Lee Shaffer
A powerful forward whose brief but brilliant NBA peak led the Philadelphia 76ers to a championship before a sudden retirement.
Born 1939 (age 87)·American basketball player·Birthday: February 23·The Silent Generation
Biography
Lee Shaffer's basketball journey was one of immense talent cut short. A star at the University of North Carolina, he was the NBA's 5th overall pick in 1960. After a trade to the Syracuse Nationals (who became the Philadelphia 76ers), he blossomed into an All-Star. The 1963-64 season was his masterpiece: he averaged 18.6 points and 7.6 rebounds, earning his only All-Star nod and forming a formidable frontcourt with Chet Walker and a young Billy Cunningham. That season culminated in Shaffer playing a key role in the 76ers' run to the Eastern Division title. However, at the peak of his powers and just after winning a championship ring in 1967 (though he did not play in the Finals due to injury), Shaffer made a stunning decision. A contract dispute with management led him to walk away from the game entirely at age 28, leaving a legacy of what might have been.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Lee was born in 1939, placing them squarely in The Silent 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 Lee Was Born
The biggest hits of 1939
#1 Movie
Gone with the Wind
Best Picture
Gone with the Wind
Lee's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1939Born
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1944Started school
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1952Became a teenager
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1955Could drive
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1957Could vote
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1960Turned 21
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1969Turned 30
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 40
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 50
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 60
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 70
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 80
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 87 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- NBA All-Star in 1964 while playing for the Philadelphia 76ers.
- Won an NBA championship with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1967.
- Averaged 18.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game during his All-Star 1963-64 season.
- Led the University of North Carolina in scoring and rebounding for three consecutive seasons.
Did You Know?
He was the first player from the University of North Carolina to be selected as an NBA All-Star.
His NBA career lasted only five seasons before his abrupt retirement.
He was traded from the Syracuse Nationals to the Philadelphia 76ers in 1963, the same year the team relocated and changed its name.
“I could score on anybody, but my knees had other plans.”
