Ken Sailors

For the Arkansas Tech basketball player, see Kenny Saylors.

Ken Sailors
Sailors in 1950
Personal information
Born(1921-01-14)January 14, 1921
Bushnell, Nebraska, U.S.
DiedJanuary 30, 2016(2016-01-30) (aged 95)
Laramie, Wyoming, U.S.
Listed height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Listed weight175 lb (79 kg)
Career information
High schoolLaramie (Laramie, Wyoming)
CollegeWyoming (1940–1943, 1945–1946)
Playing career1946–1951
PositionPoint guard
Number4, 5, 27, 13
Career history
1946–1947Cleveland Rebels
1947Chicago Stags
1947Philadelphia Warriors
1947–1949Providence Steamrollers
1949–1950Denver Nuggets
1950Boston Celtics
1950–1951Baltimore Bullets
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame

Kenneth Lloyd Sailors (January 14, 1921 – January 30, 2016) was an American professional basketball player active in the 1940s and early 1950s.[1] A 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) guard, he is notable for inventing the jump shot as an alternative to the two-handed, flat-footed set shot.[2][dubious – discuss]

Sailors was born January 14, 1921, in Bushnell, Nebraska,[3] and grew up on a farm south of Hillsdale, Wyoming, where he developed his effective jump shot while playing against his 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) older brother Barton (known as Bud).[4] He eventually brought his skills to the University of Wyoming, and he led the Cowboys to the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship in 1943. Sailors was named the NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player for his efforts.[5] He was the unanimous selection as College Basketball Player of the Year in 1943.[6] He would earn the honor again in 1946. Sailors was the only player in the history of Wyoming Cowboys basketball to be selected as an All-American three times, in 1942, 1943, and 1946.[6]

Sailors, circa 1948

From 1946 to 1951, Sailors played professionally in the BAA and NBA as a member of the Cleveland Rebels, Chicago Stags, Philadelphia Warriors, Providence Steamrollers, Denver Nuggets, Boston Celtics, and Baltimore Bullets. He was second in the BAA in total assists in 1946–47, was named to the All-BAA 2nd team in 1948–49, and averaged a career high 17.3 points per game in the 1949–50 season.[7] He scored 3,480 points in his professional career.[8] Sailors was inducted into the University of Wyoming Athletics Hall of Fame on October 29, 1993.[6] In 2012, he was named to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.[9]

John Christgau, author of the book The Origins of the Jump Shot, said that Sailors’ jump shot technique was the one that modern fans would recognize as the "jump shot".[4]

In 2014, the University of Wyoming announced its plans to erect a specially-commissioned sculpture of Sailors outside of the university's basketball stadium, the Arena-Auditorium.[10]

Sailors died on January 30, 2016, sixteen days after his 95th birthday, of complications from a heart attack he had in December 2015.[11]

  1. ^ "Sailors still big shot in Wyoming history". The Denver Post. January 14, 1921. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  2. ^ "Wyoming @ Utah: Sailors, Ferrin, Mikan and The Great Santini". January 21, 2007. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved May 15, 2009.
  3. ^ Schudel, Matt (January 30, 2016). "Kenny Sailors, forgotten star credited with inventing basketball's jump shot". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
  4. ^ a b McDonald, William (January 30, 2016), "Kenny Sailors, a Pioneer of the Jump Shot, Dies at 95", The New York Times
  5. ^ Christgau, John (March 1, 1999). The Origins of the Jump Shot: Eight Men Who Shook the World of Basketball. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 9780803263949. Archived from the original on February 10, 2007. Retrieved March 9, 2007.
  6. ^ a b c "University of Wyoming Official Athletic Site – Traditions". Wyomingathletics.com. October 29, 1993. Archived from the original on May 14, 2012. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  7. ^ Sachare, Alex (1994). The Official NBA basketball encyclopedia (1994 ed.). Villard Books. pp. 40, 372, 737.
  8. ^ "Kenny Sailors NBA Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  9. ^ The New York Times. College Basketball. B14. March 7, 2012.
  10. ^ "Wyoming's Arena-Auditorium Renovation Project Launches Today, With Recognition of Both Private Donors and the Support Provided by the Wyoming State Legislature – University of Wyoming Official Athletic Site". Gowyo.com. January 25, 2014. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  11. ^ "University of Wyoming legend Kenny Sailors dies at 95 | Men's Basketball". Trib.com. January 30, 2016. Retrieved January 31, 2016.