| George Kaftan | |
| Height Ft: | 6 |
| Height In: | 3 |
| Weight Lb: | 190 |
| Birth Date: | 22 February 1928 |
| Birth Place: | New York City, New York, U.S. |
| High School: | Xavier (New York City, New York) |
| College: | Holy Cross (1945–1949) |
| Draft League: | BAA |
| Draft Year: | 1949 |
| Draft Round: | 2 |
| Draft Team: | Boston Celtics |
| Career Start: | 1949 |
| Career End: | 1953 |
| Career Number: | 9, 17, 6 |
| Career Position: | Small forward |
| Years1: | – |
| Team1: | Boston Celtics |
| Years2: | – |
| Team2: | New York Knicks |
| Years3: | 1952 |
| Team3: | Pawtucket Slaters |
| Team4: | Baltimore Bullets |
| Cyears1: | 1958–1972 |
| Cteam1: | LIU Post |
| Highlights: |
|
| Stats League: | BAA and NBA |
| Stat1label: | Points |
| Stat1value: | 1,594 (7.5 ppg) |
| Stat2label: | Rebounds |
| Stat2value: | 424 (3.1 rpg) |
| Stat3label: | Assists |
| Stat3value: | 399 (1.9 apg) |
| Bbr: | kaftage01 |
George A. Kaftan (February 22, 1928 - October 6, 2018)[1] was an American professional basketball player.
George grew up in New York City and went to Xavier in Manhattan before going to Holy Cross for college. Though just 6'3", Kaftan was the starting center for the College of the Holy Cross team that won the 1947 NCAA basketball tournament. In 1947 Kaftan also won Most Outstanding Player honors after averaging 21 points per game in three games.[2]
Kaftan was selected in the second round of the 1949 BAA Draft. Kaftan later played professionally for the Boston Celtics (1949 - 1950), New York Knicks (1950 - 1952) and Baltimore Bullets (1952 - 1953). He averaged 7.5 points per game in his BAA/NBA career.[3]
Kaftan is a member of the New England Basketball Hall of Fame and the Holy Cross Varsity Club Hall of Fame.[4]
Kaftan was of Greek descent. His family's original name was Kaftagouras.
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | MPG | Minutes per game | ||
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage | ||
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | ||
| PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high | ||
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948–49 | Boston | 21 | – | .368 | .626 | – | 2.9 | 14.5 |
| Boston | 55 | – | .372 | .654 | – | 2.6 | 9.7 | |
| New York | 61 | – | .388 | .624 | 2.5 | 1.2 | 4.9 | |
| New York | 52 | 18.4 | .375 | .687 | 3.8 | 1.7 | 6.2 | |
| Baltimore | 23 | 16.5 | .317 | .657 | 3.3 | 1.3 | 5.8 | |
| Career | 212 | 17.8 | .370 | .650 | 3.1 | 1.9 | 7.5 | |
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 8 | – | .333 | .333 | .8 | .3 | 1.6 | |
| New York | 13 | 17.8 | .394 | .667 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 6.2 | |
| Career | 21 | 17.8 | .381 | .644 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 4.4 | |