Jerry Lucas is one of the most successful and celebrated NBA stars in history. He was a star player for both the Cincinnati Royals and New York Knicks, winning seven All-Star Game appearances, an MVP award, and two World Championships during his stellar career. His accomplishments on the court are well documented, but off the court he has made equally impressive contributions to basketball history.
Lucas began his professional career with the Cincinnati Royals in 1962 after being drafted out of Ohio State University as the number one overall pick. During his time with the team he achieved numerous accolades, including multiple scoring titles, four consecutive All-Star game appearances, and an MVP award in 1964. After six seasons with the Royals he joined forces with Willis Reed and Walt Frazier of the New York Knicks, forming one of the greatest trios in NBA history. Together they went on to win two championships in 1970 and 1973 respectively.
In addition to being one of the best players ever to grace a basketball court, Lucas also had a profound impact on coaching techniques and strategies throughout his career. As head coach of both Ohio University and The Ohio State University’s men’s teams from 1977-1986 Lucas led them to ultimate success – making three NCAA Tournament appearances between those two universities alone! Moreover, many current coaches credit him for pioneering zone defense tactics that are now commonplace across college basketball programs today.
The legacy left by Jerry Lucas will continue to live on long after his retirement from professional play in 1974. With all that he accomplished while playing at such a high level plus adding valuable insight as a coach afterwards it’s no wonder why so many consider him an integral part of modern day basketball culture.
Jerry Lucas – Early Life
Jerry Ray Lucas was born in Middletown, Ohio, a city of over 30,000 located between Dayton and Cincinnati. The town had earned the nickname “The Basketball Capital of Ohio” due to its high school team’s incredible success at winning five state championships between 1945-1955. Consequently, Lucas was encouraged by the strong local support for basketball to take up the game and dedicate himself to it.
At age 15 in 1955, he began playing at Sunset Park which had become one of the best summer basketball scenes with college players from all over coming to play there. It proved beneficial for Lucas as well since he had grown to 6’7″ tall and could scrimmage against these experienced players, advancing his own ability greatly.
Not only that but Lucas also showed remarkable intelligence even at a young age; memorizing school work easily while mastering memory games like taking words apart and putting them back together quickly in alphabetical order. His intelligence extended into the realm of coaching too which would come in useful later on.
Jerry Lucas – High School
As a sophomore at Middletown, Lucas was already an exceptional athlete who could soar above the rim. His coach Paul Walker had already won three Ohio state championships, and Lucas found himself surrounded by strong teammates. He primarily focused his game on rebounding and passing, but still managed to become a scoring star as well.
With their impressive schedule of teams from Cincinnati, Dayton, and Columbus, Middletown remained undefeated throughout the 1955-56 season before eventually claiming the state championship title. The following year they did it again with only one loss in a semi-final game against Columbus North – ending a record 76 game win streak. Noted for wearing number #13 and often compared to Wilt Chamberlain during his high school years, Lucas averaged 34 points per game over two seasons while also throwing the discus in track and field – finishing third at state in 1957 and fifth in 1958.
This success led to national recognition when he surpassed Chamberlain’s total points scored as well as more than 150 college scholarship offers upon graduating from high school in 1958. Throughout his career Lucas also attracted large crowds to games held at various venues such as Cleveland Arena (12K) or Saint John Arena (15K), cementing him as one of the most publicized American high school players of all time. At graduation he left behind an incredible legacy with 2,460 points scored leading the Middies to an impressive 76-1 record over three varsity years – winning two additional state final fours along with two championship titles.
Jerry Lucas – College
Recruiting for Lucas at Middletown drew significant interest, leading to the protection of privacy for him and his family. When he committed to Ohio State, he joined a monumental recruiting class that included two future Hall of Famers in John Havlicek and Bob Knight, as well as Mel Nowell. All four were welcomed with open arms by Buckeyes’ freshman coach Fred Taylor, who was subsequently promoted to head varsity coach. To receive an academic scholarship from Ohio State was Lucas’s requirement, which he achieved while maintaining an A-grade average throughout college. He was also part of Beta Theta Pi fraternity at the university.
