placement : Forward
Dolph Schayes fake a Hall of Fame career with grit , hustle , and his personal calling card – the two - handed set shot . One ofbasketball ’s first superstars , he join the pro ranks in 1948 – one year before the birth of the NBA – and retired in 1964 after 16 season with the Syracuse Nationals . Those who saw him execute say that he was the Larry Bird of his generation .
A 6'8 " ahead with sensational shooting mountain chain , Schayes regularly ranked in the NBA ’s top 10 in both scoring and ricochet . He gave headaches to react guardian because he never intercept moving , with or without the ball . When he get an opening , even if it was 30 foot from the basket , he ’d load up his set shot and direct it toward the basket in a high , curl arc .
He also had a running one - hander that he could shoot with either bridge player , and he was one of the best free - throw shooters in the game . He could n’t derail worth a lick , but he was a crafty rebounder who have it off how to play the angles . His greatest asset was his competitiveness . No one worked harder than Dolph Schayes .
Born May 19 , 1928 , inNew York City , Schayes learned how to dally basketball in the schoolyard of the Bronx and afterward played at New York University , within walking aloofness of his family . Though he average just 10.2 points during his college career , Schayes was drafted by two pro teams – the New York Knicks of the Basketball Association of America and the Tri - Cities Hawks of the National Basketball League .
The Hawks later on traded his rights to the Nationals , who then outbid the Knicks for his service . Schayes start out out at essence , his posture at NYU , but before long gravitated to onwards , where he could concentrate on scoring and did n’t have to worry about guarding behemoth like George Mikan .
After putting up 13.8 points per game during the 1951 - 1952 time of year , Schayes joined Mikan on the All - NBA Team , which also included Bob Cousy , Paul Arizin , Bob Davies , and Ed Macauley . Schayes made first - squad All - NBA six time in seven years . As a rebounder , he average at least 12 a biz for 11 neat time of year – a feat that onlyWilt ChamberlainandBill Russellhave ever accomplished .
Schayes ’s grading tempo accelerated after the advent of the 24 - second clock in 1954 . He did n’t average more than 18 period in any of his first six seasons , but beginning with the 1955 - 1956 campaign he averaged more than 20 points in six consecutive seasons – with a top of 24.9 in 1957 - 1958 . Meanwhile , the Nationals advanced to the NBA Finals three times , losing to the Minneapolis Lakers in 1950 and 1954 and defeating the Fort Wayne Pistons in 1955 .
In 1958 - 1959 , the Nationals had an impressive collection of natural endowment , with Schayes , George Yardley , and Johnny Kerr on the front line and Hal Greer and Larry Costello in the backcourt . unluckily for Syracuse , Bostonhad Bill Russell . The Celtics ping the Nationals out of the playoffs in Game 7 of the Eastern Division final examination .
Basketball ’s original iron man , Schayes play in 706 successive game from 1952 - 1961 . Only three players in NBA story have had long skein . Schayes ’s run ended when he suffered a broken zygomatic , which required surgery , and his career wound down quick after he suffered a stifle injury in the other 1960 ’s .
The Nationals moved toPhiladelphia(and changed their name to the 76ers ) before the 1963 - 1964 season , and they hired Schayes to double as player and coach . He live on just 24 games as a player before quit to concentrate on coaching . Dolph won the NBA Coach of the Year Award in 1966 but was fired after the Sixers fail to beat Boston in the playoffs .
Schayes later on worked as the executive program of NBA official , and he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1972 . His son Danny had forged a long career in the NBA as a backup center for several team .
