Legendary Sharpshooting Lakers All-Star Guard Passes Away

A Los Angeles all-timer has died.

Jan 17, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; The Los Angeles Lakers logo at center court at the Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers lost a critical member of their second great era on Tuesday.

Former All-Star shooting guard/small forward Frank Selvy passed away at his home in Simpsonville, South Carolina at the age of 91, according to The Associated Press. A cause of death was not divulged.

Selvy was a prolific star scorer in college with the Furman Paladins, where he was a two-time consensus All-American and a three-time All-Southern Conference selection. The 6-foot-3 vet scored what is still a single-game NCAA scoring record, 100 points, against Newberry on Feb. 13, 1954. As a senior in 1953-54, he averaged 41.7 points n 45.4 percent shooting from the floor and 80 percent shooting from the foul line, plus 13.8 rebounds a night, across 29 contests. Selvy scored 40 points or more in 22 of his 78 collegiate bouts.

"A true Paladin legend," declared Furman vice president of intercollegiate athletics Jason Donnelly in a press release, per Todd Shanesy of The Greenville News. "Furman's all-time greatest athlete, a consensus All-American,NBAall-star (1955 and 1962), distinguished member of the College Basketball Hall of Fame, one of the greatest scorers in the history of college basketball."

Current Furman head coach Bob Richey also mourned the loss. Upon retiring, Selvy served as an assistant coach at his alma mater from 1964-66 and the head coach from 1966-70.

"Frank was both a mentor and a friend who had an incredible impact on Furman basketball as a player and a coach (1966-70)," Richey stated, according to Shanesy. "In addition to being a great basketball player, Frank was a phenomenal person. He was one of the best to ever wear the jersey, and he will be deeply missed."

Selvy was drafted No. 1 overall out of school in 1954 by the Baltimore Bullets. During a fairly unstable era for the NBA, Baltimore was shuttered during Selvy's rookie season. He was quickly snagged by the Milwaukee Hawks via a dispersal draft. The team moved to St. Louis in 1955-56. Selvy was traded to the Minneapolis Lakers in 1958, then joined the New York Knicks for the 1958-59 season. New York cut him, and he then joined the Syracuse Nationals. He was then sold to the Minneapolis Lakers midway through the 1959-60 season. He played with the Lakers, who moved to Los Angeles in 1960-61, through the end of his career, 1963-64. He made one of his two All-Star teams with the club, in 1962.

During that All-Star season in L.A., Selvy averaged 14.7 points on 42.0 percent shooting and 73.8 percent shooting from the charity stripe, 5.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists. Selvy was a key part of two Finals-bound Lakers clubs, alongside future L.A. all-timers Jerry West and Elgin Baylor.

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