Dave DeBusschere - One of the most durable and rugged forwards in history, Dave DeBusschere was a defensive stopper who could take the air out of opponents with his physical brand of ball. Fellow Hall of Famer Connie Hawkins once remarked that DeBusschere "took away my first, second, third and fourth offensive move." The heart and soul of New York Knick teams of the 1970s, DeBusschere had a potent offensive game that was solid from both inside and outside. DeBusschere was a three-time All-America at the University of Detroit from 1959 to 1962, and his considerable athletic skills saw DeBusschere play professional basketball for the Detroit Pistons and pitch for the Chicago White Sox from 1962 to 1963. After four seasons, DeBusschere retired from baseball to concentrate solely on basketball.
At age 24, DeBusschere served as player/coach of the Pistons, making him the youngest NBA coach in history. When his contract expired in 1967, DeBusschere was traded to the Knicks. He was the missing link New York needed, and became a key ingredient in 1970 and 1973 Knick championships. A defensive stalwart, DeBusschere was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team from 1969 to 1974, was All-NBA Second Team in 1969 and played in eight All-Star Games. Although a "small" forward at six-foot-six, DeBusschere could dominate the backboards 9,618 rebounds in his career (10.9 ppg). DeBusschere was an offensive force, too, scoring 14,053 (16.1 ppg) career points. After his playing career, Dave served as vice-president and general manager of the New York Nets and as the ABA commissioner in its final season in 1976. He returned to the NBA as vice-president and director of operations for the Knicks from 1982 to 1986. He died on May 14, 2003 of a heart attack.