Due to NCAA rules at the time, freshmen athletes were ineligible for varsity sports so they had to wait until 1959–60 before taking the lead role on their team alongside Larry Siegfried and Joe Roberts. The high offense Buckeyes scored 90 points per game and only lost one match during their journey towards claiming the 1960 NCAA National Championship title when they beat California 75-55 in San Francisco; Lucas averaged 26 points per game with 63% shooting accuracy along with 16 rebounds per game and became Most Outstanding Player of this tournament.
This earned him a place on Sports Illustrated’s cover in January 1960 as well as being named 1961 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year -the first basketball player ever awarded with this honor-. Moreover, his number 11 jersey is now retired by Ohio State University after finishing 78-6 during his years there. As if all these accomplishments weren’t enough, in 1963 he received the Big Ten Medal of Honor too for demonstrating excellence both athletically and academically throughout college life. For all these reasons it is easy to understand why Lucas is still widely considered one of greatest college players ever today.
Jerry Lucas – 1960 Olympics & International Play
Jerry Lucas was an incredibly talented athlete, leading the 1960 NCAA champions and subsequently being named to the U.S. Olympic team for the Rome Games that year. Though his Trials performance suffered due to fatigue from the championship games and altitude in Denver, he still managed to top all players in rebounding.
After begging head coach Pete Newell to let him play his natural center spot, Lucas emerged as a regular starter for the U.S., scoring 21 points in the gold medal final against Brazil. His selflessness earned him praise from Coach Newell who called him “the greatest player I ever coached” after having just lost to Ohio State and Lucas in the NCAA final earlier that same year.
In 1961, Lucas was invited onto a team of Amateur Athletic Union stars on tour in Moscow, Leningrad, and Kyiv; staring at center, they won all eight games played with future basketball Hall of Famer John McLendon as their coach. Three years later, he joined another group of NBA pros on tour behind the Iron Curtain in countries including Poland, Romania, and Yugoslavia – this time Red Auerbach was coaching alongside Cincinnati teammate Oscar Robertson and several Boston Celtics members.
Jerry Lucas – Cleveland Pipers
In 1962, Lucas was sought after by both the NBA and the newly formed ABL due to his popularity. His refusal of a contract offer from the Cincinnati Royals provided an opportunity for the Cleveland Pipers to draft him, who in turn offered him a rare combined business-player deal that included ownership stock in their team.
The NBA then attempted to have the Pipers join their league, with fees added onto Lucas’ contract when it was approved by Steinbrenner. Ultimately, this proved too costly for them and they folded; following suit, so did the entire ABL at the end of that year. Despite signing with Howard Marks and Carl Glickman – two Cleveland advertisers – he missed out on one season of playing pro basketball but eventually returned to the Royals once he was released from his contract.
Jerry Lucas – Cincinnati Royals
The Cincinnati Royals had reportedly been interested in Lucas since their move to the city of Cincinnati in 1957. They officially acquired his rights in 1958 and drafted him four years later in 1962. It wasn’t until August 1963, however, when Warren Hensel became owner of the team that Lucas finally signed on with the Royals. His presence quickly revitalized ticket sales for a franchise that had seen its attendance rates drop significantly over the previous two seasons. In fact, it was reported that during Lucas’s first season (1963-64), ticket purchases had doubled from what they were before his arrival.
Joining Lucas on the roster were NBA All-Stars Oscar Robertson, Wayne Embry and Jack Twyman. He was moved to a big forward position during this time, which helped contribute to the second best record in all of the NBA at that point. Despite being mainly used as a rebounder and other support player throughout his career, he still managed to score 20 or more points several times during this period – including leading the league in field goal percentage as an NBA rookie.
Furthermore, he would go on to have four 30-rebound games and even one 40-rebound game on February 29th 1964 – making him still today as only NBA forward ever recorded with such an impressive accomplishment. During the playoffs against Boston though sadly he suffered an injury caused by collision with another Philadelphia player which meant although he played through it; he never fully recovered form again afterwards. Nevertheless, in one playoff win over Boston earlier on he posted an incredible triple double performance of 16 points 10 assists and 25 rebounds.
