Dolph Schayes
Schayes with the Syracuse Nationals in 1955
Personal information
Born(1928-05-19)May 19, 1928
The Bronx, New York, U.S.
DiedDecember 10, 2015(2015-12-10) (aged 87)
Syracuse, New York, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High schoolDeWitt Clinton
(The Bronx, New York)
CollegeNYU (1944–1948)
BAA draft1948: 1st round, 4th overall pick
Selected by the New York Knicks
Playing career1948–1964
PositionPower forward
Number55, 4
Coaching career1963–1972
Career history
As player:
1949–1964Syracuse Nationals / Philadelphia 76ers
As coach:
1963–1966Philadelphia 76ers
1970–1972Buffalo Braves
Career highlights and awards
As player:

As coach:

Career NBA statistics
Points19,249 (18.2 ppg) (NBL/BAA/NBA)
18,438 (18.5 ppg) (BAA/NBA)
Rebounds11,256 (12.1 rpg)
Assists3,072 (3.1 apg)
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com
Basketball Hall of Fame as player
College Basketball Hall of Fame
Inducted in 2006

Adolph Schayes (/ˈʃeɪz/ SHAYZ; May 19, 1928 – December 10, 2015) was an American professional basketball player and coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A top scorer and rebounder, he was a 12-time NBA All-Star and a 12-time All-NBA selection. Schayes won an NBA championship with the Syracuse Nationals in 1955.[1] He was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, and was also named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1973.

Schayes played his entire career with the Nationals and their successor, the Philadelphia 76ers, from 1948 to 1964.[2] In his 16-year career, he led his team into the playoffs 15 times.[3] After the Nationals moved to Philadelphia, Schayes became player-coach of the newly minted 76ers. He ended his playing career after the 1963–64 season and stayed on as coach for two more seasons, earning NBA Coach of the Year honors in 1966. He briefly coached with the Buffalo Braves.

Early life

Adolph Schayes was born on May 19, 1928, in the Bronx, New York, the son of Tina (née Michel), a homemaker, and Carl Schayes, a truck driver for Consolidated Laundries.[4] His parents were Romanian-Jewish immigrants.[5] He grew up on Davidson Avenue and 183rd Street, near Jerome Avenue in University Heights, Bronx.[6]

Schayes attended Creston Junior High School 79 and DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx, New York, where he excelled in basketball, playing for the basketball team and led it to a borough championship.[3][7]

College career

Schayes played his college basketball at New York University (NYU) in 1944–48. In 1945, as a 16-year-old freshman, Schayes helped NYU reach the NCAA final.[8] Schayes earned an aeronautical engineering degree, was an All-American in basketball and won the Haggerty Award in his final year.[2][8][9] His NYU coach, Howard Cann, said of him: "He was in the gym practicing every spare minute. We had to chase him out."[7]

Professional career

Syracuse Nationals / Philadelphia 76ers (1949–1964)

Schayes was drafted by both the New York Knicks in the 1948 BAA draft (1st round; 4th pick overall), and by the Tri-Cities Blackhawks in the NBL draft.[10] The Blackhawks traded his rights to the Syracuse Nationals, who then offered him a contract worth $7,500 (worth $91,400 today), 50% more than the Knicks, influencing his decision to go to Syracuse.[9][11] Schayes played one season in the NBL and was named the league's Rookie of the Year.[12] The following season (1949–50), the Nationals moved to the newly formed National Basketball Association as part of the merger between the BAA and NBL.

Although tall for his era at 6' 7" (201 cm), Schayes was especially known for his deadly, high-arcing, outside set-shot. It arced so high that his teammates came to call it the "Sputnik".[13] Defenders who attempted to deny him the outside shot were confronted by his powerful drive to the basket.[14] These two offensive weapons served him well, even as the NBA was transitioning from basketball's traditional set shot into a league of jump-shooters.

