John Andrew Macknowsky (born Macknowski and formerly Mackin; January 7, 1923 – April 8, 2024) was a Russian-born American professional basketball player.[1] He played in the National Basketball League (NBL) and National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Syracuse Nationals franchise as the team moved from the NBL into the NBA.[1][2]

Macknowski played college basketball for the Seton Hall Pirates where he started as a freshman in the 1941–42 season and then served three years of military service during World War II.[3] He returned to the Pirates and played from 1945 to 1948.[3]

Personal life

After his playing career, Macknowski worked as an English, history and philosophy teacher.[4]

In 1952, Macknowski, his wife and his first daughter changed their surname from Macknowski to Mackin.[5] He had three daughters with his wife, Olga, who predeceased him in December 2016, aged 90.[6] As of September 2017, Macknowski resided at a retirement village in Morristown, Tennessee.[7] He turned 100 in 2023, becoming only the second NBA player to turn 100, after Whitey Von Nieda.[4]

Macknowski died on April 8, 2024, at the age of 101.[8]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played  FGM  Field-goals made
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  FTM  Free-throws made
 FTA  Free-throws attempted  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game
 PTS  Points  PPG  Points per game
 Bold  Career high

NBL

Source[9]

Regular season

Year Team GP FGM FTM FTA FT% PTS PPG
1948–49 Syracuse 62 146 128 178 .719 420 6.8

Playoffs

Year Team GP FGM FTM FTA FT% PTS PPG
1949 Syracuse 6 3 7 9 .778 13 2.2

NBA

Source[1]

Regular season

Year Team GP FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1949–50 Syracuse 59 .333 .736 1.1 7.4
1950–51 Syracuse 58 .301 .718 1.9 1.2 6.6
Career 117 .317 .727 1.9 1.1 7.0

Playoffs

Year Team GP FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1949–50 Syracuse 11 .390 .765 1.9 10.6
1950–51 Syracuse 2 .462 .333 3.5 2.0 6.5
Career 13 .398 .741 3.5 1.9 10.0

References

  1. ^ a b c "Johnny Macknowski NBA stats". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
  2. ^ "Johnny Macknowski NBL stats". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Johnny Macknowski". Pro Basketball Encyclopedia. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Littleton, Wade (January 8, 2023). "Regency celebrates former pro basketball player, soldier and teacher Johnny Mac". Citizen Tribune. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
  5. ^ "Macknowski Changes His Name to Mackin". The Post-Standard. April 3, 1952. p. 18. Retrieved August 11, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  6. ^ Olga Macknowsky obituary
  7. ^ Citizen Tribune: In the Classroom or on the Court, Johnny Macknowsky Gave his All
  8. ^ "John Andrew Macknowsky". Knoxville News Sentinel. April 10, 2024. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  9. ^ "Johnny Macknowski NBL Stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
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