Joel Kramer
American basketball player (born 1955)
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Joel Bruce Kramer (born November 30, 1955) is an American former professional basketball player. Listed at 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m) and 203 pounds (92 kg), he played the power forward and center positions. After playing college basketball at San Diego State University,[1] he had a five-season career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1978–1983 with the Phoenix Suns.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 30, 1955 San Diego, California, U. S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Listed weight | 203 lb (92 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Patrick Henry (San Diego, California) |
| College | San Diego State (1974–1978) |
| NBA draft | 1978: 3rd round, 63rd overall pick |
| Drafted by | Phoenix Suns |
| Playing career | 1978–1984 |
| Position | Power forward / center |
| Number | 50 |
| Career history | |
| 1978–1983 | Phoenix Suns |
| 1983–1984 | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 1,257 (3.8 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 916 (2.8 rpg) |
| Assists | 343 (1.0 apg) |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Early life
Kramer was born in San Diego, California, and is Jewish.[2][3][4] He attended Patrick Henry High School in San Diego.[2][5] There, he played for the basketball team and was League Player of the Year and All-California Interscholastic Federation his senior season.[6]
Basketball career
Kramer played college basketball on a basketball scholarship at San Diego State University, during which he averaged 9.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, while shooting .521 from the field.[2] After recovering from a broken foot, he averaged over 9 rebounds per game his last two seasons.[7] In 1977–78, he set a school consecutive free throw record of 33.[8] As a senior, he was named 1978 Pacific Coast Athletic Association Player of the Year.[6][7]
He played basketball for Team USA at the 1977 Maccabiah Games, winning a gold medal.[6]
Kramer was selected with the 19th pick of the third round by the Phoenix Suns in the 1978 NBA draft.[2] He had a five-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1978–1983, primarily at center and power forward.[2] In his rookie season, he played in 82 games, tying for the NBA lead, and in 1980–81 he was third in the NBA with 82 games played.[2]
After playing for the Suns, Kramer continued his playing career in Israel with Maccabi Tel Aviv, for whom he played for just a few months after signing for a reported $100,000 a year.[9][10] He was released in January 1984.[10]
Post-playing career
Kramer was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1993.[6] He was inducted into the San Diego Aztecs Hall of Fame in 1997.[7]
Kramer has held executive roles with CBIZ, an American accounting and financial services firm, working as the managing director of the Phoenix office's tax division as of October 2022[update].[11]
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| * | Led the league |
NBA
Source[2]
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978–79 | Phoenix | 82* | 17.1 | .489 | .710 | 4.1 | 1.1 | .5 | .3 | 5.9 | ||
| 1979–80 | Phoenix | 54 | 13.2 | .469 | .000 | .800 | 2.8 | 1.4 | .5 | .1 | 3.5 | |
| 1980–81 | Phoenix | 82 | 13.0 | .527 | .000 | .692 | 2.8 | 1.1 | .4 | .2 | 4.1 | |
| 1981–82 | Phoenix | 56 | 0 | 9.8 | .414 | – | .786 | 1.9 | .9 | .3 | .2 | 2.6 |
| 1982–83 | Phoenix | 54 | 4 | 8.5 | .423 | .000 | .875 | 1.6 | .7 | .3 | .1 | 1.9 |
| Career | 328 | 4 | 12.8 | .479 | .000 | .737 | 2.8 | 1.0 | .4 | .2 | 3.8 | |