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Maurice Stokes
Athlete

Maurice Stokes

Famoose for

Becoming a three-time NBA All-Star before an injury ended his career.

College tournament · NBA recognition

Born
17 June 1933
Birthplace
Rankin, Pennsylvania
Died
6 April 1970

More people

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Maurice Stokes

Maurice Stokes was an American basketball player for the Rochester and Cincinnati Royals from 1955 to 1958.

Early life

Development

Grew up near Pittsburgh, won school championships at Westinghouse and played college basketball at Saint Francis.

Career

  1. 1955

    NBA draft

    Was selected second overall by Rochester.

  2. 1956

    Rookie award

    Won NBA Rookie of the Year.

  3. 1958

    Career-ending injury

    Suffered a brain injury followed by paralysis.

Achievements

College tournament

Was named NIT Most Valuable Player.

NBA recognition

Was an All-Star and All-NBA Second Team selection in each of his three seasons.

Beyond sport

Friendship

Teammate Jack Twyman became his legal guardian and helped organise support for his care.

Sources & photo creditBiography and career ↗Biographical references ↗Additional biographical source ↗

Original photograph. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.

Photo: Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Source credit retained; reuse licence not established · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.