Willie Naulls scored 31 points – on his way to a Knicks-record seven straight 30-point games, which stood until Amar’e Stoudemire posted nine straight in 2010 – against the Philadelphia Warriors on March 2, 1962.
Warriors center Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 that night.
Naulls wasn’t the greatest star of his generation and didn’t have the lasting resonance. But he was darned good in his time.
He died Thursday at age 84, according to Richard Goldstein of The New York Times.
With the Knicks, Naulls became the first black captain in major American sports and made four All-Star teams. He then went to the Celtics and won three titles. Naulls has been nominated for the Basketball Hall of Fame multiple times.
