One of the great early NBA players barely had a career. Maurice Stokes entered the league in 1955, and was an immediate sensation.
This video argues that he was the first positionless player– and in the late 1950s.
Stokes, who put St. Francis on the map in college, was 6-7, around 230 pounds, and in each season, he was one of the NBA’s better scorers, rebounders, and passers.
Tragedy struck in his third season, though: Stokes had a fall that at first seemed trivial.
Three days later, though, after another
game, Stokes had a seizure and was paralyzed. He was diagnosed with post-traumatic encephalopathy, and his career was over.
His teammate, Jack Twyman, became his legal guardian and looked after Stokes for the rest of his life. His NBA colleagues pitched in, organizing an annual charity game that also helped Twyman cover medical and life expenses.
Sadly, Stokes, who made a partial recovery, deteriorated and died in 1970. He was just 36. He could have still been playing.
One of the great unknowns is how the NBA would have changed if Stokes had not been paralyzed and if Connie Hawkins had been allowed to play.
Hawkins, who was unfairly banned after a gambling scandal he had no part in, would have joined the NBA in 1964.
Stokes would have turned 31 in June of 1964. The NBA would have been a vastly different league with both of those men in 1964.
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