William P. Melchionni (born October 19, 1944) is an American former

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

(NBA) and

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, leading to four A ...

(ABA) player. A three time All-Star, Melchionni is one of only four players to win NBA and ABA championships.

Early life

Melchionni was a guard from Bishop Eustace Prep (in his hometown of

Pennsauken Township, New Jersey Pennsauken Township is a township in Camden County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township's population was 37,074, reflecting an increase of 1,189 (+3.3%) from the 35,885 coun ...

). His teams won two state championships. Melchionni was a collegiate star in the mid-1960s at

Villanova University Villanova University is a private Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Augustinians in 1842 and named after Saint Thomas of Villanova. The university is the oldest Catholic university in Pennsy ...

and was the Most Valuable Player in the 1966 NIT, as Villanova finished in third place in the tournament. Melchionni averaged 27.6 points as a senior at Villanova, as the team finished 18–11. As a junior, in 1964–1965, he averaged 19.4 points for the 23-5 Wildcats, who ended up #8 in the national rankings. In the 1966 season, the Wildcats won 9 of their last 10 games, finishing 3rd in the

1966 National Invitation Tournament The National Invitation Tournament was originated by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association in 1938. Responsibility for its administration was transferred two years later to local colleges, first known as the Metropolitan Intercollegiate ...

, with Melchionni chosen as Tournament MVP. Melchionni scored 1,612 points during his career at Villanova. Melchionni graduated in 1966 from Villanova with a B.S. Degree in Economics.

Professional career

Upon graduation from Villanova, Melchionni was a 2nd round (19th) overall pick by the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...

in the 1966 NBA Draft. Melchionni joined the

Phillips 66ers The Phillips 66ers (also known as the Oilers) were an amateur basketball team located in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, and sponsored and run by the Phillips Petroleum Company. The 66ers were a national phenomenon that grew from a small-town team to an ...

AAU Elite team, before returning to his hometown to join the

in 1966–1967. Immediately, Melchionni was a key reserve on what is, statistically speaking, the greatest 76ers team ever, the 1967 NBA champions led by

Wilt Chamberlain Wilton Norman Chamberlain (; August 21, 1936 – October 12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player who played as a center. Standing at tall, he played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 years and is widely reg ...

, Luke Jackson,

Hal Greer Harold Everett Greer (June 26, 1936 – April 14, 2018) was an American professional basketball player. He played for the Syracuse Nationals / Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1958 through 1973. A guard, Gree ...

Chet Walker Chester Walker (born February 22, 1940) is an American former professional basketball player. Born in Bethlehem, Mississippi, Walker played high school basketball for the Benton Harbor High School boys basketball team. He graduated from Bradle ...

Billy Cunningham William John Cunningham (born June 3, 1943) is an American former professional basketball player and coach, who was nicknamed the ''Kangaroo Kid'' for his leaping and record-setting rebounding abilities. He spent a total of 17 seasons with the ...

and fellow Villanova alum,

Wali Jones Walter Jones (born February 14, 1942) is an American former professional basketball player. He was a 6'2" (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) guard. Early life Born in Philadelphia, Jones played at Overbrook High School, the same school that had ...

. The team was coached by another AAU Elite alum,

Alex Hannum Alexander Murray Hannum (July 19, 1923 – January 18, 2002) was a professional basketball player and coach. Hannum coached two National Basketball Association (NBA) teams and one American Basketball Association (ABA) team to league championships ...

. Melchionni played in 71 games, averaging 4.3 points and 1.3 assists for the championship 76ers. After another season in Philadelphia, Melchionni then played for the Trenton Colonials of the

Eastern Professional Basketball League The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) (originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association) was a men's professional basketball mi ...

in 1968–1969. In 1969–1970, Melchionni found a home in the upstart ABA, joining the

New York Nets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

. With the Nets he became a 3-time ABA All-Star, leading the league in assists multiple times and winning two more championships. In 1969–1970, he averaged 15.2 points and 5.7 assists; in 1970-1971: 17.6 points and 8.3 assists, (leading the ABA); in 1971-1972: 21.0 points and 8.4 assists, (leading the ABA) and in 1972-1973 12.3 points and 7.4 assists. In 1971–1972, Melchionni suffered a broken hand. In his Nets career, he played alongside

Rick Barry Richard Francis Dennis Barry III (born March 28, 1944) is an American retired professional basketball player who starred at the NCAA, American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA) levels. Barry ranks among the ...

and a young

Julius Erving Julius Winfield Erving II (born February 22, 1950), commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is an American former professional basketball player. Erving helped legitimize the American Basketball Association (ABA), and he was the best-known player ...

. After the Nets drafted future ABA All-Star Brian Taylor in 1972, Melchionni became key reserve player on the 1974 and 1976 ABA championship teams. He averaged 12.4 points and 6.1 assists in seven seasons with the Nets. In his entire career, Melchionni averaged 10.6 points and 5.0 assists in 646 games. Of his career, Melchionni said, “With Julius, we won two ABA titles. To be able to say I played with and won championships with Wilt and Julius, arguably two of the top 10 players in basketball history, means something special to me.”

Post-playing career

Melchionni became general manager of the Nets for two years after retiring as a player. Due to financial constraints on the Nets, he was forced to sell Erving to the 76ers to fund the Nets fee for joining the NBA in the

ABA–NBA merger The ABA-NBA merger was a major pro sports business maneuver in 1976 when the American Basketball Association (ABA) combined with the National Basketball Association (NBA), after multiple attempts over several years. The NBA and ABA had entered m ...

. He resigned from the Nets on March 15, 1979. Melchionni worked at Salomon Brothers Investment Bank after leaving the Nets.

Awards and personal life

Melchionni played in three ABA All-Star Games, and was named to the All-ABA First Team in 1972. Melchionni led the ABA in assists per game in 1971, 1972 and 1973. In 1995, Melchionni's number 25 jersey was retired by Villanova. The New Jersey Nets retired Melchionni's number 25. His is only one of six retired Nets jerseys, joining (#3)

Dražen Petrović Dražen Petrović (; 22 October 1964 – 7 June 1993) was a Yugoslav and Croatian professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he initially achieved success playing professional basketball in Europe in the 1980s, before joining the Nation ...

, (#5)

Jason Kidd Jason Frederick Kidd (born March 23, 1973) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Regarded as one of the greatest point guards ...

, (#23) John Williamson, (#32) Julius Erving and (#52)

Buck Williams Charles Linwood "Buck" Williams (born March 8, 1960) is an American former professional basketball player and former assistant coach for the Portland Trail Blazers. He was well known for his rebounding ability and trademark goggles. Williams ...

Melchionni was ranked #15 on a list of All-Time Nets players. Melchionni's brother

Gary Gary may refer to: *Gary (given name), a common masculine given name, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name *Gary, Indiana, the largest city named Gary Places ;Iran * Gary, Iran, Sistan and Baluchestan Province ;Uni ...

was a two-year captain for

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranke ...

and was an All-ACC performer. Gary's son and Bill's nephew, Lee Melchionni, played for Duke from 2002 to 2006. Bill's brother Bob followed Bill at Villanova and played from 1966 through 1969.

References

External links

Career statistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Melchionni, Bill 1944 births Living people American men's basketball players Basketball players from New Jersey Bishop Eustace Preparatory School alumni National Basketball Association players with retired numbers New York Nets players People from Pennsauken Township, New Jersey Philadelphia 76ers draft picks Philadelphia 76ers players Phillips 66ers players Phoenix Suns expansion draft picks Point guards Sportspeople from Camden County, New Jersey Villanova Wildcats men's basketball players Basketball players from Philadelphia