Early in Schayes' career, he broke his right arm and played almost an entire season in a cast. Oddly, this injury became a seminal point in his development: he learned to shoot with his off-hand, making him especially difficult to guard. He was one of the best—and the last—to use a two-handed set-shot with feet planted on the floor, before the game changed to one-handed jump shots.[11][15]

Schayes in 1951

In the 1949–50 season, Schayes was sixth in the league in assists, with 259.[10] He led the NBA in rebounding in 1950–51 (in which he also had 10 of the top 14 individual rebounding games), with 1,080 and a 16.4-per-game average.[16][17] He was third in the league in rebounding in 1952–53, with 920.[10] In 1953–54, his 12.3 rebounds per game were fourth-best in the NBA.[10]

In 1954–55, Schayes led his team to the NBA championship.[10] In 1956–57, he led the league in minutes-per-game (39.6) and free throws (625), while grabbing 1,008 rebounds (3rd in the league) and averaging 22.6 points per game (4th in the league). In 1957, he set an NBA consecutive free throw record in a single game with 18.[18] In 1957–58 he again led the league in minutes-per-game (40.5), and averaged a career-high 24.9 points per game, second in the league, while averaging 14.2 rebounds per game (fourth in the NBA).[1][10]

Schayes led the NBA in free throw percentage three times: in 1958 (.904), 1960 (.892) and 1962 (.896).[16][17][19] In 1959, he scored a career-high 50 points in a game against the Celtics.[18] In the NBA, he didn't miss a single game from February 17, 1952, to December 26, 1961, an NBA-record streak of 706 games.[18] In 1960–61, he again led the league in free throws (with 680).[10] In 1961, he became the first player in NBA history to amass 30,000 career total PRA (Points + Rebounds + Assists).

NBA career achievements

Schayes was the first person in the NBA to ever surpass 15,000 points and 10,000 rebounds.[8]

Schayes ca. 1957

A 12-time NBA All-Star, Schayes was a six-time All-NBA First Team honoree, and was also selected to the All-NBA Second Team six times.[19] He came in second in MVP voting in 1958, and 5th in both 1956 and 1957.[15] When he retired in 1964, he held the NBA records for games played (996), foul shots made (6,712), attempted (7,904), personal fouls (3,432) and was second to Bob Pettit in scoring (18,438) and third in rebounds (11,256).

Coaching career and referee supervisor

Philadelphia 76ers (1963–1966)

When the Nationals moved to Philadelphia in 1963 as the Philadelphia 76ers, Schayes became player-coach. However, his playing career had all but ended; he only played in 24 games, the only time in his career in which he played in fewer than 50 games. He didn't play at all during the playoffs.

Schayes retired as a player after the season but stayed on as coach for three more seasons. He was named NBA Coach of the Year in 1966.[16] That season, he led the Sixers to the Eastern Division regular-season title, ending a nine-year reign by the Boston Celtics. However, the Celtics ousted the Sixers in a five-game Eastern final, and Schayes was fired.[8] He was succeeded by his predecessor with the Nats, Alex Hannum, who led the team to the best record in league history at the time and an NBA title.

From 1966 to 1970, Schayes was the supervisor of NBA referees.[2][20] He was named the first coach of the Buffalo Braves in 1970, but was fired one game into his second season.[8]

Maccabiah Games coach

Schayes coached the US Maccabiah Games basketball team to an upset win to take the gold medal in the 1977 Maccabiah Games.[2][20][21][22] He also coached the U.S. Masters basketball team at the 1993 Maccabiah Games.[23] He also played an active role raising money for the Maccabiah Games.[20][22]

Personal life

Schayes settled in Syracuse, New York, in 1948, where he first played in the NBA, and where he was a real estate developer after his playing days.[24]

Schayes' son is retired NBA center Danny Schayes, who played for Jamesville-DeWitt High School, in DeWitt, New York; Syracuse University; and in the NBA for 18 seasons.[2][7] His granddaughters Abi, Carla, and Rachel Goettsch won silver medals for the United States volleyball team at the 2001 Maccabiah Games, and his grandson Mickey Ferri won a gold medal in the 4 × 100 metres relay at the 2005 Maccabiah Games.[23][25]

Schayes died of cancer on December 10, 2015, at the age of 87.[8][26] He was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Syracuse.

