Jim Pollard, Star With Stanford and Minneapolis Lakers, Dies at 70

Jim Pollard, a member of Stanford’s 1942 NCAA championship team and one of the original Minneapolis Lakers, has died at the age of 70.

Pollard, known as “the Kangaroo Kid” because of his jumping ability, died in Stockton on Friday of natural causes, according to a funeral home in Lodi, where he had lived.

A veteran of eight seasons with the Lakers, Pollard was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., in 1977. He was also a member of the Stanford Hall of Fame and the San Francisco Bay Area Hall of Fame.

Pollard, who was born in Oakland, played for amateur teams, including the Oakland Bittners, before signing with the Lakers in 1948.

At 6 feet 5, Pollard was one of the few players of that era who could dunk a basketball. He averaged in double figures in scoring during each of his years with the Lakers and had a career scoring average of 13.1 points a game.

Pollard is survived by his wife, Arilee, sons Jack and Jeff, and daughter Jeanne.