Al Butler

Elbert J. "Al" Butler (July 9, 1938 – July 12, 2000) was an American basketball player who played four seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Al Butler
Personal information
Born(1938-07-09)July 9, 1938
Birmingham, Alabama
DiedJuly 12, 2000(2000-07-12) (aged 62)
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight175 lb (79 kg)
Career information
High schoolEast (Rochester, New York)
CollegeNiagara (1958–1961)
NBA draft1961: 2nd round, 17th overall pick
Selected by the Boston Celtics
Playing career1961–1970
PositionPoint guard
Number22, 3, 20
Career history
1961Boston Celtics
1961–1964New York Knicks
1964–1965Baltimore Bullets
1965–1966Trenton Colonials
1966–1967Harrisburg Patriots
1967–1970Wilkes-Barre Barons
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points2,282 (9.8 ppg)
Rebounds696 (3.0 rpg)
Assists530 (2.3 apg)
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com

Born in Birmingham, Alabama,[1] he played basketball for East High School in Rochester, New York, before playing collegiately for Niagara University.[2] He was named to the 1961 National Invitation Tournament All-Star team by the Associated Press, despite Niagara losing its only game, 68–71 against Providence.[3][4]

He was selected by the Boston Celtics in the second round (17th pick overall) of the 1961 NBA draft.[5] He played for the Celtics (1961), New York Knicks (1962–64) and Baltimore Bullets (1964–65) in the NBA for a total of 234 games.[1] He started for the Knicks for Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game, scoring 8 points.[6]

Butler was the last player to ever wear the number 22 for the Celtics, as they would retire it in honor of Ed Macauley in 1963.[7][8]

Butler died of cancer on July 12, 2000.[6] After his death, a scholarship was established in his name at Monroe Community College, where he had worked as a guidance counselor.[2]

References
  1. "Al Butler Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  2. "Butler honored". Business & Sports. Democrat and Chronicle. October 19, 2000. p. D1. Retrieved June 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. Fullerton, Hugh, Jr. (March 27, 1961). "NIT's 'Most Outstanding' – Ernst Selected for Award". The Shreveport Times. Associated Press. p. 13. Retrieved June 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Joining with them on the team were ... Al Butler of Niagara, who gave a brilliant individual performance though his team lost its only tournament game.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. "Tournament Results (1960's)". NIT.org. Archived from the original on May 2, 2006. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  5. "Draft History | Stats". NBA.com. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  6. "Deaths Elsewhere – Al Butler". Daily Chronicle. DeKalb, Illinois. Associated Press. July 15, 2000. p. A4. Retrieved June 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Boston Celtics Uniform Numbers". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  8. "Retired Numbers | Boston Celtics". NBA.com. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
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