Legacy

In 1970, Schayes was elected to the NBA 25th Anniversary Team as one of the top 12 retired players.[15]

In 1972, Schayes was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.[2] He is also a member of the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, the US National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, and the National Jewish American Sports Hall of Fame.[27]

In 1996, Schayes was selected as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.[20]

In May 2015, Schayes was inducted into the Bronx Walk of Fame, where he received a street named in his honor, called "Dolph Schayes Street".[28]

The 76ers retired Schayes' jersey on March 12, 2016, while the Syracuse Crunch retired it on March 26, 2016.[29][30]

In 2021, Schayes was elected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.[31] To commemorate the NBA's 75th Anniversary The Athletic ranked their top 75 players of all time, and named Schayes as the 61st greatest player in NBA history.[32]

NBA career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
 †  Won an NBA championship *  Led the league

Regular season

Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1949–50 Syracuse 64 — .385 .774 — 4.0 16.8
1950–51 Syracuse 66 — .357 .752 16.4* 3.8 17.0
1951–52 Syracuse 63 31.8 .355 .807 12.3 2.9 13.8
1952–53 Syracuse 71 37.6 .374 .827 13.0 3.2 17.8
1953–54 Syracuse 72 36.9 .380 .827 12.1 3.0 17.1
1954–55† Syracuse 72 35.1 .383 .833 12.3 3.0 18.5
1955–56 Syracuse 72 35.0 .387 .858 12.4 2.8 20.4
1956–57 Syracuse 72 39.6* .379 .904 14.0 3.2 22.5
1957–58 Syracuse 72 40.5* .398 .904* 14.2 3.1 24.9
1958–59 Syracuse 72 36.7 .387 .864 13.4 2.5 21.3
1959–60 Syracuse 75 36.5 .401 .893* 12.8 3.4 22.5
1960–61 Syracuse 79 38.1 .372 .868 12.2 3.7 23.6
1961–62 Syracuse 56 26.4 .357 .897* 7.8 2.1 14.7
1962–63 Syracuse 66 21.8 .388 .879 5.7 2.7 9.5
1963–64 Philadelphia 24 14.6 .308 .807 4.6 2.0 5.6
Career 996 34.4 .380 .849 12.1 3.1 18.5
All-Star 11 22.5 .440 .840 9.5 1.5 12.5

Playoffs

Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1950 Syracuse 11 — .385 .733 — 2.5 17.1
1951 Syracuse 7 — .448 .766 14.6 2.9 20.4
1952 Syracuse 7 35.4 .451 .769 12.9 2.1 20.3
1953 Syracuse 2 29.0 .250 .769 8.5 0.5 9.0
1954 Syracuse 13 28.8 .457 .741 10.5 1.8 16.0
1955† Syracuse 11 33.0 .359 .840 12.8 3.6 19.0
1956 Syracuse 8 38.8 .366 .880 13.9 3.4 22.1
1957 Syracuse 5 43.0 .305 .891 18.0 2.8 21.4
1958 Syracuse 3 43.7 .391 .833 15.0 3.1 26.7
1959 Syracuse 9 39.0 .400 .916 13.0 4.6 28.2
1960 Syracuse 3 42.0 .455 .933 16.0 2.7 29.3
1961 Syracuse 8 38.5 .336 .900 11.4 2.6 20.6
1962 Syracuse 5 19.0 .364 .692 7.0 1.0 11.4
1963 Syracuse 5 21.6 .455 .917 5.6 1.4 10.2
Career 97 34.0 .390 .825 12.2 2.6 19.5

