Clyde Lovellette (born September 7, 1929 in Petersburg, Indiana) is a former professional basketbal player, the first basketball player in history to play on an NCAA, Olympics and NBA championship squad. Lovellette fostered the trend of tall, physical and high-scoring centers. A two-time All-State performer at Garfield, Indiana High School, the six-foot-nine Lovellette led the University of Kansas Jayhawks to the 1952 NCAA title, capturing MVP honors and scoring a then-NCAA-record 141 points. A three-time All-America at Kansas, Clyde led the Big Seven in scoring in each of his three seasons. Playing for Basketball Hall of Fame Coach Forrest "Phog" Allen, Lovellette led the nation in scoring his senior year (1952, 28.4 ppg) and was named the Helms College Player of the Year. Lovellette's dominance in the paint landed him a place on the 1952 Summer Olympics gold medal team in Helsinki, Finland.
At the pro level, Clyde became one of the first big men to move outside and utilize the one-handed set shot that extended his shooting range and offensive repertoire. This tactic enabled him to play either the small forward, power forward or center positions, forcing the opposition's big man to play out of position. In 704 NBA games with the Minneapolis Lakers, Cincinnati Royals, St. Louis Hawks and Boston Celtics, Lovellette scored 11,947 points (17.0 ppg) and grabbed 6,663 rebounds (9.3 rpg). Selected to play in three NBA All_Star Games, Lovellette was an integral component of championships in Minneapolis (1954) and Boston (1963, 1964).
ClydeLovellette was a gentle giant who emerged from basketball-crazy Indiana to become one of the game's premier big men.
Lovellette was named Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament after scoring a record total of 141 points for an average of better than 35 points per contest.
After the 1957 NBA Playoffs, Lovellette was dealt to the Rochester Royals along with Jim Paxson for Ed Fleming, Bob Burrow, Art Spoelstra, and a first-round draft pick (which the Lakers used to select Rod Hundley).
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