Ed Kalafat

Edward L. Kalafat (October 13, 1932 – October 7, 2019) was an American basketball player. A center, he played college basketball for the Minnesota Golden Gophers and professionally for three seasons with the Minneapolis Lakers.

Ed Kalafat

Personal information
Born	(1932-10-13)October 13, 1932 Anaconda, Montana, U.S.
Died	October 7, 2019(2019-10-07) (aged 86) Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight	245 lb (111 kg)
Career information
High school	Anaconda (Anaconda, Montana)
College	Minnesota (1951–1954)
NBA draft	1954: 1st round, 9th overall pick
Drafted by	Minneapolis Lakers
Playing career	1954–1957
Position	Center / power forward
Number	23
Career history
1954–1957	Minneapolis Lakers
Career highlights
AP Honorable mention All-American (1954) 2x Second-team All-Big Ten (1952, 1953)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference

Biography

Kalafat was born on October 13, 1932, in Anaconda, Montana. He played football and basketball at Anaconda High School, winning a state championship in 1948.^[1]

After high school, he went on to play for the University of Minnesota. He was the team's starting center from 1951 to 1954 and served as captain in the 1953–1954 season. He won the team MVP award his senior season.^[2][3][4][5]

After graduation, he was selected by the Lakers in the first round of the 1954 NBA draft with the ninth overall pick. He played three season with the Lakers averaging 7.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. Kalafat retired after the Lakers traded him to the Detroit Pistons in 1957.^[1]

After retiring from basketball Kalafat went into banking, working for many years at First Bank System. He also joined the U.S. Army Reserve retiring at the rank of captain.^[6][5]

Career statistics

Legend

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

NBA

Source^[4]

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	PPG
1954–55	Minneapolis	72	15.3	.315	.661	4.4	1.0	4.8
1955–56	Minneapolis	72	22.8	.359	.738	6.1	1.8	8.0
1956–57	Minneapolis	65	24.9	.351	.661	6.5	1.6	8.5
Career		209	20.9	.345	.688	5.7	1.5	7.1

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	PPG
1954–55	Minneapolis	7	10.9	.091	.300	2.6	.0	1.0
1955–56	Minneapolis	3	18.3	.429	.789	7.0	.7	11.0
1956–57	Minneapolis	5	20.8	.583	.677	4.8	1.8	12.6
Career		15	15.7	.405	.650	4.2	.7	6.9