Bob Boozer
USABiography of Bob Boozer
Bob Boozer, an American professional basketball player, was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska. He attended a local school and later received a scholarship from Kansas State University. Boozer helped lead the Wildcats to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament in 1958 and was twice named to the All-American student teams. He was also named the Player of the Year in the Big Eight Conference.
During his college career, Boozer wore the number 30 jersey, which was retired by the university in his honor. In the 1959 NBA draft, Boozer was selected by the Cincinnati Royals, but he delayed the start of his professional career to compete in the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome. He played for the NIBL team Peoria Caterpillars during the 1959/60 season and won the AAU championship, earning the MVP award.
At the Olympics, Boozer and the US basketball team defeated all their opponents with a minimal margin of 24 points and won the gold medal. After the Olympics, Boozer joined his Olympic teammate Oscar Robertson in the Cincinnati Royals for the 1960/61 season. Although he initially came off the bench, Boozer became a starter in the following season and significantly increased his productivity.
However, before his fourth season with the Royals, the team drafted another Olympic champion, Jerry Lucas, as a power forward, pushing Boozer back to the bench. In the middle of the 1963/64 season, Boozer was traded to the New York Knicks. Despite his good statistics, he was traded again to the Los Angeles Lakers due to competition from rookies Willis Reed and Jim Barnes.
After one season in California, Boozer was selected by the expansion team Chicago Bulls in the 1966 NBA expansion draft. He became a leader of the newly formed team, playing alongside Guy Rodgers and Jerry Sloan. Although Boozer was selected for the All-Star Game in the 1967/68 season, the Bulls never made it to the playoffs. He was then traded to the Seattle SuperSonics.
At the end of his one-year contract with the SuperSonics, 33-year-old Boozer signed with the Milwaukee Bucks, a team that had formed two years earlier. He played alongside his former teammates Oscar Robertson and Lucius Allen, as well as rising basketball legend Lew Alcindor. The team won its first and only championship, and Boozer received a championship ring before deciding to retire.
On May 19, 2012, Bob Boozer passed away at the age of 75 from a cerebral aneurysm in his hometown of Omaha.