In 1964-65 and 1965–66, Lucas had two of his best seasons in Cincinnati with the Royals, finishing in the top three of the league each season. A renowned sharpshooter, he averaged over 21 points per game as the team’s second-leading scorer while also collecting an average of 20 rebounds per game during both those years. His 1668 total rebounds that season still stands today as a record for NBA forwards.
Not only did Lucas excel at scoring and rebounding but he was also known for his work ethic, routinely playing 43-44 minutes per game at two positions – starting forward and then backup center – despite suffering from knee pain. He even managed to play through injury in the 1966 playoffs after being accidentally undercut by a teammate. His impressive performance earned him Most Valuable Player honors in the 1965 NBA All-Star Game where he scored 26 points. During the following year’s All-Star Game held in Cincinnati, Lucas had a team-high 19 rebounds for the East Team before weighing up to 240-250 pounds later on in his career due to popularity amongst crowds when moving nine or more home games to Cleveland that fall.
Lucas’ savvy off-court business moves saw him become a cutting-edge corporate athlete, securing various endorsements and exploring investment opportunities. 1968 marked a pivotal moment in Lucas’s life as it was reported he had amassed over a million dollars, making him one of only two or three NBA millionaires at the time. His most renowned venture was his rapidly expanding fast food chain ‘Jerry Lucas Beef N Shakes’. Additionally, he established his own toys and games company as well as publishing a book on magical card tricks which he often performed himself.
In 1967–68, after overcoming health concerns, Lucas registered impressive postseason averages including 21.5 points per game, 52% shooting accuracy and 44.1 minutes played across 82 games; second only to Chamberlain in both rebounds and minutes played. He comfortably outrebounded Bill Russell more than 100 times for the season – an unprecedented feat at that point – thus earning All-NBA First Team recognition again despite the Royals missing playoffs on the last day of the season. This prolific period lasted from 1964 to 1968 during which he achieved a remarkable double average of 20.5 points and 19.8 rebounds per game with only Chamberlain matching such statistics within that time frame.
Unfortunately however, 1969 brought financial hardship when the American economy tightened coupled with overextension on several fronts resulting in bankruptcy for Lucas who consequently suffered sharp decline in popularity among players who had invested with him too due to their losses incurred as consequence of collapse of his portfolio investments.
Jerry Lucas – San Francisco Warriors
In 1969, after missing the playoffs yet again, Bob Cousy took over as coach of the Royals and sought to build a more dynamic team. However, Lucas was not in favor due to his heavier frame and slower play. Fortunately for him, he had a no-trade clause in his contract that allowed him to switch teams of his choice; he decided on San Francisco.
During the 1969–70 season, Lucas suffered an injury when he broke his hand but still managed to get through it before bouncing back with great form during 1970–71 averaging 19.2 points per game, 15.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists at 230 pounds – earning himself an All-Star Game appearance for the seventh time within the NBA which now held 17 teams! With Nate Thurmond, Clyde Lee Jeff Mullins and Ron Williams among others by his side, they achieved a .500 record which led them into the 1971 playoffs only to be eventually defeated by the Milwaukee Bucks who went on to win that year’s NBA title.
Jerry Lucas – New York
By 1971, Lucas had established himself as one of the most accurate shooters and top rebounders in the league, prompting the Golden State Warriors to trade him to the 1970 NBA Champion New York Knicks for Cazzie Russell. The move was made so that the Knicks could have a small scoring forward who could back up their starting center Willis Reed and power forward Dave DeBusschere in case of an injury.
However, when Reed went down early on in the 1971–72 season, Lucas was pressed into service at center; making him not only the smallest player at his position but also sparking skepticism about how successful he and the team would be with this lineup. But Lucas proved doubters wrong having what may have been his best pro season by leading the team in rebounds and shooting accuracy while coming second in both scoring and assists behind Walt Frazier. His outside shooting beyond today’s three-point line forced teams to send their big man out 20 feet from the basket just to guard him.
