Jump to content

Jack Molinas

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jack Molinas
Personal information
Born(1931-10-31)October 31, 1931
New York City, New York,U.S.
DiedAugust 3, 1975(1975-08-03)(aged 43)
Hollywood, California,U.S.
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High schoolStuyvesant
(New York City, New York)
CollegeColumbia(1950–1953)
NBA draft1953:1st round, 3rd overall pick
Selected by theFort Wayne Pistons
Playing career1953–1962
PositionSmall forward/power forward
Number6
Coaching career1960–1961
Career history
As player:
1953–1954Fort Wayne Pistons
1954–1959Williamsport Billies
1960–1961Hazleton Hawks
1961–1962Wilkes-Barre Barons
As coach:
1960–1961Hazleton Hawks
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points370 (11.6 ppg)
Rebounds228 (7.1 rpg)
Assists51 (1.6 apg)
StatsEdit this at Wikidataat NBA.com
StatsEdit this at Wikidataat Basketball-Reference.com

Jacob Louis Molinas(October 31, 1931 – August 3, 1975[1]) was an American professionalbasketballplayer, an associate of theGenovese crime family,and a key figure in one of the most wide-reachingpoint shavingscandals incollege basketball.

Early life[edit]

Molinas grew up inBrooklynand attendedStuyvesant High School.His parents owned a bar onConey Island.

College career[edit]

He attendedColumbia Universityfrom 1950 to 1953 where he played basketball. In the 1952-1953 season he was the captain ofColumbia'steam and led the team in scoring. In 1953, he set a team record for most points scored in a game—a mark that was eclipsed a few years later byChet Forte.[2]During his time in Columbia, he was measured to have a genius-level I.Q. of 175.[3]He also had some involvement in theCCNY point-shaving scandalback when he played college basketball, though he was never caught while he played for Columbia.[4]

Professional career[edit]

TheFort Wayne Pistonsdrafted him third in the1953 NBA draft.He played in 32 games before the league banned him for wagering on Pistons games.[5]Molinas was selected for the1954 NBA All-Star Game,but was suspended at the time of the game and was replaced by teammateAndy Phillip.He later sued the NBA for $3 million, claiming the league's ban was an unreasonable restraint of trade. JudgeIrving Kaufmanruled against him in the case.[6]Molinas is the NBA career leader in All-Star games per number of regular season games played (1/32). Molinas would be the last active player to be banned from the NBA for gambling until 2024, 70 years later, whenJontay Porterwas banned from the NBA for his own involvement in gambling on NBA games in which he played.[7][8][9]

Molinas played in theEastern Professional Basketball League(EPBL) from 1954 to 1962 for the Williamsport Billies,Hazleton HawksandWilkes-Barre Barons.He was selected as theEPBL Most Valuable Playerin 1956. Molinas was a five-time All-EPBL First Team selection (1955–1958, 1960) and two-time Second Team selection (1959, 1961).[10]He served as aplayer-coachfor the Hawks during the 1960–61 season.[11]

After his playing career was nearing its end, he entered theBrooklyn Law School,graduating with a law degree. Before his admission to law school, theBronx County District Attorneyinvestigated his case and concluded that he had not committed a crime. The bar association also reviewed his case and admitted him to the New York Bar.[5]

Career statistics[edit]

Legend
GP Games played GS Games started MPG Minutes per game
FG% Field goalpercentage 3P% 3-point field goalpercentage FT% Free throwpercentage
RPG Reboundsper game APG Assistsper game SPG Stealsper game
BPG Blocksper game PPG Points per game Bold Career high

NBA regular season[edit]

Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1953–54 Fort Wayne 32 29.9 .390 .759 7.1 1.6 11.6
Career 32 29.9 .390 .759 7.1 1.6 11.6

EPBL regular season[edit]

Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1954–55 Williamsport 28 22.7
1955-56 Williamsport 26 27.3
1956-57 Williamsport 29 26.5
1957-58 Williamsport 26 32.2
1958-59 Williamsport 19 26.1
1958-59 Williamsport 19 26.1
1959-60 Williamsport-Hazleton 22 66.8 7.4 3.6 25.0
1960-61 Hazleton 22 77.9 9.5 2.6 30.0
1961-62 Wilkes-Barre 7 69.8 4.4 2.9 17.7
Career 157 27.0

Legal issues[edit]

In 1973, authorities arrested and charged him with interstate shipment of pornography and furs inTaiwan.He was due to stand trial on those charges at the time of his death.

