Chick Halbert
A towering center whose professional journey traced the early, rugged years of the Basketball Association of America, the forerunner to the NBA.
1919–2013 (age 94)·American basketball player·Birthday: February 27·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Standing well over six and a half feet tall, Chick Halbert was a formidable presence in the paint during basketball's formative professional era. After a standout college career at West Texas State, he entered the pro ranks just as the Basketball Association of America (BAA) was launching. Halbert became a journeyman big man, lending his size and skill to a cascade of teams including the Chicago Stags, Washington Capitols, and Boston Celtics. His movement from club to club illustrated the league's instability, but his consistent performance—averaging a double-double in points and rebounds for several seasons—made him a reliable asset. Halbert's career bridged the merger of the BAA and the National Basketball League into the NBA, placing him among the players who built the league's foundation.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Chick was born in 1919, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Chick Was Born
The biggest hits of 1919
Chick's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1919Born
Treaty of Versailles signed; Prohibition ratified
President: Woodrow Wilson
1924Started school
First Winter Olympics held in Chamonix, France
President: Calvin Coolidge"It Had to Be You" — Isham Jones
1932Became a teenager
Amelia Earhart flies solo across the Atlantic
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Night and Day" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Grand Hotel
1935Could drive
Social Security Act signed into law
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,450President: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Cheek to Cheek" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Mutiny on the Bounty
1937Could vote
Hindenburg disaster; Golden Gate Bridge opens
Gas: $0.20/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"A-Tisket, A-Tasket" — Ella FitzgeraldBest Picture: The Life of Emile Zola
1940Turned 21
The Blitz: Germany bombs London
Gas: $0.18/galHome: $2,938Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I'll Never Smile Again" — Tommy DorseyBest Picture: Rebecca
1949Turned 30
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1959Turned 40
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1969Turned 50
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1979Turned 60
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1989Turned 70
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 80
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2013Died at 94
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
Key Achievements
- Averaged a double-double (points and rebounds) in multiple early BAA/NBA seasons.
- Played for the Chicago Stags in the first-ever BAA Finals in 1947.
- Selected as an All-Star in the 1948-49 season while with the Washington Capitols.
- Appeared in over 250 games across the BAA and the newly formed NBA.
Did You Know?
He served as a U.S. Navy pilot during World War II before his professional basketball career.
Halbert was traded mid-season from the Boston Celtics to the Philadelphia Warriors in 1950 for a draft pick and cash.
He was known for a reliable two-handed set shot, uncommon for a center of his era.
After basketball, he had a successful career in the oil and gas industry.
“In my day, you got the ball in the post and you scored, or you didn't eat.”
