Hall of Famer DeBusschere dies at 62

[HawkTodd]

Hall of Famer DeBusschere dies at 62. (5-14-03)

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NEW YORK (Ticker) - Hall of Famer Dave DeBusschere, one of the NBA's best defensive forwards and the rock of New York Knicks' championship teams in 1970 and 1973, died Wednesday. He was 62.

A Knicks spokeswoman confirmed DeBusschere died of a "massive heart attack."

Nicknamed "Big D" for his stellar defensive play, DeBusschere played with fellow Hall of Famers Willis Reed, Bill Bradley, Walt Frazier and Earl Monroe with the Knicks. As the team's general manager, he drafted Patrick Ewing, the franchise's all-time leader in points and rebounds.

Voted one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA history, DeBusschere was in attendance with numerous other former Knicks when Ewing had his number retired on February 28.

"I am deeply saddened by the news of Dave's passing," Reed said in a statement. "He had a profound impact on the landscape of professional basketball, both as a player and an executive."

Memphis Grizzlies president Jerry West, who competed against DeBusschere as a player and dealt with him as an executive, also was emotionally affected by the news.

This is a very sad day for me personally," West said in a statement. "Not only did his family and the NBA lose a great representative of what is best about the NBA, we also lost one of the real classy people that has been involved with the sport of basketball."

But DeBusschere was not just a star player and executive for the Knicks. He played played major league baseball with the Chicago White Sox in 1962 and 1963, became the youngest coach in NBA history while still a player with the Detroit Pistons in 1964 and served as commissioner of the ABA in 1975.

Elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982, DeBusschere averaged 16.1 points and 11.0 rebounds in a 12-year career and was named to the All-Defensive First Team six times.

A 6-6, 235-pound power forward, DeBusschere was a three-time All-Star with the Pistons before the Knicks acquired him in December 1968 for center Walt Bellamy and guard Howard Komives in a trade many regard as perhaps the best in club history.

DeBusschere turned out to be the final component for the 1970 championship team, which has been lauded by many coaches for being perhaps the most cerebral in NBA history.

In his book "A View from the Bench," Knicks Hall of Fame coach Red Holzman called DeBusschere "our Holy Grail."

DeBusschere's chief role was to grab rebounds and shut down the opposing team's best forward. Since he previously served as player coach of the Pistons, DeBusschere was willing to sacrifice his individual achievements for team goals, a hallmark of those Knicks teams.

The Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers met three times in four years in the NBA Finals, with the Knicks winning two of the showdowns in 1970 and 1973. In the deciding Game Seven in 1970, DeBusschere had 18 points and 17 rebounds.

"The fans of New York were very privileged to have had the chance to applaud and celebrate his contribution to the Knicks' legacy in New York," said West, a member of those Lakers teams. "He will be missed by all of us who knew him so well.

DeBusschere was a hero in Detroit, the city where he grew up and starred at baseball as well as basketball in high and college - the University of Detroit. Against all odds, DeBusschere decided to play both baseball and basketball professionally, signing a $75,000 signing bonus from the White Sox and receiving a $15,000 contract from the Pistons.

A tall righthanded pitcher, DeBusschere went 3-4 with a 3.09 ERA in 36 games in 1962 and 1963 with Chicago. He spent the next two seasons with Indianapolis of the Pacific Coast League, compiling a 30-20 record.

DeBusschere made an immediate impact in the NBA, being named to the All-Rookie Team in 1963 with averages of 12.7 points and 8.7 rebounds. However, the following year, DeBusschere broke his leg and played in only 15 games.

In November 1964, Pistons owner Fred Zollner made the bold move of naming the 24-year-old DeBusschere as player-coach at the age of 24. The dual responsibilities convinced DeBusschere to end his baseball career shortly thereafter.

DeBusschere excelled on the court as a player but was saddled with a lack of talent as a coach and compiled a record of 79-143 with no playoff appearances.

Although Detroit was his hometown, DeBusschere tired of the losing and considered himself "reborn" when he was traded to the Knicks.

The chants of "Dee-fense" reverberating throughout Madison Square Garden were often a tribute to DeBusschere, Reed and Frazier, the top defensive players at their positions.

An eight-time All-Star, DeBusschere retired after the 1973-74 season, but surprisingly was not interested in coaching after his playing career.

However, DeBusschere did remain in basketball as an executive in various positions. In 1974, DeBusschere served as vice president and general manager of the ABA's New Jersey Nets. The following year, he was hired as ABA commissioner and helped the league merge with the NBA in 1976.

In 1982, DeBusschere returned to the Knicks as executive vice president of basketball operations. The Knicks advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals in his first two seasons, but missed the playoffs the next two years and he was fired.

As an executive, DeBusschere will forever be remembered for his emotional reaction at the draft lottery when the Knicks won the No. 1 pick in 1985 and selected Ewing.

"Dave was a great teammate as well as a great friend," Reed said. "All the members of the Knicks family mourn his passing, and my heartfelt condolences go out to his wife Geri and the entire DeBusschere family."