Sometimes we forget about great players from the past.
Largely, everyone remembers or knows more about the 90s, 2000s cause that’s when the
most of our generation started to watch basketball.
And when I say Big Z - a bunch of NBA fans will most likely think that I will talk about
Zydrunas Ilgauskas, but no.
There is the original big Z - one that played in the 1960s and 70s.
The one that played amongst the best Big men this game has ever seen and still managed
to get noticed.
Hello everyone.
I’m PRPLPRNCH and I’m talking about Zelmo Beaty.
The original big Z.
Zelmo Beaty spent 4 years of college in Prairie View A&M university.
In 4 years of college Beaty averaged 25 points and 20 rebounds, making NAIA All-American
first team 2 times.
His college resume was enough to be the 3rd pick of the 1962 NBA draft by the St. Louis
Hawks.
Right away in his first season, Zelmo Beaty showed his worth by averaging 10.2 points
and 8.3 rebounds in just 24 minutes per game.
At 6 foot 9 and 235 pounds Beaty wasn’t the most imposing center physically, but his
effort and relentless play was second to none.
In his second season, Beaty already played 32.6 minutes and averaged a double double
of 13.1 points and 10.7 rebounds.
For the next 5 years and in total his first 7 seasons would be spent with the St.Louis
hawks, who in Beatys last season were rebranded as Atlanta Hawks.
In total, Beaty would play 501 games for the Hawks with averages of 17.4 points and 11.2
rebounds.
Not bad.
Being a physical player - Beaty led the league in personal fouls for 2 seasons.
During Beaty’s first stint in the NBA, he made the All-Star team twice in 1966 and 1968.
Times changed, and Beaty’s contract with Atlanta expired.
Zelmo Beaty decided to sign a lucrative deal with the Utah Stars in the ABA, but the reserve
clause forced Beaty to sit out one year before he would suit up for the Stars.
The year off was good as the big Z had a chance to rest up his body.
After all, he was 31 years old, and with his physical style of play any rest was a good
rest.
In his first ABA season Beaty proved that his game is still there.
Zelmo Beaty averaged 22.9 points and 15.7 rebounds and not only that.
Utah Stars made the playoffs and won the ABA title.
Beaty would spend 3 more seasons in ABA
before making his return to the NBA as a Los Angeles Laker for the 1974-75 season where
he would play behind Elmore Smith averaging only 17.6 minutes per game, scoring 5.5 points
and grabbing 4.7 rebounds.
His limited playing time was a sign to retire and at 35 years of age Beaty decided to call
it quits.
Zelmo Beaty’s totals are impressive.
889 games played between the ABA and NBA with averages of 17.1 points and 10.9 rebounds.
The Big Z is a one-time ABA champion, 3x ABA All-Star, 2x NBA ALL-Star and a member of
ABA All-Time team.
Another impressive stat about Beaty is that he made the playoffs every season he played
except his last one with the Lakers
Big Z was a dominating center.
Former Chicago Bull and Jazz coach Jerry Sloan once said: “He was a terrific player.
Zelmo was big and strong and nasty - the kind of guy you wanted on your team.”
Beaty became one of the most popular professional athletes to ever play in Utah.
In 2014 Zelmo Beaty was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame
and in 2016, long overdue I might add, he was also selected to the Naismith Memorial
Basketball Hall of Fame.
A great center of the 1960s who, like many others, didn’t get to shine as bright because
of all the nuclear power amongst the big men of that time, but yet was still remembered
and honored because of his greatness as a basketball player.
Thanks for watching guys.
Would Zelmo Beaty be more recognized if he stayed in the NBA instead of playing in ABA
for 4 years.
Where do you put him amongst the All-Time rankings of big men of that era?
Please leave a comment with your thought.
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This was PRPLPRNCH, and I’m out.