Ed Palubinskas
Edward Sebastian "Ed" Palubinskas (born 17 September 1950) is an Australian former professional basketball player and coach.
Playing career
College
Palubinskas started his collegiate career at Ricks Junior College in Rexburg, Idaho in 1970, where he led the U.S. in free throw percentage with 92.4%. He holds the record for the most consecutive free throws in a game (14) and 43 consecutive for the season. He was also selected as an All-American that year while breaking most records at Ricks College which is now BYU-Idaho. Palubinskas then transferred to Louisiana State University, after playing in the Munich Olympics where he was second leading scorer missing the Olympic scoring title by one point. At LSU, Palubinskas averaged 18.6 ppg and was selected to the All-SEC Coaches Team.
Professional
Palubinskas was selected in the 1975 NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks in the 3rd round. He was then traded to the New Orleans Jazz and drafted in the 8th round of the ABA draft by the Utah Stars. Palubinskas never played in the NBA.[1]
Olympics
After being the 2nd leading scorer in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Palubinskas was the top overall scorer in 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. He set three Olympic scoring records in Montreal, including the record for most points scored in a single Olympics (269), which was broken by Brazilian Oscar Schmidt during the 1988 Summer Olympics.[2]
The most points he scored in one game was 48 against Mexico in overtime.[3]
He is a member of the Basketball Australia Hall of Fame.[4]
Coaching career
Palubinskas took a position as shooting coach to Shaquille O'Neal with the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2000–01 NBA season.[5] Following the Lakers' triumph in the NBA, Palubinskas also received an NBA champion's ring.[6] Palubinskas also worked with Brandon Bass and Dwight Howard.[7] He has his own basketball school named The Palubinskas Basketball Academy.[8]
Career highlights
- "Mr. Basketball Australia" – 1970
- 1972 and 1976 All-World Olympic Team.
- Most points scored in Olympic history (269) – 1976
- Guinness book world record- most free throws (8) made in 2 minutes blindfolded in Phoenix AZ. at NBA ALL-Star weekend [9]
Personal life
Palubinskas was born to a Lithuanian father and a Russian mother.[10][11]
References
- ↑ Levinson, Mason (27 February 2015). "Bring It on LeBron, Says Free-Throw Specialist in Casino Contest". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
- ↑ "Eddie Palubinskas". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
- ↑ "Ed Palubinskas, Australia's first basketball great". Australian Olympic Committee. 1 January 2009. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
- ↑ "Ed Palubinskas". Basketball Australia. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
- ↑ "Kaip lietuvio sūnus Palubinskas Shaqą baudas mesti mokė/ Interview with Shaqs coach Palubinskas". SportoTV (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 23 July 2013.
- ↑ "Australijos legenda: lietuvių kilmės genijus, išmokęs mesti baudas Shaquille'ą O'Nealą". 24sek.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 30 July 2016.
- ↑ "Mystery at the charity stripe: What has happened to the free throw?". Chicago Tribune. 15 March 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
- ↑ "The Palubinskas Basketball Academy". Facebook.com. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
- ↑ Guinness World Records 2010: Thousands of New Records in The Book of the Decade!, Craig Glenday, p. 456.
- ↑ "Anti-Hack-A-Shaq Coach Palubinskas". Pro Bball Report. 25 July 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
- ↑ "LEGENDS ISSUE: Perfection, at the line and in life, is the goal Ed Palubinskas, the world's greatest free throw shooter, aims for". Tiger Rag Magazine. 13 July 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
External links
- Historical Vignette: Ed Palubinskas, Australia's first basketball great – Australian Olympic Committee
- Eddie Palubinskas profile at sports-reference.com