Warren Jabali (August 29, 1946 – July 13, 2012) was an American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. He played professionally in the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, leading to four A ...

(ABA) from 1968 to 1975.

Early career

Born Warren Edward Armstrong, Jabali changed his name while attending

Wichita State University Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...

to reflect his African roots. The name does not have any religious connotations as it is a

Swahili Swahili may refer to: * Swahili language, a Bantu language official in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and widely spoken in the African Great Lakes * Swahili people, an ethnic group in East Africa * Swahili culture Swahili culture is the culture of ...

word for "rock." A skilled defender and rebounder and a remarkable leaper, the 6'2" Jabali was reported to be able to touch a ten-foot high basketball rim with his forehead. Although Wichita State, and the

Missouri Valley Conference The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the third-oldest collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the Midwestern United ...

in general, supplied many pro players of the era, he did not receive much attention from the

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

(NBA). He was drafted by 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 New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associa ...

in the 4th round (8th pick, 44th overall) of the 1968 NBA draft; he signed instead with the

Oakland Oaks Oakland Oaks may refer to one of the following sport teams, listed chronologically: * Oakland Oaks (PCL), a minor league baseball team that played in the Pacific Coast League from 1903 to 1955 *Oakland Oaks (ice hockey), a professional ice hockey t ...

of the rival ABA, who selected him in the 1968 ABA Draft.

ABA career

In his first season in the ABA, he won Rookie of the Year honors, prompting teammate Rick Barry to comment, "No doubt he's one of the best guards I've ever played with—or against". Later that season, Jabali averaged 33.2 points against the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first est ...

in the

1969 ABA Finals The 1969 ABA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the American Basketball Association's 1968–69 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Division champion Oakland Oaks defeating the Eastern Division champion Indiana Pacers, four ...

and was named Playoffs MVP. As one of the most physically gifted guards in the

, Warren Jabali muscled his way through seven straight seasons of double-digit scoring, including 1968–69, when his average of 21.5 points per game earned him ABA Rookie of the Year honors. That season Jabali's efforts helped bring an ABA Championship to the

, a team that also featured Rick Barry, Larry Brown, and Doug Moe. Jabali became an instant star after coming into the league from

. Although Barry, the Oaks' biggest attraction, won the league scoring title in 1968–69, he was only able to play in 35 games because of a severe knee ligament injury. It was Jabali, an immediate starter, who gave Coach

Alex Hannum Alexander Murray Hannum (July 19, 1923 – January 18, 2002) was a professional basketball player and coach. Hannum coached two National Basketball Association (NBA) teams and one American Basketball Association (ABA) team to league championships ...

the extra scoring punch needed in Barry's absence. With Jabali aboard and Barry helping for part of the season, the Oaks recorded a stunning 38-game turnaround to post a league-best 60-18 record. In the playoffs, they went 12-4 on the way to claiming the ABA Championship. A year later at midseason, with the team playing as the Washington Caps, an injury sidelined Jabali. Hurt shortly after playing in his first of four ABA All-Star Games, he was carrying an average of 22.8 points per game at the time. Jabali made a comeback, although his final five years were spent with four teams. In his first season back, 1970–71, he was traded from the Kentucky Colonels to the

on October 13, 1970, in exchange for a first-round draft choice and cash. Jabali saw action in 62 games with the Pacers. It was with the Pacers that Jabali started pulling the trigger from three-point land; he did it 163 times that year, making 47 treys. He had a big year with the Florida Floridians the following season, averaging 19.9 points and hitting 102 of his 286 three-point attempts, among the most in the league. When the Miami-based franchise folded, Jabali moved to the Denver Rockets (later the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

). During his first campaign with the Rockets, Jabali's 16-point effort in the

1973 ABA All-Star Game The sixth American Basketball Association All-Star Game was played February 6, 1973 at Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, Utah before an audience at 12,556. Larry Brown of the Carolina Cougars coached the East, with LaDell Andersen of the Utah Stars c ...

keyed the West's come-from-behind victory and earned him Most Valuable Player honors. That game is often referred to as the Jabali's Jamboree. After one more season in Denver and another with the San Diego Conquistadors, Jabali retired in 1975, at age 28. In his seven-year professional career, Jabali played for the

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, a ...

