Daniel Biasone (22 February 1909 – 25 May 1992) was the founding owner of the

Syracuse Nationals The Philadelphia 76ers are an American basketball team currently playing in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 76ers are third in NBA history in wins and playoff appearances. 1946– ...

, an NBA team now known as the Philadelphia 76ers. Biasone, who was a childhood immigrant to the United States from Italy, was mostly known for advocating the use of the

shot clock A shot clock is a countdown timer used in a variety of games and sports, proving a set amount of time that a team may possess the object of play before attempting to score a goal. Shot clocks are used in several sports including basketball, wat ...

in basketball. Biasone was posthumously inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000 for his contributions to the sport. Although he did not originate the idea of a shot clock, he strongly supported its adoption in professional basketball. Biasone successfully lobbied the NBA to institute the shot clock in 1954. With Syracuse Nationals general manager

Leo Ferris Leo F. Ferris (May 31, 1917 – June 1, 1993) was an American sports executive and businessman from Elmira, New York best known for helping invent the 24-second shot clock in the National Basketball Association. Managerial career in basketball ...

, Biasone was responsible for establishing the NBA shot clock at 24 seconds, where it has remained to this day. He supported the 24-second rule on the basis of his observations, experience, and basic arithmetic. Biasone asserted that basketball proved most exciting when it achieved a balance between stalling contests and wild shootouts. He envisioned a well-paced match-up in which each team took around 60 shots per game. Given that professional basketball games lasted 48 minutes, Ferris divided 2880 (the number of seconds in 48 minutes) by 120 (the total number of shots taken per game when each team attempted 60 shots) and arrived at a figure he considered optimal: one shot every 24 seconds. He was also a primary force in convincing the NBA to adopt the backcourt foul rule in 1953. Biasone was featured in the book ''Basketball History in Syracuse, Hoops Roots'' by author Mark Allen Baker published by The History Press in 2010. The book is an introduction to professional basketball in Syracuse and includes teams like (Vic Hanson's) All-Americans, the Syracuse Reds and the

(1946–1963).

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External links

Biasone's profile at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
1909 births 1992 deaths Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees Italian emigrants to the United States National Basketball Association executives National Basketball Association owners National Basketball League (United States) owners 20th-century American businesspeople Businesspeople from Syracuse, New York People from Chieti {{1900s-US-basketball-bio-stub

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