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Nino Frostino (2004). Right on the Numbers. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 1-4120-3305-5. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Jewish sports legends: the International Jewish Hall of Fame. Brassey's. 2000. ISBN 9781574882841. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
  3. 1 2 Wertsman, Vladimir F. (July 22, 2010). Salute to the Romanian Jews in America and Canada, 1850–2010. ISBN 9781453512807. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
  4. ↑ "Schayes, Adolph ("Dolph") | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  5. ↑ Othello Harris, George Kirsch; Claire Nolte (April 2000). Encyclopedia of Ethnicity and Sports in the United States. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 401. ISBN 0-313-29911-0.
  6. ↑ "The Depth of Ethnicity: Jewish Identity and Ideology in Interwar New York City" (PDF). Retrieved February 6, 2011.
  7. 1 2 3 Goldman, David J. (January 2006). Jewish Sports Stars: Athletic Heroes Past and Present. ISBN 9781580131834. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Goldstein, Richard (December 10, 2015), "Dolph Schayes, a Bridge to Modern Basketball, Is Dead at 87", The New York Times
  9. 1 2 Pluto, Terry (October 2000). Tall Tales: The Glory Years of the NBA. ISBN 0803287666. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Dolph Schayes NBA & ABA Statistics". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
  11. 1 2 "NBA.com Schayes Summary". NBA.com. Retrieved August 26, 2007.
  12. ↑ "NBL Rookie of the Year Award Winners". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
  13. ↑ Stewart, Mark (August 2007). The Philadelphia 76ers. ISBN 9781599531250. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
  14. ↑ Purdy, Dennis (February 23, 2010). Kiss 'Em Goodbye: An ESPN Treasury of Failed, Forgotten, and Departed Teams. ISBN 9780345520470. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
  15. 1 2 3 Who's better, who's best in basketball?: Mr. Stats sets the record straight on the top 50 NBA players of all time. McGraw Hill. 2003. ISBN 9780071417884. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
  16. 1 2 3 Brown, Donald H. (October 2, 2007). A Basketball Handbook. ISBN 9781467805728. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
  17. 1 2 Gentile, Derek (2003). Smooth moves: juking, jamming, hooking & slamming: basketball's plays, players, action & style. ISBN 9781579122843. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
  18. 1 2 3 Wechsler, Bob (2008). Day by day in Jewish sports history. ISBN 9781602800137. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
  19. 1 2 "Basketball-Reference.com: Dolph Schayes". Retrieved August 26, 2007.
  20. 1 2 3 4 Encyclopedia of ethnicity and sports in the United States. Greenwood Publishing Group. 2000. p. 402. Retrieved February 6, 2011. Dolph Schayes.
  21. ↑ Siegman, Joseph M. (May 19, 1928). The International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. ISBN 9781561710287. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
  22. 1 2 Ellis Island to Ebbets Field: Sport and the American Jewish Experience. Oxford University Press. 1992. p. 316. ISBN 978-0-19-505128-5. Retrieved February 6, 2011. Dolph Schayes.
  23. 1 2 Klein, Steve. "NBA Hall-of-Famer says games in Israel forged his Jewish identity". Haaretz. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
  24. ↑ "The Greatest – by Marc Tracy". Tablet Magazine. December 1, 2010. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
  25. ↑ Araton, Harvey (September 19, 2001). "Sports of The Times – Giving In Wasn't The Answer". The New York Times. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
  26. ↑ "Former Syracuse Nationals star Dolph Schayes dies at age 87". Syracuse.com. December 10, 2015.
  27. ↑ Danilov, Victor J. (1997). Hall of fame museums: a reference guide. ISBN 9780313300004. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
  28. ↑ Goldin, Howard (May 18, 2015). "NBA Hall of Famer Adolph Schayes Inducted into the Bronx Walk of Fame". NY Sports Day. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
  29. ↑ Carlson, Chris (January 12, 2016). "Dolph Schayes will have his number retired by Philadelphia 76ers". Syracuse. Syracuse Media Group. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  30. ↑ "Syracuse Crunch to retire jersey of Hall of Famer and 12-time NBA All-Star Dolph Schayes March 26". Syracuse Crunch. February 23, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  31. ↑ nba.com/75
  32. ↑ Bodner, Derek. "NBA 75: At No. 61, Dolph Schayes was a power-forward forerunner to the modern game". The Athletic. Retrieved March 11, 2023.

Further reading

  • Grundman, Dolph (2014). Dolph Schayes and the Rise of Professional Basketball. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 978-0-8156-1040-3.
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