The jump shot has a handful of fathers, most of whom have been forgotten by all but the hardest-core of hardwood fans. Among these innovators was Joe Fulks, whose life story puts him in a singular category: he's the only Hall of Fame player—in Springfield, Canton, or Cooperstown—to have been murdered.
Joe Fulks, who was from Birmingham, Kentucky, itself destroyed by Kentucky Lake, is often credited as an innovator of the jump-shot. Fulks transferred to Kuttawa after his town was submerged, played at Murray State, then spent several years in the NBA and its forerunners and was among the leading scorers each year. He was also murdered...
Joe Fulks, the Jump Shot Innovator One Man Murdered and the Rest Forgot | VICE Sports