Leibowitz, Barry

Leibowitz played professionally in the ABA (American Basketball Association) in 1967-68, its inaugural season. During the year, he was traded twice and played for three teams in the first four months of the season. Known as the league's most traded player, Leibowitz decided against playing for a fourth team at the start of the 1968-69 season and signed to play in Israel instead. He is a member of the LIU (Long Island University) Athletic Hall of Fame

Birth and Death Dates:
b. 1943

Career Highlights:
A 6'2" guard, Leibowitz graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School in New York, then played for LIU from 1964-1967, scoring 1,032 points during his college career. During Barry's years on the Blackbirds squad, the team captured three consecutive Tri-State League championships and had a combined record of 60-18. After graduating LIU in 1967, Barry was selected by the New York Knicks in the fifth round (48th overall) of the NBA Draft, and by the Pittsburgh Pipers in the ABA Draft.
Leibowitz chose to play for Pittsburgh in the new American Basketball Association, but was traded to the New Jersey Americans (now the New Jersey Nets) for Art Heyman in December, 1967. Two months later, Leibowitz was traded again, this time to the Oakland Oaks, with whom he finished out the year. Barry's original team, Pittsburgh, won the first ABA Championship, whereas the Oaks ended the 1967-68 season with a league-worst 22-56 mark. Leibowitz played in 82 combined games during the year and averaged 10.9 points and 3.7 assists per game; it was his only season in the ABA.

Origin:
New York

Career Dates:
Leibowitz played guard and forward at LIU in the mid-1960s, and then turned pro, playing in the ABA with the Pittsburgh Pipers, the New Jersey Americans, and the Oakland Oaks in 1967-68.

Physical description:
6'2", 180 pounds

Career Statistics:
In the ABA:
Games: 82
Points: 894
Points Per Game: 10.9
Field Goals Made: 320
Field Goals Attempted: 873
Field Goal Percentage: .367
3-Pointers Made: 6
3-Pointers Attempted: 39
3-Point Percentage: .154
Free Throws Made: 248
Free Throws Attempted: 308
Free Throw Percentage: .805
Rebounds: 170
Rebounds Per Game: 2.1
Assists: 301
Assists Per Game: 3.7
Steals: na
Blocks: na
Personal Fouls: 208
Disqualifications: 1
Turnovers: 224

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References:
The Official NBA Encyclopedia: Third Edition, edited by Jan Hubbard (New York: Doubleday, 2000)
Jewish Sports Review, September/October issue (Volume 3, No. 3, Issue 27)
Loose Balls: The Short, Wild Life of the American Basketball Association, by Terry Pluto (New York: Fireside, 1991)