Guy Rodgers

Guy William Rodgers Jr. (September 1, 1935 – February 19, 2001) was an American professional basketball player and one of the NBA's best playmakers in the early to mid-1960s. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Rodgers attended Northeast High School in the city, where he played center under coach Ike Wooley and graduated in 1954. As a senior he averaged nearly 35 points a game and was regarded as an excellent ball-handler, earning recognition as Philadelphia's Player of the Year over sophomore Wilt Chamberlain. In 1953, Rodgers's Northeast team lost to Chamberlain's Overbrook High School in the Philadelphia Public League championship game; Chamberlain scored 34 points and Rodgers added 26 in an all-around performance that showcased his playmaking and defense. Rodgers went on to spend twelve years in the NBA, from 1958 to 1970. Over that career he led the league in assists twice and finished second six times, establishing himself as one of the era's premier ball distributors. Rodgers died on February 19, 2001. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014.