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Dolph Schayes
Personal information
Schayes in 1955
Born	(1928-05-19)May 19, 1928 The Bronx, New York
Nationality	American
Died	December 10, 2015(2015-12-10) (aged 87) Syracuse, New York
High school	DeWitt Clinton (The Bronx, New York)
Listed height	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight	195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
College	NYU (1944–1948)
NBA Draft	1948 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4th overall
Selected by the New York Knicks
Pro career	1948–1964
Coaching career	1963–1972
Career history
As player:
1949–1964	Syracuse Nationals / Philadelphia 76ers
As coach:
1963–1966	Philadelphia 76ers
1970–1972	Buffalo Braves

Career highlights and awards
As player: NBA champion (1955) 12× NBA All-Star (1951–1962) 6× All-NBA First Team (1952–1955, 1957, 1958) 6× All-NBA Second Team (1950, 1951, 1956, 1959–1961) NBA rebounding leader (1951) NBA anniversary team (25th, 50th, 75th) NBL Rookie of the Year (1949) No. 4 retired by Philadelphia 76ers Haggerty Award (1948) As coach: NBA Coach of the Year (1966)

Career NBA statistics
Points	19,249 (18.2 ppg) (NBL/BAA/NBA) 18,438 (18.5 ppg) (BAA/NBA)
Rebounds	11,256 (12.1 rpg)
Assists	3,072 (3.1 apg)

Adolph Schayes (born May 19, 1928 – died December 10, 2015) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was known for being a great scorer and rebounder.

Schayes was chosen for the NBA All-Star team 12 times. He was also picked for the All-NBA team 12 times. In 1955, Schayes won an NBA championship with the Syracuse Nationals. He is considered one of the greatest players in NBA history. He was named to the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History list and the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. In 1973, he was added to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Schayes played his entire career with the Nationals and their new team, the Philadelphia 76ers. He played from 1948 to 1964. During his 16 years, his team made it to the playoffs 15 times. After the Nationals moved to Philadelphia, Schayes became a player-coach for the 76ers. He stopped playing after the 1963–64 season. He continued as a coach for two more seasons. He was even named NBA Coach of the Year in 1966. Later, he also coached for the Buffalo Braves.

Early Life and College Basketball
- College Career at NYU
Professional Basketball Career
Personal Life and Family
Legacy and Honors
NBA Career Statistics
- Regular Season
- Playoffs
See Also

Early Life and College Basketball

Dolph Schayes was born in the Bronx, New York. His parents were immigrants from Romania. His father was a truck driver, and his mother was a homemaker.

Schayes went to DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx. He played basketball there and helped his team win a championship for their area.

College Career at NYU

He played college basketball at New York University (NYU) from 1944 to 1948. In 1945, when he was just 16, Schayes helped NYU reach the NCAA final game.

Schayes earned a degree in aerospace engineering. He was an All-American in basketball. In his last year, he won the Haggerty Award. His coach, Howard Cann, said Schayes practiced all the time. They sometimes had to tell him to leave the gym!

Professional Basketball Career

Playing for Syracuse Nationals and Philadelphia 76ers (1949–1964)

Schayes was drafted by two teams in 1948. The New York Knicks picked him in the BAA draft. The Tri-Cities Blackhawks picked him in the NBL draft. The Blackhawks traded his rights to the Syracuse Nationals. The Nationals offered him more money, so he chose to play for them.

Schayes played one season in the NBL. He was named the league's Rookie of the Year. The next season (1949–50), the Nationals joined the new National Basketball Association.

Schayes in 1951

Even though he was tall for his time (6 feet 7 inches), Schayes was famous for his amazing outside shot. It was a high-arcing shot that his teammates called the "Sputnik". If defenders tried to stop his outside shot, he would drive strongly to the basket. He was one of the last players to use a two-handed set-shot. This was before most players started using one-handed jump shots.

Early in his career, Schayes broke his right arm. He played almost a whole season with a cast. This injury actually helped him get better. He learned to shoot with his left hand, which made him very hard to guard.

Key Achievements as a Player

In the 1949–50 season, he was 6th in the league in assists.
He led the NBA in rebounding in 1950–51. He averaged 16.4 rebounds per game.
In 1954–55, he led his team to win the NBA championship.
In 1956–57, he led the league in minutes played per game. He also led in free throws made.
In 1957, he set an NBA record by making 18 free throws in a row in one game.
He led the NBA in free throw percentage three times: in 1958, 1960, and 1962.
In 1959, he scored a career-high 50 points against the Boston Celtics.
He played 706 games in a row without missing one. This was an NBA record at the time.
In 1961, he was the first player in NBA history to reach 30,000 total PRA (Points + Rebounds + Assists).
Schayes was the first player in the NBA to score over 15,000 points.

Schayes around 1957

Schayes was a NBA All-Star 12 times. He was chosen for the All-NBA First Team six times. He was also on the All-NBA Second Team six times. When he retired in 1964, he held NBA records for games played (996) and free throws made (6,712). He was second in scoring and third in rebounds.

Coaching and Referee Supervisor Roles

When the Nationals team moved to Philadelphia in 1963, they became the Philadelphia 76ers. Schayes became their player-coach. He played only 24 games that season.

He stopped playing after that season but stayed as coach for three more years. He was named NBA Coach of the Year in 1966. That season, he led the Sixers to win their division. This ended the Boston Celtics' nine-year winning streak. However, the Celtics beat the Sixers in the playoffs, and Schayes was fired.

From 1966 to 1970, he oversaw NBA referees. In 1970, he became the first coach of the Buffalo Braves. He was fired early in his second season with them.

Maccabiah Games Coach

Schayes coached the US basketball team in the 1977 Maccabiah Games. His team won the gold medal in an upset victory. He also coached the U.S. Masters basketball team in the 1993 Maccabiah Games. He helped raise money for these games too.

Personal Life and Family

Dolph Schayes made his home in Syracuse, New York, after he started playing in the NBA in 1948. After his basketball career, he worked in real estate.

Schayes' son, Danny Schayes, also played in the NBA for 18 seasons. He played for Syracuse University and in the NBA. Dolph's granddaughters, Abi, Carla, and Rachel Goettsch, won silver medals in volleyball for the United States at the 2001 Maccabiah Games. His grandson, Mickey Ferri, won a gold medal in running at the 2005 Maccabiah Games.

Dolph Schayes passed away from cancer on December 10, 2015. He was 87 years old.

Legacy and Honors

In 1970, Schayes was chosen for the NBA 25th Anniversary Team. This recognized him as one of the top 12 retired players.
In 1972, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
He is also a member of the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
In 1996, he was selected as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.
In May 2015, Schayes was honored with a street named "Dolph Schayes Street" in the Bronx.
The Philadelphia 76ers retired his jersey number 4 on March 12, 2016. The Syracuse Crunch also retired his jersey.
In 2021, he was chosen for the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. The Athletic ranked him as the 61st greatest player of all time.

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

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