Twyman's compassion was as big as his game

Jack Twyman was one of the greatest NBA scorers of his generation, but it was a remarkable assist that earned him the respect and admiration of everyone who knew him and many who didn't.

A selfless act of generosity, kindness and love defined Twyman far more than his Hall of Fame basketball career with the Rochester and Cincinnati Royals from 1955-66.

Twyman gave everything he had to help teammate Maurice Stokes after Stokes hit his head on the court in the final game of the 1957-58 season and subsequently became paralyzed. Twyman became Stokes' legal guardian and arranged for all of his needs and care until Stokes passed away in 1970.

"Jack was a great humanitarian," said NBA legend Oscar Robertson, a former teammate and close friend of Twyman's. "He sacrificed so much with his family and connection with his family, and his family should get a medal as well because they allowed Jack to be a guardian for Maurice Stokes.

"No one could take care of him, and Jack stepped in. The opportunity was there and he didn't flinch. He said I'll take care of him. A lot of people in our society today would not do that. Jack did it."

Twyman died Thursday of complications from an aggressive form of blood cancer. He was 78. What he did for Stokes and the impact it had on people close to Twyman lives on.

"It was an example for everybody that we all need to do things to make a difference in other people's lives," said onetime Knicks great Jerry Lucas, a teammate of Twyman's in Cincinnati. "Jack stepped forward and was ahead of the class as far as that was concerned.

"The Bible is very clear: do unto others as you would have them do unto you. That's a perfect example of that come to life."

Twyman helped with Stokes' medical expenses, spent endless hours by his side and brought his teammates to visit him at the hospital to keep his spirits up and make him feel a part of the team.

Twyman also taught Stokes to communicate by blinking his eyes to denote individual letters.

"They would laugh and they would communicate with each other when no one else knew what Maurice was saying, because he couldn't speak," Robertson said. "He found a way to really communicate with Jack."

"We all had great admiration for Jack for doing that because he was basically taking on another child with Maurice being in that state," said Wayne Embry, who also played with Twyman and is a senior adviser for the Toronto Raptors.

Twyman also organized an annual exhibition game involving NBA players to raise money to help his fallen teammate. After Stokes died, the game continued and the money went to other former NBA players in need.

Helping others was Twyman's way.

Embry called Twyman his mentor. When Embry joined the Royals in 1958, Twyman taught him all about the game on and off the court and groomed him to be their center.

"I think he saw because of my size and my width, I'd set a good pick for him," Embry said.

Twyman, a six-time All-Star, and Wilt Chamberlain became the first players to average more than 30 points per game in 1959-60 (Chamberlain was at 37.6, Twyman 31.2). Twyman retired with 15,840 points and was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 1983.

He became a basketball broadcaster for ABC and a businessman who ran a food wholesale company in Ohio.

Perhaps Twyman's signature call came before Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals when he saw injured Knicks center Willis Reed limping through the tunnel toward the court at Madison Square Garden.

"I think we see Willis coming out," Twyman said, providing the first indication that Reed would play in the game. Reed helped spark the Knicks to victory over the Lakers and their first NBA championship.

The next year, Twyman was an analyst when the Milwaukee Bucks (with Robertson) swept the Baltimore Bullets to win the NBA title. Embry, a rising Milwaukee executive then, said Twyman was doused with champagne after the game.

"I've got pictures of us in the locker room celebrating," Embry said. "Jack with the mic in his hand, sharing in the joy for Oscar and myself and Bob Boozer, who we lost about a week ago.

"It's too bad we never got to the championship. We had good teams. He shared that day. It was good for all of us."

Twyman is survived by his wife, Carol, their four children and 14 grandchildren.