Shooting 51.2% from floor during that season, Lucas also showed off impressive passing skills which put them fourth overall in defense with him playing center. With his help they beat Baltimore and Boston before losing against the Los Angeles Lakers featuring Wilt Chamberlain in 1972 NBA finals despite Lucas’ outstanding performance (20.8 points on 50% shooting, 9.8 rebounds, 6.2 assists). Even though Game Four went into overtime he played all 53 minutes without rest but came out victorious this time around unfortunately for New York.
In 1972-73, Lucas returned to the New York Knicks as team captain and star player. During this time he gained some press attention for a magic trick called “The Phone Book”, where he memorized up to 50 pages of the Manhattan White Pages phone book. His skill stunned even world chess champion Bobby Fischer, who witnessed it during a party hosted by writer Dick Schaap and teammate Bill Bradley. Although Lucas was sent to the bench for the first time in his career, averaging 10 points and 7 rebounds per game with 4.5 assists; that season saw him become one of the few players in history to win championships at every level – high school, college, Olympics and NBA (a feat later matched by Quinn Buckner and Magic Johnson).
However, during his 11th professional season in 1973–74 – aged 34 years old – Lucas played less minutes due to physical decline. The Knicks made it through to the Eastern Conference Finals but lost out against their rivals Boston Celtics; leading him to retire from basketball following that season. By 2020 Reed had accumulated 15, 662 total rebounds – placing him 17th all-time on league records – along with 12,942 minutes played which put him seventh across all players ever.
Jerry Lucas – NBA Legacy
In 1980, he was honored with his induction into the Springfield Basketball Hall of Fame in the same year as Oscar Robertson and Jerry West – all three selected in their first year of eligibility. The NBA later recognized Lucas’ immense talent by selecting him as one of its 50 Greatest Players in 1996 and once again for the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021. Sports Illustrated additionally named him to their Five Man College Team of the Century in 1999.
Lucas’ legacy is characterized by his legendary fame as an amateur player coupled with his dominance as a rebounder despite being undersized and possessing a deadly long-range shot – something unheard of before or since then.
Jerry Lucas – Post-NBA Career
After retiring from professional basketball in 1974, Lucas, renowned for his remarkable memory skills that had impressed both teammates and media alike over the years, devoted himself to developing an educational system dealing with memory. He went on to author a number of books related to this subject including “The Memory Book” (1974; co-written with Harry Lorayne) and “Learning How To Learn” (2001). For the past three and a half decades, he has been journeying across the nation delivering lectures on education.
Jerry Lucas – Personal Life
For many years now, Lucas has been a devoted follower of Christianity. During his last year in the National Basketball Association (NBA), he committed vast portions of the New Testament to memory and is regularly invited to preach at churches throughout the country. Back in college, he was married to Treva Lucas before they divorced in 1974; that same year he wed contemporary Christian singer Sharalee Beard. Unfortunately, this union also ended after a few years and Lucas went on to marry Cheri Wulff soon afterwards. Currently, they both reside in Templeton, California.
Jerry Lucas – Net Worth
Jerry Lucas is a former NBA star who has a net worth of $15 million. He earned this net worth through his career as a professional basketball player and through his various business investments.
Did Jerry Lucas have a photographic memory?
Lucas possessed an extraordinary ability to remember, which enabled him to easily recall his opponents’ strategies and planned plays. Furthermore, he had a remarkable talent for memorizing; he was capable of learning the contents of 50 pages of the New York City phone book in one session!
Was Jerry Lucas a good shooter?
Lucas proved to be one of the NBA’s most effective shooters, averaging over 21 points per game in two consecutive seasons as the second-highest scorer on his team. His prowess was further demonstrated by an impressive average of 20 rebounds a game during those same years. In 1965-66, he averaged an astonishing 21.1 rebounds in 79 games with 1668 total rebounds for the season.
