page_title: Jerry Lucas
section_title: Cincinnati Royals
hierarchical_section_title: Jerry Lucas / NBA / Cincinnati Royals
caption_attribution_description: English: Professional basketball player Jerry Lucas
context_page_description: Jerry Ray Lucas is an American former basketball player. He was a nationally awarded high school player, national college star at Ohio State, and 1960 gold medal Olympian and international player before later starring as a professional player in the National Basketball Association.
  As a collegian, Lucas led the Ohio State Buckeyes to three straight NCAA finals, winning the national championship in 1960, and finishing as runner-up in 1961 and 1962. He is the only three-time Big Ten Basketball Player of the Year, and was named the NCAA Player of the Year in 1961 and 1962 by the United States Basketball Writers Association, the Associated Press, and the Sporting News.
  As a professional, Lucas was named All-NBA First Team three times, All-NBA Second Team twice, an NBA All-Star seven times, was the 1964 NBA Rookie of the Year, and was named Most Valuable Player of the 1965 NBA All-Star Game among other honors and awards. He was inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980.
context_section_description: The Cincinnati Royals had reportedly been considering Lucas since before their arrival to the city of Cincinnati in 1957. They had secured rights to him in 1958 and drafted him in 1962. In August 1963, Lucas finally signed with Warren Hensel, who was then in process of briefly becoming the team's owner. Signing the locally well-known Middletown and Ohio State star surged ticket sales for the team which had steadily declined in the two seasons before his signing. Attendance at Royals games doubled during Lucas first season of 1963-64.
  In addition to Lucas, the 1963–64 Royals squad included three NBA All-Stars: Oscar Robertson, Wayne Embry and Jack Twyman. Lucas was moved to the big forward position his first season, and the Royals soon had the second-best record in the NBA that year. His role on the team would again be chiefly rebounding and other support play, but he scored 20 or more points several times, and led the league in field goal percentage as a rookie. Lucas also had four 30-rebound games, and one 40-rebound game on February 29, 1964, and remains the only NBA forward with a 40-rebound game. In the 1964 NBA playoffs, Lucas was injured when a Philadelphia player collided with him from behind. He played through the injury, but never quite recovered his form during the playoffs. In Cincinnati's one playoff game win over Boston, Lucas posted a triple-double game with 16 points, 10 assists, and 25 rebounds, but the Royals lost in the Eastern Conference Finals.
  In his second season, 1964–65, Lucas was asked to shoot and score more. In 1964-65 and 1965–66, he enjoyed his best seasons in Cincinnati, with the Royals posting a top-3 finish in the league each season. As one of the NBA's most accurate shooters, Lucas posted two seasons of over 21 points per game as the team's #2 scorer. He also averaged over 20 rebounds per game both seasons. In 1965-66, Lucas averaged 21.1 rebounds over 79 games, with 1668 rebounds total on the season. Those are both still all-time rebounding marks for NBA forwards. In addition to his scoring, rebounding, and shooting, Lucas made a name for himself as a big minutes man. In a sport where a regulation NBA game is 48 minutes, Lucas routinely played 43–44 minutes per game at two positions, starting forward, then backup center. Knee pain was still a big concern, and after the 1965-66 season, he nearly retired, but he found a prescription anti-inflammatory drug that allowed him to continue as a player. In the 1964-65 playoffs, Lucas averaged 23.3 points, 21 rebounds and 48.8 minutes over four games against Philadelphia. In the 1965–66 playoffs, he averaged 21.4 points, 20.2 rebounds and 46.2 minutes over the best-of-five series. He had again been injured in the 1966 playoffs, accidentally undercut from behind by a teammate, but still toughed through big minutes of play. He was named Most Valuable Player of the 1965 NBA All-Star Game in St. Louis, having scored 26 points. In the 1966 All-Star Game held in Cincinnati, he collected a team-high 19 rebounds for the East. 
  In the Fall of 1966, the Royals announced the move of nine or more home games to Cleveland, where the team hoped to use Lucas, the former would-be ABL Piper, as a popular crowd draw. He was becoming a heavier player who weighed 240-250 pounds, but he still was a starting East All-Star.
  With the team declining at this point, and with his own health concerns, Lucas focused more on off-court business. As a cutting-edge corporate athlete, he sought endorsements. He also studied investment opportunities and tax shelters. By 1968, Lucas was reportedly worth over a million dollars, most of it built on off-court investments. There were only two or three other millionaire players in the NBA at that time. His most famous investment was his growing fast food chain, Jerry Lucas Beef N Shakes. Lucas also created a number of children's games during this period, starting his own toys and games company. He published a book on the many magic card tricks he often performed himself.
  Healthier in 1967–68, he bounced back to post season averages of 21.5
caption: Jerry Lucas in 1965
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