James Edward Paxson Sr. (December 19, 1932 – October 28, 2014) was an American professional basketball player.

A 6'6" swingman, Paxson attended the University of Dayton during the mid-1950s, averaging 10.9 points per game in his collegiate career.

He helped the Flyers attain two consecutive second-place finishes in the National Invitation Tournament.

He spent two years in the Army and played with the Armed Forced All-Stars who won the Pan-Am games in Mexico in 1955 before returning for his final season in 1955–56.

His son Michael played collegiately at Ohio University for one year.