Paul Jacob Hoffman (May 5, 1925 – November 12, 1998) was an American professional basketball player. He played six seasons in the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and National Basketball Association (NBA), primarily with the Baltimore Bullets, and was a member of the 1948 BAA championship team.
Early Life and College Career
Hoffman was born in Jasper, Indiana. He attended Jasper High School from 1939 to 1943, where he played under coach Cabby O'Neill. He then enrolled at Purdue University, playing under head coach Ward Lambert. Hoffman became the only four-time First Team All-Big Ten selection in Purdue history. He led the Boilermakers in scoring all four seasons (1943–1947) and was a three-time Second Team Helms Foundation All-American (1945–1947). He also won the MVP award for the 1947 All-American All-Star game at Madison Square Garden.
Professional Playing Career
Hoffman was selected by the Toronto Huskies in the 5th round (42nd overall) of the 1947 BAA draft. The Huskies folded before the season began, so Hoffman signed with the Baltimore Bullets. In his rookie season, he averaged 10.5 points per game and was named NBA Rookie of the Year—though this designation was not officially sanctioned by the NBA for the 1947–48 season. The Bullets won the 1948 BAA Finals.
After his rookie season, Hoffman briefly left basketball to work as a salesman at Montgomery Ward after the Bullets refused his salary increase request. He returned for the 1949–50 season. He played five seasons with the Bullets until the team disbanded in November 1954. He was then selected by the New York Knicks in a dispersal draft and later sold to the Philadelphia Warriors, retiring after the 1954–55 season.
Over his career, Hoffman averaged 10.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game.
Coaching and Executive Career
From 1956 to 1959, Hoffman served as head baseball coach at Purdue University, compiling a record of 52–49–2 overall and 18–30–1 in Big Ten play. He also worked as an assistant basketball coach under head coach Ray Eddy.
From June 1963 through May 1965, he served as general manager of the Baltimore Bullets (a later franchise unrelated to the original team), where the team posted a 68–92 record and reached the NBA Western Division Finals in the 1964–65 season.
Honors and Death
Hoffman was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1977. In 1993, at age 68, he was named to the Indiana All-Stars for the 1942–43 season, a team that had not been named during World War II. He died of a brain tumor at age 73 in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1998.
