Last Updated on July 27, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

Battling for position was second nature to Jim Krebs, the American center whose NBA career was built around rebounding, interior defense, and doing the demanding work that unfolded well away from the spotlight. He consistently carved out space in the paint, secured contested misses with strong hands, and supplied dependable screens and close-range finishes that gave his teams a sturdy presence around the basket.

Here are the details for Jim Krebs:

Player Profile

  • Full Name: James Edward Krebs
  • Nationality: American
  • Age: Deceased (born May 27, 1935 – died May 6, 1965, at age 29)
  • Hometown: Webster Groves, Missouri, USA
  • Height: 6 feet 8 inches (2.03 meters)
  • Weight: 230 pounds (104 kg) during his playing career
  • Wingspan: 6 feet 9 inches
  • Shoe Size: Size 16 (US)
  • Number: Wore 32 during his NBA career
  • Position: Center / Power Forward
  • High School: Webster Groves High School in Webster Groves, Missouri
  • College: Southern Methodist University (SMU)
  • NBA Draft: 1957 NBA Draft, 3rd overall pick by the Minneapolis Lakers
  • Teams Played For:
    • Minneapolis / Los Angeles Lakers (1957–1964)
  • Championship Rings: 0 (He did not win an NBA Championship)
  • Kids: Krebs had three children
  • Siblings: Information on siblings is not widely documented

Player Archetype / Play Style

Jim Krebs’ player archetype was that of a rugged interior big who blended old-school rebounding, low-post scoring, and physical frontcourt play. Defensively, he worked as a bruising paint presence who battled for position, cleaned the glass, and leaned into contact rather than playing a finesse style. Offensively, Krebs operated mainly as a back-to-the-basket scorer and secondary inside option, using his size, touch, and hook shot to finish around the lane. At 6-foot-8 and about 230 pounds, he had the sturdy build of a classic mid-century center-forward, and his overall play style was built on toughness, rebounding, interior efficiency, and a willingness to do the dirty work against bigger matchups. (Basketball Reference)

Scouting Report

Jim Krebs wasn’t the kind of big man who demanded the offence revolve around him, but the game had a way of finding him because he consistently occupied the right spaces. What stands out is how fundamentally sound his approach was. He established early post position without wrestling for it, carved out rebounding angles before the shot even left the shooter’s hand and rarely drifted into low-percentage decisions. Around the basket he relied on footwork and balance more than overwhelming force, using pivots, shoulder fakes and soft touch to finish over either shoulder while remaining under control if a second defender arrived. He wasn’t a flashy passer, yet he recognised when help committed and made the simple kick-out or high-low feed instead of forcing contested attempts. Defensively, Krebs played with patience. He stayed between his man and the rim, boxed out consistently and understood when to step across as the low man rather than chasing blocks from poor positions. That discipline made him dependable even if it didn’t produce spectacular highlights. The trade-off was mobility. Faster frontcourts could pull him into uncomfortable areas away from the basket, and he wasn’t built to recover over long distances after being dragged into repeated screening actions. Even so, he compensated by reading the play early and taking efficient routes instead of relying on athletic recoveries. To me, Krebs fit best beside an active, mobile power forward who could handle more ground defensively while allowing him to anchor the interior, control the glass and provide reliable scoring on post seals and second-chance opportunities. His game shared traits with Jack Sikma’s positional intelligence in the paint and Bill Laimbeer’s commitment to rebounding and physical interior play, although Krebs leaned more toward traditional low-post scoring than perimeter shooting. He was the sort of centre who strengthened a team’s structure because he consistently did the small things correctly, possession after possession, without needing the spotlight.

Sources:

Basketball-Reference — Jim Krebs Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and More
SMU Mustangs — Jim Krebs (2009) – Hall of Fame
Sports Reference CBB — Jim Krebs College Stats