The name Willie Naulls adorns the fringes of quite a bit of basketball history.
In December of 1954, his (and John Wooden’s) pre-dynasty UCLA Bruins gave a dude named Russell his final taste of defeat while “donning” USF gear.
One infamous night in March of 1962 while playing for the New York Knicks, he netted an overlooked 31 points, which was exactly 69 points shy of that game’s leading scorer. Reverend-to-be Naulls was even kind enough to offer a ride home – a not insignificant jaunt from Chocolate Town to Harlem – to the author of the night’s (and the sport’s) most prodigious performance (a dude named Chamberlain).