BUIES CREEK, N.C. – George Lehmann, one of only two Campbell basketball players to reach the NBA, passed away on Nov. 8, 2024 at the age of 83.
 
Born May 1, 1941 in Riverside, N.J., Lehmann was a shooting guard, who enrolled at Campbell for the 1959-60 season and earned junior college All-America honors under Coach Fred McCall.  He scored 46 points – the most ever by a Campbell player in the school's junior college era – vs. Brewton-Parker on Jan. 15, 1960.
 
He then went on to play four seasons in the Eastern Basketball League—two years with the Sudbury Mercuries and two with the Trenton Colonials. In his two years in Trenton, George averaged over 24 points a game.
 
In the summer of 1967, he was invited to try out for the St. Louis Hawks and made the team as Lenny Wilkens' backup. He played 10 minutes a game as a rookie and saw action in one playoff game. George accompanied the club on its move to Atlanta the following season but was cut after playing 11 games.
 
George signed with the ABA's Los Angeles Stars in January and took over as the team's point guard. He led the Stars with 18.9 and 5.0 assists per game in 1968–69. In 1969–70, the Stars traded George to the New York Nets, where he backed up Bill Melchionni for 46 games. Toward the end of the season the Nets traded George to the Miami Floridians. In 25 games he averaged 17.9 points and 5.0 assists.
 
Lehmann's best season was 1970–71. He was traded to the Carolina Cougars, a team that featured many Carolina college basketball stars, including UNC's Billy Cunningham, Doug Moe, Larry Miller and Bill Bunting, Duke's Bob Verga and Clemson's Randy Mahaffey. George set league records with 27 points in a quarter, and 154 three-pointers on the year. His long-range jumpers were known as "Screamin' Lehmanns." That season he also became the first pro to make more than 40 percent of his 3-pointers.
 
George had another good year for the Cougars in 1971–72, but he was traded to the Memphis Pros with a month to go in the season. The Pros changed their name to the Tams after the season. George spent his final two years with Memphis, splitting point guard duties with George Thompson. Midway through the 1973–74 season, the Tams released George.
 
When he retired, George had the third highest 3-point shooting average in ABA history, at 36.5 percent.  He averaged 11.9 points per game and 4.5 assists per game in his professional career.
 
Lehmann was the only Campbell Basketball player to reach the NBA until Nov. 3, 2019, when Chris Clemons made his NBA debut with the Houston Rockets.  That date marked the first time a Campbell alum played at basketball's highest level since Dec. 16, 1973, when Lehmann last appeared for the Tams against the San Antonio Spurs. 
 
Lehmann appeared in 66 games over two seasons with the NBA's St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks, the last time coming on Nov. 13, 1968, at the Seattle Supersonics. He played 310 games over six ABA seasons.
 
When his days as a professional player concluded, George found a new calling: teaching basketball fundamentals and shooting skills to young athletes. For over two decades, he travelled across the Unites States, running camps and clinics and instilling a love for the game and life skills, including the "Secret of Success", to thousands of coaches and young players, including regular stops at the Campbell Basketball School. 
 
In addition to his contributions to the game, George was a pioneering entrepreneur in the specialty sports apparel industry. His creative and innovative spirit helped shape the modern "team" athletic apparel market as it is known today.
 
George's brother, Ben, played three seasons at Campbell from 1976-79.  In 1989–90, George's son, Todd, led the nation with 9.3 assists per game as a guard for Drexel. His daughter, Nicole, was a guard for NC State. Like their father, they were fearless and accurate shooters.
 
George was predeceased by his beloved wife of 51 years, Phillis Joyce Lehmann (nee DeSanctis); his parents, Mary and George Lehmann, his brothers, Joseph and John Lehmann, and his grandson, Anthony Lehmann. He is also predeceased by his dear in-laws, Elizabeth and Frederick DeSanctis. 
 
He is survived by his children, Frederick Sean Lehmann, Todd Lehmann, Nicole L. Tharrington; and by his grandchildren, Alexis and J.C.; and great-granddaughter, Gemma. Also surviving are his siblings, Paul Lehmann, Mary Vogel, Austin, James, Vincent, Benedict and Thomas Lehmann, along with many nieces, nephews and their families.
 
Sources: NJSportsHeroes.com; WeberFuneralHomeInc.com