He was named after Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who had been elected President of the United States the day before Selvy was born.

Selvy attended Corbin High School where he starred in basketball, even though his playing time was limited because he had to work.

(Jack Taylor of Division III Grinnell College holds the NCAA all-time record for points scored at 138.

The special night was planned to garner recognition for Selvy, who was already certain to finish the season leading the nation in scoring and earn first-team All-American honors, two accomplishments he had attained the year before.

Selvy obliged, hitting 41 of 66 field goals and 18 of 22 free throws, his last two points coming on a desperate heave near midcourt at the buzzer.

He went on to play nine seasons in the National Basketball Association during the late 1950s and early 1960s, interrupted by a stint in the U.S. Army.

As a professional, Selvy was mostly known for his time with the Los Angeles Lakers, teaming with Jerry West and Elgin Baylor.

1 overall by the Bullets, Selvy quickly moved to the Milwaukee Hawks on November 28, 1954, as the Baltimore franchise was folded.

[16] Selvy missed a ring, as he was traded on February 16, 1958, by the Hawks to the Minneapolis Lakers for Dick Boushka and Terry Rand.

[3][17] In 1960–61, Selvy averaged 10.8 in the first season in Los Angeles, playing alongside Elgin Baylor and Jerry West, as the team advanced to the Western Division Finals.

[21] The Lakers advanced to the NBA Finals again in 1962–63, with Selvy averaging 10.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game.

Selvy's Lakers faced a four-point deficit at the hands of Boston Celtics in the final minute of the game's fourth quarter.

Selvy proceeded to secure two crucial rebounds and score two baskets in 20 seconds to tie the game at 100.

With 5 seconds left, Selvy inbounded the pass at midcourt to Rodney "Hot Rod" Hundley, who dribbled to the top of the key.

"[23][1] However, Selvy lost his chance for the ultimate heroic moment as he missed a 12-foot jump shot right before the buzzer that would have secured the championship for the Lakers had it gone in.

The miss sent the game to overtime, where the Celtics prevailed in this, the second of seven NBA Finals match-ups between Boston and Los Angeles over the course of eleven seasons.

[24][25] Selvy was proud of his two baskets in 20 seconds that tied the game, giving the Lakers a chance to win, but would typically only hear about the missed shot.

[1] Regrettably for Selvy, his missed shot gained even larger significance as those years went by because the Lakers ultimately lost every one of those championship battles with the Celtics,[25] thus magnifying the pain of Los Angeles having lost a golden opportunity, with Selvy's shot, to end that streak of futility before it had even begun.