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 an American former professional basketball player. He played for six seasons (1964–1970) in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Then, he played five seasons (1970–1975) in the American Basketball Association (ABA). Joe Caldwell was one of the few players to be an All-Star in both leagues. He was chosen for two All-Star teams in each league. Caldwell was also part of the United States Olympic basketball team. This team won the gold medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics. Caldwell was the fourth-highest scorer for Team USA in those Olympics.

Joe Caldwell's Early Life and Moves

Joe Caldwell was one of 11 children. He was born in Texas City, which is close to Houston, Texas. His father worked as a longshoreman and mechanic, and his mother was a homemaker.

When Joe was six years old, he saw the Texas City disaster in 1947. This was a huge explosion of a ship docked in the city. Many people died and thousands were hurt. Luckily, Joe's family was safe. He later said he could still remember seeing people flying through the air.

When Joe was 15, he moved to Los Angeles, California, with his sister. He started to become a very good basketball player. Famous coach John Wooden wanted him to play for UCLA. But Joe decided to go to Arizona State instead.

Joe Caldwell's College Basketball Career

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

He played for Arizona State from 1961 to 1964. During this time, he set a new record for the most points scored in school history with 1,515 points. This means he averaged 18.2 points per game. His 929 rebounds are the second-best total ever for the school. Caldwell helped Arizona State reach the NCAA Tournament in all three of his varsity seasons. The team had a great record of 65 wins and 18 losses.

Joe Caldwell and the 1964 Olympic Team

Joe Caldwell was chosen to be on the U.S.A. basketball team for the Olympics. He was the fourth-highest scorer for the team, averaging 9.0 points per game. The 1964 United States men's Olympic basketball team won all nine of their games. They were coached by Hank Iba.

Team U.S.A. won the Olympic gold medal in Tokyo, Japan. In the gold medal game, Caldwell scored 14 points. The U.S. beat the Soviet Union 73–59 to win the gold.

Joe Caldwell's Professional Basketball Career

People called Joe Caldwell "Pogo Joe" or "Jumping Joe" because he could jump so high. He was a guard and forward who was 6 feet 5 inches tall. In the 1964 NBA draft, Caldwell was the second player picked overall by the Detroit Pistons. His Olympic teammate Jim "Bad News" Barnes was the first player picked.

Caldwell played most of his NBA career with the St. Louis and Atlanta Hawks teams. In the 1969–70 NBA season, he 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 that season, Caldwell moved to the rival ABA league. He played for the Carolina Cougars from 1970 to 1974. His career ended in 1975 after a disagreement with his team's management. Joe Caldwell never played another professional basketball game after that.

Overall, Caldwell averaged 16.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in his eleven professional seasons. He scored a total of 12,619 points in both the NBA and ABA.

Joe Caldwell's Personal Life

Joe Caldwell is the grandfather of Marvin Bagley III. Marvin Bagley III is a power forward who plays for the Washington Wizards. Joe is also the grandfather of Marcus Bagley. 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 is the same pick number his grandfather, Joe Caldwell, was in the 1964 NBA draft. Joe Caldwell often went to his grandson's games when he was in high school and college.

Joe Caldwell's Career Statistics

Here are Joe Caldwell's basketball statistics from his time in the NBA and ABA.

NBA and ABA Regular Season Stats

NBA and ABA Playoff Stats

Joe Caldwell's Basketball Honors and Awards

Joe Caldwell received many honors for his amazing basketball skills:

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

See also

In Spanish: Joe Caldwell para niños