He was born in
Brooklyn, New York, to Jewish immigrants Harry and Ida Farbman and was Jewish. He attended and played basketball at
Brooklyn College (1941–43) and
City College of New York (1947–48). He entered the US Army in 1943 to fight in World War II. He was drafted in the first round of the 1948 Draft by the
Philadelphia Warriors. He spent one season in the
Basketball Association of America (BAA) as a member of the Philadelphia Warriors and
Boston Celtics (1948–49). ==BAA career statistics==