Maurice Stokes (June 17, 1933 in Rankin, Pennsylvania – April 6, 1970 in Cincinnati, Ohio) was an American professional basketball player in the 1950s, whose career was cut short by a debilitating injury.
Playing for the National Basketball Association's Rochester Royals (which became the Cincinnati Royals in 1957) from 1955 to 1958, Stokes grabbed 38 rebounds in a single game during his rookie season, averaged 16.3 rebounds per game overall, and...
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Maurice Stokes (June 17, 1933 in Rankin, Pennsylvania – April 6, 1970 in Cincinnati, Ohio) was an American professional basketball player in the 1950s, whose career was cut short by a debilitating injury.
Playing for the National Basketball Association's Rochester Royals (which became the Cincinnati Royals in 1957) from 1955 to 1958, Stokes grabbed 38 rebounds in a single game during his rookie season, averaged 16.3 rebounds per game overall, and was named NBA Rookie of the Year. The next season, he set a league record for most rebounds in a single season with 1,256 (17.4 per game). Stokes played in the All-Star Game all three years of his career, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team three times. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in September 2004.
On March 12, 1958 in the last game of the 1957-58 NBA season, in Minneapolis, Stokes drove to the basket, drew contact and fell to the floor, hit his head, and was knocked unconscious. He was revived with...
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