Sport: Babe Ruth of Basketball

The ball arched lazily toward the basket from the side court and swished through the net. The crowd in the old Philadelphia Arena let go a roar that rattled the rafters. A shy, 24-year-old ex-marine named Joe Fulks had just assured himself of basketball immortality. He had become the first player in modern basketball* to score 1,000 points in one season.

The hottest thing in professional basketball, Joe Fulks was an unknown at the season's start. He had played a little in high school and college in Kentucky, but really learned how to find the hoop in three years on a service...

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