Art Spector
{{Short description|American basketball player (1920–1987)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name = Art Spector
| image = Arthur Spector 1948.jpg
| width =
| caption = Spector in 1948
| position = Forward
| number = 12
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 4
| weight_lbs = 200
| birth_date = {{birth date|1920|10|17|mf=y}}
| birth_place = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|1987|6|18|1920|10|17|mf=y}}
| death_place = New York City, U.S.
| high_school = West Philadelphia
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
| college = Villanova (1940–1941)
| career_start = 1946
| career_end = 1950
| years1 = 1946–1950
| team1 = Boston Celtics
| stat1label = Points
| stat1value = 852
| stat2label = Assist
| stat2value = 143
| letter = s
| bbr = spectar01
}}
Arthur Edward Spector (nicknamed "Speed";{{Cite web|url=https://hoopshype.com/2019/02/24/all-the-nicknames-in-nba-history/|title=These are (pretty much) all the nicknames in NBA history|date=February 25, 2019}} 17 October 1920 – 18 June 1987) was an American basketball player. He played as a forward for the Boston Celtics from 1946 to 1950.
Early life and education
Spector was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and lived in West Philadelphia. He was Jewish.{{Cite web |url=http://www.jewsinsports.org/profile.asp?sport=basketball&ID=179 |title=Spector, Art : Jews in Sports @ Virtual Museum |access-date=2010-06-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120524092349/http://www.jewsinsports.org/profile.asp?sport=basketball&ID=179 |archive-date=2012-05-24 |url-status=dead }}Charles Rosen. [https://books.google.com/books?id=rG01DwAAQBAJ&dq=%22art+spector%22+jewish&pg=PT145 The Chosen Game: A Jewish Basketball History] U of Nebraska Press, 2017. His grandson is American former soccer player Jonathan Spector.{{Cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/1.5132971|title=World Cup / Meet America's Jewish players|newspaper=Haaretz}}{{Cite web|url=https://jewishjournal.com/culture/sports/80170/|title=Two Jewish SoCal Soccer Players Head for World Cup|date=June 8, 2010|website=Jewish Journal}}
Spector attended and played basketball first at West Philadelphia High School, where he was team captain. He then played basketball at Villanova University, graduating in 1941.{{Cite web|url=http://www.newspapers.com/newspage/160606360/|title=The Morning News from Wilmington, Delaware on February 3, 1938 · Page 8|website=Newspapers.com|date=February 3, 1938 }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.delconewsnetwork.com/sports/sports-flashback-referee-pete-dambrosio-a-part-of-nba-history/article_6a634e11-6b94-503a-8b96-cabdb05f2b56.html|title=Sports Flashback: Referee Pete D'Ambrosio a part of NBA history|first=Rich|last=PaganoCORRESPONDENT|website=Delco News Network|date=7 November 2013}}{{Cite web|url=https://basketball.realgm.com/player/Art-Spector/Summary/100958|title=Art Spector Player Profile, Boston Celtics, NBA Stats, NCAA Stats, Game Logs, Bests, Awards - RealGM|website=basketball.realgm.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/celtics-forgotten-50-part-1-early-years|title=Celtics Forgotten 50: Part 1 — The Early Years|website=RSN}}{{Cite web|url=https://probasketballencyclopedia.com/player/art-spector/|title=ART SPECTOR}}
Professional basketball
He was the first player ever to be signed by the Boston Celtics.Neil Singelais. "[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=BG&p_theme=bg&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EADEDFA737995EC&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM Art Spector, first player signed to play for Celtics; at 70]". Boston Globe. June 20, 1987. Retrieved on August 27, 2009. Later, he was a scout for the Celtics.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t7ZwZtnBgBYC&dq=%22Art+Spector%22+basketball&pg=PA49|isbn = 9780803294547|title = They Cleared the Lane: The NBA's Black Pioneers|date = March 2004|publisher = U of Nebraska Press}} He played as a forward for the Celtics from 1946 to 1950.
He lived later in Newtown, Connecticut.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3msgwJhtBoMC&dq=%22Art+Spector%22+basketball+newtown&pg=PA101|isbn = 9781467100717|title = Legendary Locals of Newtown|year = 2013|publisher = Arcadia}}
=BAA and NBA career statistics=
| class="toccolours" style="font-size: 90%; white-space: nowrap;" |
| colspan="6" style="background:#f2f2f2; border:1px solid #aaa;"| Legend |
|---|
| style="background:#f2f2f2; border:1px solid black;"| GP
| Games played | style="background:#f2f2f2; border:1px solid black;"| FG% | style="padding-right: 8px" | Field-goal percentage |
| style="background:#f2f2f2; border:1px solid black;"| FT%
| Free-throw percentage | style="background:#f2f2f2; border:1px solid black;"| APG | Assists per game |
| style="background:#f2f2f2; border:1px solid black;"| PPG
| Points per game | style="background-color: #F2F2F2; border: 1px solid black" | Bold | Career high |
=Regular season=
| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;" | ||||
| Year
! Team ! GP ! FG% ! FT% ! APG ! PPG | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="text-align:left;"| 1946–47
| style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 55 | .267 | .553 | .8 | 6.0 |
| style="text-align:left;"| 1947–48
| style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 48 | .276 | .652 | .4 | 4.0 |
| style="text-align:left;"| 1948–49
| style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 59 | .300 | .552 | 1.3 | 5.5 |
| style="text-align:left;"| 1949–50
| style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 7 | .167 | .250 | .4 | .7 |
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career
| 169 | .280 | .575 | .8 | 5.0 |
=Playoffs=
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.nba.com/historical/playerfile/index.html?player=speed_spector Profile] at NBA.com
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spector, Art}}
Category:Boston Celtics players
Category:Boston Celtics scouts
Category:American men's basketball players
Category:Basketball players from Philadelphia
Category:Forwards (basketball)
Category:Jewish American basketball players
Category:Jews from Pennsylvania
Category:West Philadelphia High School alumni