropolitan High School in New York and college basketball at
Long Island University
Long Island University (LIU) is a private university in Brooklyn and Brookville, New York, United States. The university enrolls over 16,000 students and offers over 500 academic programs at its main campuses, LIU Brooklyn and LIU Post on Long I ...
. Felix was drafted No. 1 overall pick in the
1953 NBA draft, the first African American first selection in NBA history.
Basketball career
A 6' 11"
center from Metropolitan High School and
Long Island University
Long Island University (LIU) is a private university in Brooklyn and Brookville, New York, United States. The university enrolls over 16,000 students and offers over 500 academic programs at its main campuses, LIU Brooklyn and LIU Post on Long I ...
, Felix was selected by the
Baltimore Bullets with the first pick in the 1953
NBA draft
The NBA draft is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) annual event, dating back to 1947 BAA draft, 1947, in which the teams in the league can Draft (sports), draft players who declare for the draft and that are Eligibility for the NBA dr ...
.
Felix won the
NBA Rookie of the Year Award
The National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the top rookie(s) of the regular season. Initiated following the 1952–53 NBA season, it confers the Eddie Gottlieb Tr ...
in 1954 after averaging 17.6 points and 13.3
rebounds. Felix was also the second African-American, following
Don Barksdale, to be named 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 ...
. His 13.3 rebounds is on the List of National Basketball Association rookie single-season rebounding leaders.
After his rookie season, Felix was traded on September 17, 1954. The soon to be folded Baltimore Bullets traded Felix and
Chuck Grigsby to the
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...
for
Alfred McGuire and
Connie Simmons.
In six seasons with the Knicks, Felix averaged 12.0 points and 9.1 rebounds.
On January 24, 1960, Felix was traded by the Knicks, with a 1960 4th round draft pick (
Ben Warley was later selected), to the
Minneapolis Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers franchise has a long and storied history, having played and won championships in both the National Basketball League (United States), National Basketball League (NBL) and the Basketball Association of America (BAA) prior to ...
for
Dick Garmaker
Richard Eugene Garmaker (October 29, 1932 – June 13, 2020) was an American basketball player who played professionally in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1955 to 1961.
College career
Garmaker was a 6'3" guard/forward from the ...
and a 1960 2nd round draft pick (
Dave Budd was later selected).
In his Lakers tenure, the team moved from Minneapolis to Los Angeles and his role turned to a reserve one. He averaged 6.4 points and 6.7 rebounds in three seasons.
The Lakers lost to the Celtics in the 1962
NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...
, in seven games. Felix averaged 4.0 points and 4.0 rebounds in the series, which marked the end of his NBA career.
Overall, Felix spent nine seasons in the league, and played for the Bullets, New York Knicks and the Minneapolis/
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 ...
. Felix averaged 10.9 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, with career totals of 6,974 points and 5,652 rebounds. He retired in 1962.
Russell rivalry
Felix had an incident with future Hall of Famer
Bill Russell
William Felton Russell (February 12, 1934 – July 31, 2022) was an American professional basketball player who played Center (basketball), center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. He was t ...
in Russell's rookie season, when, after Russell felt that Felix had been trying to intimidate him, he knocked Felix unconscious with a punch to the head.
Toward the end of his career, after having several of his shots blocked by Russell, Felix took the ball and flung it off the side of the backboard, saying to Russell, smiling, "You didn't get that one!"
Felix and the Lakers lost to Russell and the Celtics in the 1962
NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...
, in seven games.
After basketball
Following his retirement, Felix worked for the
New York City Department of Parks and Recreation
The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, also called the Parks Department or NYC Parks, is the department of the government of New York City responsible for maintaining the city's parks system, preserving and maintaining the ecolog ...
where he sponsored a basketball tournament in
Elmhurst, Queens and later worked as a supervisor at
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...
men's shelter.
Felix died of a heart attack on July 28, 1991.
Personal life
Felix had a son, Ray Jr., with his wife Gloria.
NBA career statistics
Regular season
Playoffs
References
External links
Ray Felix Career Stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Felix, Ray
1930 births
1991 deaths
American men's basketball players
Baltimore Bullets (1944–1954) draft picks
Baltimore Bullets (1944–1954) players
Basketball players from New York City
Centers (basketball)
LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds men's basketball players
Los Angeles Lakers players
Manchester British Americans players
Minneapolis Lakers players
NBA All-Stars
New York Knicks players
20th-century African-American sportsmen
20th-century American sportsmen
First overall NBA draft picks