Joe Caldwell ✝

Joe Louis Caldwell (born November 1, 1941) is a retired American professional basketball player. Born in Texas City, Texas, he spent six seasons (1964–1970) in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and five seasons (1970–1975) in the now-defunct American Basketball Association (ABA), and was one of the few players to be an All-Star in both leagues. He was also a member of the United States Olympic basketball team that won gold at the 1964 Summer Olympics.\n', ' Caldwell was one of 11 children born in Texas City, near Houston, Texas. He was the son of a longshoreman and mechanic and a homemaker. When he was six, Caldwell witnessed the Texas City Disaster, when a docked ship blew up and 581 people died with thousands injured. The Caldwell’s family was left unharmed, but he said decades later, “I can still see people flying through the air.”\n', ' When Caldwell was 15, he moved with his sister to Los Angeles. He emerged as a late-bloomer player and John Wooden courted him to play for him at UCLA. He ended up at Arizona State instead.\n', '