Jack Twyman, 1950’s NBA Star, Dead at 78

Jack Twyman, basketball Hall of Fame inductee and one of the top scorers during the 1950’s, passed away on Wednesday at a Cincinnati hospice due to complications from blood cancer. He was 78 years-old.

“He was a great man, a devoted husband and father and a tremendous grandfather,” Jay Twyman said of his father. “What he accomplished in his lifetime was really the equivalent of three lifetimes.”

After playing college ball for the University of Cincinnati, Twyman made the smooth transition to the NBA, where he spent 11 seasons with the Bearcats and the Royals. In addition to scoring 31.2 points per game during the 1959-1960 season, he also played in six All-Star games. At the end of his career, Twyman had scored an amazing 15,840 points. Retirement, of course, couldn’t slow someone like Twyman down. Instead of kicking back, the Hall of Famer became one of the first NBA TV analysts.

However, his contributions to the sport didn’t end on the court. After budding NBA star Maurice Stokes was left paralyzed — a result of hitting his head on the floor during a game — Twyman became his legal guardian. In addition to caring for Stokes, he assisted the man with his medical expenses, organizing a charity game that, to this day, still raises money for players in need of a little financial assistance.

As always, Twitter users have taken to the micro-blogging site to express their thoughts and feelings about Twyman’s passing. You can sample some of the responses by investigating the posts below. To learn more about the NBA player, pay a visit to Famous Dead.

Image provided courtesy of GoBearcats.com