Personal life[edit]

Match fixing[edit]

Molinas became the central figure in the1961 point-shaving scandal.The gambling ring went on from 1957 to 1960 and involved 50 players from 27 colleges.[12]Two of the most notable players ensnared in the scandal were futureHall of FamersConnie HawkinsandRoger Brown.Molinas gave Hawkins $250 during his freshman year atIowa,but never encouraged him to throw games. Although Molinas never implicated Hawkins in any way, both Hawkins and Brown were effectively blackballed from both collegiate and professional basketball, until signing with the upstartAmerican Basketball Association(ABA) in 1967. Hawkins also played in theAmerican Basketball League(ABL) for its entire existence, 1961–63, and afterwards appealed towards theNBAin allowing him to play again, starting in 1969 with thePhoenix Suns.Meanwhile, Brown spent his entire professional career in the rival ABA, leading theIndiana Pacersto three ABA titles before retiring from basketball in 1975; the Pacers retired his number (#35) on November 2, 1985.

In 1963, Molinas was convicted for his role in the scheme and was sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison. He was paroled in 1968 after serving five years.[12][13]Molinas was said to have contacts with New York City mobstersThomas EboliandVincent Gigante.[2]According to Molinas' attorney in the case, Jacob Evseroff, it was possible that he could have won his case had he taken the stand on his own behalf, yet he failed to do so since he notably lost his nerve (the only time he'd do so during the case) in relation to members of organized crime and sports gambling.[14]

Death[edit]

At 2:00 am on August 3, 1975, at age 43, Molinas was killed while standing in the backyard of his home in Los Angeles. Eugene Connor fired five shots, with at least one shot being a bullet to the head, while standing in the yard of Molinas' neighbor using a long-barreled.22 caliber pistol steadied on the fence. Molinas was hit in the neck, and his girlfriend, Shirley Marcus, and dog were both wounded as well.[15][16]

Police did not rule out a mob-related murder.[2]His business partner Bernard Gusoff had been beaten to death in November 1974.[12]Molinas and Gusoff both had life insurance policies worth $500,000 on each other due to them being partners in a fur-importing business at the time.[17]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  • Rosen, Charley (2003).The Wizard of Odds: How Jack Molinas Almost Destroyed the Game of Basketball.New York: Seven Stories Press.ISBN1-58322-562-5.
  1. ^"Molinas, Jack".JewsinSports.org.Retrieved2008-03-12.
  2. ^abcKonigsberg, Eric (2002-03-03)."Double Dribbling".New York Times.Retrieved2007-11-02.
  3. ^https://www.sevenstories.com/books/3791-the-wizard-of-odds
  4. ^Goldstein, Joe."Explosion II: The Molinas period"-ESPN- November 19, 2003
  5. ^ab"Molinas Presses $3,000,000 Case; Ex-Court Ace Sues N.B.A. for Banning Him After He Bet on Own Team".New York Times.1961-01-03.
  6. ^"Molinas Loses Antitrust Suit".New York Times.1961-01-12.
  7. ^"Jontay Porter banned from NBA for violating league's gaming rules".NBA.com.April 17, 2024.RetrievedApril 17,2024.
  8. ^David Purdum (April 17, 2024)."NBA bans Raptors' Jontay Porter for gambling violations".ESPN.com.RetrievedApril 17,2024.
  9. ^Vardon, Joe (April 17, 2024)."NBA bans Jontay Porter for violating gambling rules".The Athletic.RetrievedApril 17,2024.
  10. ^"Jacob Molinas minor league basketball statistics".Stats Crew.RetrievedSeptember 5,2021.
  11. ^"Jack Molinas minor league basketball coaching statistics".Stats Crew.RetrievedSeptember 5,2021.
  12. ^abc"Molinas's Past Sifted For Clues".New York Times.1975-08-06.
  13. ^Goldstein, Joe (November 19, 2003)."Explosion II: The Molinas period".ESPN.com.RetrievedNovember 10,2012.
  14. ^Figone, Albert (2012).Cheating the Spread: Gamblers, Point Shavers, and Game Fixers in College Football and Basketball.Urbana: University of Illinois Press.ISBN9780252037283.,pg. 105
  15. ^"ESPN Classic - Explosion II: The Molinas period".www.espn.com.Retrieved2019-05-21.
  16. ^Kudler, Adrian Glick (2011-08-16)."House Where Point Shaver/Pornographer Jack Molinas Was Killed".Curbed LA.Retrieved2019-05-21.
  17. ^Goldstein, Joe (November 19, 2003)."Explosion II: The Molinas period spread".ESPN Classic.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jack_Molinas&oldid=1232510092"