"New York Knicks" Jerry Lucas Hand Signed 3X5 Card JG Autographs COA

Description

Up for auction the
"New York Knicks" Jerry Lucas Hand Signed 3X5 Card.
This item is certified authentic by JG Autographs and comes with their Certificate of Authenticity.
ES-4690E
Jerry Ray Lucas
(born March 30, 1940) is an American former
basketball
player. He was a nationally awarded high school player, national college star at
Ohio State
, and 1960 gold medal Olympian and international player before later starring as a professional player in the
National Basketball Association
(NBA). As a collegian, Lucas led the Ohio State Buckeyes to three straight
NCAA finals
(1960-1962), winning the national championship in 1960, and finishing as runner-up in 1961 and 1962. He is the only three-time Big Ten Basketball Player of the Year,
]
and was named the NCAA Player of the Year in 1961 and 1962 by the
United States Basketball Writers Association
(now
Oscar Robertson Award
), the
Associated Press
, and the
Sporting News
.
As a professional, Lucas was named
All-NBA First Team
three times,
All-NBA Second Team
twice, an
NBA All-Star
seven times (including six years in a row), was the 1964 NBA Rookie of the Year and was named Most Valuable Player of the 1965
NBA All-Star Game
among other honors and awards. He was inducted to the
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
in 1980.
By 1971, Lucas had established himself as one of the most accurate shooters and top rebounders in the league. The Warriors, needing a small scoring forward, dealt Lucas to the 1970 NBA Champion
New York Knicks
in exchange for
Cazzie Russell
. The Knicks needed a big man to back up their starting center
Willis Reed
and power forward
Dave DeBusschere
. However, early in the
1971–72 season
, Reed went down with a season ending injury and Lucas was pressed into service at center. He was the smallest center in the league, and many were skeptical about how Lucas and the Knicks would do with this lineup. But at 31, Lucas had what may have been his best pro season, leading the Knicks in rebounds and shooting accuracy, and second on the team in both scoring and assists to
Walt Frazier
. His outside shooting, often well past today's three point line, changed defensive strategies, as opponents were forced to send their big man 20 feet from the basket to guard Lucas. Lucas shot 51.2% from the floor that season. He was also an outstanding passing center, just as he had been in college. The team was fourth in the NBA in defense with Lucas at center. The Knicks then upset both Baltimore and Boston to make the 1972 NBA finals against Los Angeles. Lucas figured strongly in both series wins. Lucas also played very well, averaging 20.8 points on 50% shooting, 9.8 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 46.6 minutes in the series against the Lakers and Wilt Chamberlain. When Game Four went to overtime, he played all 53 minutes. But New York lost the series. During this time, Lucas gained some press for a magic trick, ' The Phone Book '. In it, he memorized about 50 pages of the Manhattan White Pages
phone book
. After other demonstrations, a party held by writer
Dick Schaap
and teammate
Bill Bradley
saw the trick tested by world chess champion
Bobby Fischer
, who was reportedly astounded. In 1972–73, Reed, the New York team captain and star, returned. Lucas was sent to the bench for the first time in his career. But, to keep Reed healthy for the playoffs, he still played often. In averaging ten points and seven rebounds, he also averaged 4.5 assists. The team made the NBA finals again, and this time New York won. This made Lucas the first player ever to become a champion at every level of the game – high school, college, Olympics, and NBA (a feat later matched by
Quinn Buckner
and
Magic Johnson
). In the 1973–74 season, the Knicks made a run to repeat as champions, but lost to perennial rival Boston in the Eastern Conference Finals. Lucas played far less and was physically declining in his 11th professional season. The 34 year-old Lucas retired from the NBA following the season. His 15.6 per game career rebounding average is fourth-highest in league history as of 2020, and his 12,942 total is 17th all-time. He is also seventh all-time in minutes played per game, despite being a reserve the last two years of his career. In 1980, he was inducted into the Springfield Basketball Hall Of Fame with
Oscar Robertson
and
Jerry West
, all in their first year of eligibility. He was selected by the NBA in 1997 as one of its
50 Greatest Players in NBA History
, and was introduced at the All-Star Game in Cleveland wearing New York Knicks colors. As an all-time player, Lucas is remembered for his remarkable fame as an amateur player, his dominance as a rebounder, especially for his height, and as a big man with a dangerous long range shot, a combination unmatched before and only becoming approached since.