On this day in 1963: Jerry Lucas’s NBA debut — 23 and 17 for the Royals

Sixty-three years ago on October 16, Jerry Lucas finally played his first NBA game. Cincinnati had drafted him in 1962 as a territorial pick, but a detour through the American Basketball League kept him out of a Royals uniform for a full year. When he walked into Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis, the wait ended in a 112-93 win and a debut line that set the tone for a Rookie of the Year season.

Lucas played 44 minutes, shot 9-for-14 from the field and 5-for-6 at the line, and finished with 23 points, 17 rebounds and one assist. The Royals piled up the score on Bob Pettit’s Hawks. Wayne Embry led Cincinnati with 25 points, Oscar Robertson had 22 points and 15 assists, and the Ohio State star who had delayed his arrival looked like he had been in the league for years.

The long road to night one

Cincinnati selected Lucas with a territorial pick in the first round of the 1962 NBA Draft, sixth overall. Instead of signing right away, he agreed to join the Cleveland Pipers of the ABL. The Pipers’ push toward the NBA collapsed, the franchise folded before he played a game, and Lucas sat out a year. He joined the Royals for the 1963-64 season and shifted to forward in the pros after starring as a big man at Ohio State.

That first night in St. Louis was the payoff. Kiel Auditorium saw a balanced Cincinnati attack: Embry’s 25, Lucas’s 23 and 17, Robertson’s 22 and 15 assists in 46 minutes, and Adrian Smith’s 13. Bob Pettit poured in 39 for the Hawks and Cliff Hagan added 15, but St. Louis never closed the gap.

• Result: Royals 112, Hawks 93 — October 16, 1963, Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis.
• Lucas’s debut: 44 minutes, 9-14 FG, 5-6 FT, 23 points, 17 rebounds, 1 assist.
• Royals scoring: Wayne Embry 25; Jerry Lucas 23 and 17 rebounds; Oscar Robertson 22 points, 15 assists; Adrian Smith 13.
• Hawks leaders: Bob Pettit 39 points; Cliff Hagan 15.

Rookie of the Year in Cincinnati

Lucas played 79 games as a rookie, averaged 41.4 minutes, 17.7 points and 17.4 rebounds, and shot .527 from the field — the best mark in the league that season. He made the All-Star team, earned All-NBA second team, and won Rookie of the Year. Sharing a frontcourt with Embry and a backcourt with Robertson, he gave the Royals a rebounder who could also finish at a high percentage.

The debut numbers were not a one-night spike. Seventeen rebounds on opening night sat right next to the 17.4 he would average for the year. The efficiency on 9-of-14 shooting previewed a season spent leading the NBA in field-goal percentage.

Hall of Fame career

Lucas spent six seasons in Cincinnati, then played for San Francisco and finished with the New York Knicks, where he won the 1973 NBA title. He made seven All-Star teams and five All-NBA teams, including first-team honors in multiple seasons. Career averages of 17.0 points and 15.6 rebounds underscored how consistently he filled the box score.

He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1980 and later named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. An Ohio State legend before he ever reached the NBA, Lucas remains one of the clearest examples of a delayed debut that still produced an immediate star. His full numbers are on his WhyNBA player page, and Oscar Robertson’s career sits on his player page as well.

On the night it finally started, the box score already looked like the rest of the story: minutes, makes, and a pile of rebounds in a Royals win.