George Ratkovicz Explained

George Ratkovicz
Height Ft:6
Height In:6
Weight Lbs:220
Birth Date:13 November 1922
Birth Place:Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Death Place:Webster, New York, U.S.
High School:Lindblom (Chicago, Illinois)
Career Start:1941
Career End:1955
Career Position:Center / power forward
Career Number:65, 6, 10, 13
Years1:1941–1942
Team1:Chicago Bruins
Years2:1945–1947
Team2:Chicago American Gears
Years3:1947–1948
Team3:Rochester Royals
Years4:1948–1949
Team4:Tri-Cities Blackhawks
Years5:1949–1952
Team5:Syracuse Nationals
Years6:1952
Team6:Baltimore Bullets
Years7:1952–1955
Team7:Milwaukee Hawks
Highlights:
Stats League:NBA
Stat1label:Points
Stat1value:3,141
Stat2label:Rebounds
Stat2value:1,937
Stat3label:Assists
Stat3value:791

George Ratkovicz (November 13, 1922 – November 10, 2008) was an American basketball player who played for five seasons in the National Basketball League and for six seasons in the National Basketball Association. He played center and forward during his career.

Career

National Basketball League

Ratkovicz's pro career began when he was 19 years old, playing 13 games for the Chicago Bruins of the National Basketball League during the 1941–1942 season. Ratkovicz missed the next three seasons due to military service,[1] then returned to Chicago in time for the 1945–1946 season, this time playing for the Chicago American Gears. He spent two seasons with the Gears, then went on to play for the NBL's Rochester Royals and Tri-Cities Blackhawks for one season apiece.[2]

Syracuse Nationals

When the NBL merged with the Basketball Association of America and formed the National Basketball Association, Ratkovicz joined the Syracuse Nationals for the 1949–1950 season. Playing alongside future Basketball Hall of Famers Dolph Schayes and Al Cervi, Ratkovicz averaged eight and a half points per game in his first NBA season[3] and played in the NBA Finals, where the Nationals lost to the Minneapolis Lakers in six games.

Statistically, Ratkovicz's best season came the following year during the 1950–1951 season. Playing in all 66 of the Nationals' team games, he averaged thirteen points and over eight rebounds per game. His 41.5% field goal percentage was the sixth highest in the NBA that season, and he also ranked in the top ten in free throws and free throw attempts.[3]

Ratkovicz's role was reduced during the 1951–1952 season; playing in twenty and a half minutes a game, he averaged seven and a half points and five rebounds per game while serving as a backup to Dolph Schayes.[3]

Milwaukee Hawks

For the 1952–1953 season, Ratkovicz joined the Milwaukee Hawks. His playing time increased with the Hawks, and he averaged over thirty minutes a game in his first year with the Hawks. That season, he averaged nine-and-a-half points and nearly seven-and-a-half rebounds per game. He recorded similar numbers during the 1953–1954 season. During the 1954–1955 season, his final year in the NBA, he played in just nine games. He retired with over 3,000 points and nearly 2,000 rebounds in his career.[3]

Death

Ratkovicz died in Webster, New York on November 10, 2008, three days before his 86th birthday.[1]

Career statistics

NBA

Source[4]

Regular season

YearTeamGPMPGFG%FT%RPGAPGPPG
1949–50Syracuse62  - .369 .606  - 2.0 8.6
1950–51Syracuse66  - .415 .731 8.3 2.9 12.9
1951–52Syracuse66* 20.5 .349 .674 5.0 1.4 7.5
1952–53Baltimore10 19.7 .372 .514 5.2 1.8 5.1
1952–53Milwaukee61 33.4 .333 .723 7.7 3.3 10.3
1953–54Milwaukee69 31.4 .393 .645 7.6 2.2 8.3
1954–55Milwaukee9 11.3 .158 .435 1.9 1.4 1.8
Career343 27.3 .372 .673 6.9 2.3 9.2

Playoffs

YearTeamGPMPGFG%FT%RPGAPGPPG
1950Syracuse11  - .388 .685  - 1.9 13.1
1951Syracuse7  - .475 .745 9.0 2.0 13.9
1952Syracuse6 9.8 .333 .400 3.7 .5 3.0
Career24 9.8 .410 .669 6.5 1.6 10.8

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Legends of Basketball - Fond Farewell . . 2008-12-18 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20060507210201/https://www.nbrpa.com/news/fond_farewell.aspx . May 7, 2006 . Cached copy, NBRPA site was down as of December 18, 2008.
  2. NBL data comes from B-Ball Sports.com and are accessible through the SuperDB offered on the site. Online stats are available, but may not be functional.
  3. Web site: George Ratkovicz Statistics. Sports Reference, LLC. 2008-12-18.
  4. Web site: George Ratkovicz. Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. 14 April 2023.