, the Indiana Pacers, The Floridians, the Denver Rockets, and the San Diego Conquistadors. While playing for the Rockets in 1973, he was named the All-Star Game MVP and was named to the All-ABA First Team after averaging 17.0 points, 6.6 assists, and 5.2 rebounds.

Knee In humans and other primates, the knee joins the thigh with the human leg, leg and consists of two joints: one between the femur and tibia (tibiofemoral joint), and one between the femur and patella (patellofemoral joint). It is the largest join ...

problems would soon limit his effectiveness, however, and he retired in 1975, having achieved career averages of 17.1 points, 5.3 assists, and 6.7 rebounds. Warren Jabali died on July 13, 2012.

ABA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", 1968–69 , style="text-align:left;",

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

, 71 , , ... , , 35.8 , , .449 , , .250 , , .684 , , 9.7 , , 3.5 , , ... , , ... , , 21.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1969–70 , style="text-align:left;", Washington , 40 , , ... , , 37.8 , , .445 , , .306 , , .717 , , 10.4 , , 4.3 , , ... , , ... , , 22.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1970–71 , style="text-align:left;",

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

, 62 , , ... , , 25.6 , , .410 , , .288 , , .761 , , 4.8 , , 3.5 , , ... , , ... , , 11.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1971–72 , style="text-align:left;",

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at th ...

, 81 , , ... , , 40.9 , , .436 , , .358 , , .756 , , 8.1 , , 6.1 , , ... , , ... , , 19.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1972–73 , style="text-align:left;",

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...

, 82 , , ... , , 33.4 , , .453 , , .257 , , .805 , , 5.2 , , 6.6 , , 2.1 , , ... , , 17.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1973–74 , style="text-align:left;", Denver , 49 , , ... , , 34.9 , , .391 , , .366 , , .803 , , 5.0 , , 7.3 , , 2.0 , , .2 , , 15.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1974–75 , style="text-align:left;",

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

, 62 , , ... , , 30.0 , , .392 , , .321 , , .789 , , 4.1 , , 5.8 , , 1.8 , , .3 , , 12.1 , - , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 447 , , ... , , 34.1 , , .431 , , .319 , , .756 , , 6.7 , , 5.3 , , 2.0 , , .3 , , 17.1

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", 1968–69 , style="text-align:left;",

, 16 , , ... , , 41.4 , , .460 , , .176 , , .668 , , 12.9 , , 2.9 , , ... , , ... , , 28.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1970–71 , style="text-align:left;",

, 11 , , ... , , 22.7 , , .302 , , .107 , , .806 , , 3.6 , , 3.0 , , ... , , ... , , 7.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1971–72 , style="text-align:left;",

, 4 , , ... , , 42.8 , , .373 , , .333 , , .788 , , 13.0 , , 5.5 , , ... , , ... , , 18.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1972–73 , style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , ... , , 25.2 , , .333 , , .000 , , .750 , , 1.4 , , 2.8 , , ... , , ... , , 6.0 , - , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 36 , , ... , , 33.6 , , .415 , , .167 , , .702 , , 8.5 , , 3.2 , , ... , , ... , , 18.1 , -

References

External links

Career stats
at basketball-reference.com

at Remember the ABA

at HoopsHype.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Jabali, Warren 1946 births 2012 deaths African-American basketball players Basketball players from Kansas American men's basketball players Denver Rockets players Indiana Pacers players Kentucky Colonels players Miami Floridians players New York Knicks draft picks Oakland Oaks draft picks Oakland Oaks players Point guards San Diego Conquistadors players Shooting guards Sportspeople from Kansas City, Kansas Washington Caps players Wichita State Shockers men's basketball players 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American people