Joe Caldwell facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Joe Caldwell

Personal information
Born	(1941-11-01) November 1, 1941 (age 83) Texas City, Texas, U.S.
High school	John C. Fremont (Los Angeles, California)
Listed height	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight	195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
College	Arizona State (1961–1964)
NBA Draft	1964 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2nd overall
Selected by the Detroit Pistons
Pro career	1964–1975
Career history
1964–1965	Detroit Pistons
1965–1970	St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks
1970–1975	Carolina Cougars/Spirits of St. Louis
Career highlights and awards
2× NBA All-Star (1969, 1970) 2× ABA All-Star (1971, 1973) All-ABA Second Team (1971) NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1970) ABA All-Defensive First Team (1973) NBA All-Rookie First Team (1965) Third-team All-American – NABC (1963) 2× First-team All-WAC (1963, 1964) No. 32 jersey retired by Arizona State Sun Devils Second-team Parade All-American (1960)
Career NBA and ABA statistics
Points	12,619 (16.1 ppg)
Rebounds	4,117 (5.3 rpg)
Assists	2,647 (3.4 apg)
Medals Men's basketball Representing  United States Gold 1964 Tokyo Team competition

Joe Louis Caldwell (born November 1, 1941) is a former American basketball player. He played for six seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also played five seasons in the American Basketball Association (ABA). Joe Caldwell was special because he was an All-Star in both leagues. He was part of the United States Olympic basketball team that won a gold medal in 1964.

Early Life and Moving to Los Angeles

Joe Caldwell was one of 11 children. He was born in Texas City, Texas, which is close to Houston, Texas. His father worked as a longshoreman and mechanic. His mother was a homemaker. When Joe was six years old, he saw the Texas City disaster in 1947. This was when a ship exploded, and many people were hurt or died. Joe's family was safe, but he remembered seeing people flying through the air.

When Joe was 15, he moved to Los Angeles, California, with his sister. He started playing basketball later than some. He became a very good player. He chose to play college basketball at Arizona State University.

College Basketball Career

Joe Caldwell went to John C. Fremont High School in Los Angeles. He did not start playing basketball until his junior year. After high school, he played college basketball at Arizona State University.

Caldwell played for Arizona State from 1961 to 1964. He set a school record for scoring with 1,515 points. He also had 929 rebounds, which is the second-best in school history. Joe led Arizona State to the NCAA Tournament in all three of his varsity seasons. His team had a great record of 65 wins and 18 losses.

Winning Olympic Gold in 1964

Joe Caldwell was chosen to be on the 1964 United States men's Olympic basketball team. He was the fourth-highest scorer for the team, averaging 9.0 points per game. The U.S. team, coached by Hank Iba, won all nine of their games. They earned the Olympic gold medal in Tokyo, Japan. In the gold medal game, Joe scored 14 points. The U.S. beat the Soviet Union 73–59.

Professional Basketball Journey

People called Joe Caldwell "Pogo Joe" or "Jumping Joe" because he could jump so high. He was a 6-foot-5-inch guard and forward. In the 1964 NBA draft, Joe was the second player picked overall. The Detroit Pistons chose him. His Olympic teammate, Jim "Bad News" Barnes, was the first pick. Joe played most of his NBA career with the St. Louis and Atlanta Hawks teams.

During the 1969–70 NBA season, Joe averaged 21.1 points per game for the Atlanta Hawks. In the 1970 NBA playoffs, he led the Hawks with 25 points per game. The Hawks beat the Chicago Bulls but then lost to the Los Angeles Lakers. After this, Joe decided to join the rival ABA league. He played for the Carolina Cougars from 1970 to 1974.

Joe Caldwell's contract with Carolina was for $150,000 per year. It also included $70,000 that would be paid later. He was supposed to get $6,600 each month starting when he turned 55. Later, the owner of the Carolina team tried to stop these payments. Joe was even interviewed on a TV show called 60 Minutes about the problem. Joe won his case and started getting his pension payments in 1996.

In the 1974–75 ABA season, the Carolina team moved and became the St. Louis Spirits. The team's management said Joe was causing problems. They thought he influenced another star player to leave the team for a short time. Joe said he did not do this. But he was suspended for "activities that hurt professional basketball." Joe Caldwell never played another professional basketball game after that. He filed lawsuits, saying he was unfairly kept out of the ABA and NBA. The owner who sued Joe became the Commissioner of the ABA. Joe, who was the President of the ABA Players Association, took his case all the way to the Supreme Court.

Joe Caldwell played for eleven seasons as a professional. He averaged 16.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game. He scored a total of 12,619 points in his NBA and ABA career.

Family Life

Joe Caldwell is the grandfather of two other basketball players. His grandson, Marvin Bagley III, plays for the Memphis Grizzlies. Another grandson, Marcus Bagley, plays for the Philadelphia 76ers. Marvin Bagley III's mother, Tracy Caldwell, is Joe's daughter. Marvin Bagley III was the second player picked in the 2018 NBA draft. This was the same pick number his grandfather, Joe, had in the 1964 NBA draft. Joe Caldwell often went to his grandsons' games when they were in high school and college.

Career Statistics

NBA and ABA Regular Season

NBA and ABA Playoffs

Awards and Recognition

Joe Caldwell has received several honors for his basketball career:

• His jersey number 32 was retired by Arizona State University. This means no other player at Arizona State will wear that number. The ceremony happened on November 20, 2010.
• In 1975, Joe Caldwell was one of the first people to be inducted into the Arizona State Hall of Fame.
• In 2005, Caldwell was also inducted into the Pac-10 Hall of Fame.

See also

In Spanish: Joe Caldwell para niños