Frank Brian

Frank Sands Brian (May 1, 1923 – May 14, 2017) was an American professional basketball player.

Frank Brian
Personal information
Born(1923-05-01)May 1, 1923
Zachary, Louisiana, U.S.
DiedMay 14, 2017(2017-05-14) (aged 94)
Zachary, Louisiana, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
High schoolZachary (Zachary, Louisiana)
CollegeLSU (1942–1943, 1945–1947)
Playing career1947–1956
PositionPoint guard / shooting guard
Number8, 13, 7
Career history
1947–1950Anderson Packers
1950–1951Tri-Cities Blackhawks
1951–1956Fort Wayne Pistons
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points5,379
Rebounds903
Assists1,138
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Life and career

A 6’1" guard from Louisiana State University, Brian signed with the Anderson Packers of the National Basketball League in 1947. In 1949 the NBL and BAA merged to form the NBA. He scored 2,442 points in three seasons with the Packers, then joined the Chicago Stags of the NBA when the Packers franchise folded following the 1949–1950 season. The Stags quickly traded Brian to the Tri-Cities Blackhawks, whom Brian represented as an NBA All-Star in 1951.

Brian also earned All-NBA Second Teams honors in 1951 after averaging 16.8 points, 3.9 assists and 3.6 rebounds. Frank Led Tri-Cities Blackhawks (now "Atlanta Hawks") in scoring in 1951.Frank was 5th in the League with his 1,144 points for the Blackhawks during 1951–1952 season. In May 1951, the Blackhawks traded Brian to the Fort Wayne Pistons for Howie Schultz and Dick Mehen. Frank led Ft. Wayne Pistons (now "Detroit Pistons") in scoring in 1952 & 1953, ranking 6th in the league with 1,051 points during the 1951–52 season. Brian had five productive seasons with the Pistons, who went to the NBA Championships in 1955 and 1956, and he retired in 1956 with 6,663 combined NBL/NBA career points.

  • Basketball All-American at LSU and 2-time All-Southeast Conference.
  • National All-AAU Basketball Team.
  • National Basketball League All-Rookie (1947)
  • 2-Time NBL All-Star (1948,1949)
  • Nicknamed "Flash" for being one of the League's fastest players.
  • NBA Basketball Pioneer...played in first 7 seasons of NBA history (1949–1956)
  • Played in first two NBA All-Star games (1951,1952)
  • All-NBA (1950,1951)
  • Led Tri-Cities Blackhawks (now "Atlanta Hawks") in scoring in 1951.
  • Was 5th in the League with his 1,144 points for the Blackhawks during 1951–1952 season.
  • Ranked 6th in the league with 1,051 points during the 1951–52 season with the Fort Wayne Pistons.
  • Led Ft. Wayne Pistons (now "Detroit Pistons") in scoring in 1952 & 1953.
  • Ranked in Top-6 in NBA in scoring for 3 consecutive seasons (1950,1951,1952)
  • Led NBA in Games Played in 1952 (66)
  • 2nd Best Free Throw Percentage in NBA in 1955 (85.1%)
  • Played in 1955 and 1956 NBA Championships.
  • Played in first NBA Championship Series of the Shot Clock Era (1955)
  • Scored 6,663 points in 10-year professional career.
  • Inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 1986.
  • Inducted into the LSU Hall of Fame on September 13, 2013.

Brian died on May 14, 2017, in Zachary, Louisiana, aged 94.[1][2]

NBA career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season
Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1949–50 Anderson 64 – .318 .824 – 3.0 17.8
1950–51 Tri-Cities 68 – .322 .823 3.6 3.9 16.8
1951–52 Fort Wayne 66 40.5 .352 .848 3.5 3.5 15.9
1952–53 Fort Wayne 68 28.1 .351 .795 2.0 2.1 10.7
1953–54 Fort Wayne 64 15.2 .375 .753 1.2 1.4 6.3
1954–55 Fort Wayne 71 19.5 .380 .851 1.8 2.0 9.7
1955–56 Fort Wayne 37 18.4 .297 .818 2.4 2.0 6.2
Career 438 24.9 .340 .821 2.4 2.6 12.3
All-Star 2 – .375 .818 6.5 3.5 13.5

Playoffs
Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1950 Anderson 8 – .271 .896 – 2.4 11.9
1952 Fort Wayne 2 40.5 .250 .833 3.0 4.5 8.5
1953 Fort Wayne 8 18.3 .310 .760 1.1 1.4 5.6
1954 Fort Wayne 4 26.5 .417 .688 3.0 2.5 10.3
1955 Fort Wayne 11 24.5 .400 .816 2.0 2.5 11.5
1956 Fort Wayne 10 16.6 .382 .810 1.2 1.7 6.9
Career 43 21.9 .347 .818 1.7 2.2 9.2

References
  1. Higgins, Ron (May 14, 2017). "Former LSU basketball great Frank Brian dies at age 94". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
  2. "Former LSU, NBA star Frank Brian dead at 94". ESPN. May 15, 2017. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
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