David Albert DeBusschere (October 16, 1940 – May 14, 2003) was an American professional National Basketball Association (NBA) player and coach and Major League Baseball (MLB) player. He played for the Chicago White Sox of MLB in 1962 and 1963 and in the NBA for the Detroit Pistons from 1962 through 1968 and for the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

from 1968 to 1974. He was also the head coach for the Pistons from 1964 through 1967. DeBusschere was inducted into the

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pres ...

in 1983. In 1996, DeBusschere was named as one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history. In October 2021, DeBusschere was again honored as one of the league's greatest players of all time by being named to the

NBA 75th Anniversary Team The NBA 75th Anniversary Team, also referred to as the NBA 75, was chosen in 2021 to honor the 75th anniversary of the founding of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was the fourth and most recent anniversary team in the league. S ...

Early life

DeBusschere was born in Detroit to parents Peter Marcell and Dorothy DeBusschere. He attended Austin Catholic Preparatory School and inspired the "White Shirted Legion" (the tradition of wearing white shirts to the school's games to make fans more visible). As a junior, he was named all-state, and in his senior year of 1957–58, in just the school's third year of organized basketball, he led his team to the Michigan Class A high school basketball championship, scoring 32 points despite fouling out midway through the fourth quarter as the Friars defeated

Benton Harbor High School Benton Harbor High School is a high school in Benton Harbor, Michigan, United States, and is part of the Benton Harbor Area Schools. History In 2009, the school received a $52,000 grant from the U.S. federal government's stimulus program to upgrad ...

and DeBusschere's future NBA rival forward Chet Walker.

College career

DeBusschere starred in both basketball and baseball at the University of Detroit. He averaged 24 points a game in basketball, helping Detroit reach the

National Invitation Tournament The National Invitational Tournament (NIT) is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Played at regional sites and traditionally at Madison Square Garden (Final Four) in New York City ...

twice and the NCAA basketball tournament once. He also pitched the Titans to three NCAA baseball tournament berths.

Baseball career

In 1962, DeBusschere was signed by the Chicago White Sox as an amateur free agent. He was a pitcher for the White Sox from 1962 to 1963. He pitched a shutout on August 13, 1963, against the Cleveland Indians, giving up six hits, one walk and striking out three. In 22 career at-bats, he had only one hit, a single off Bennie Daniels on July 17, 1963. He pitched in the White Sox's minor league system for two more seasons before giving up pitching to focus on both playing and coaching basketball. He is one of only 13 athletes to have played in both the National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball. The 13 are: Danny Ainge, Frank Baumholtz,

Hank Biasatti Henry Arcado Biasatti (January 14, 1922 – April 20, 1996) was an Italian-Canadian National Basketball Association player and a Major League Baseball first baseman. He is the only Canadian to play at the top professional level in both sports. E ...

, Gene Conley, Chuck Connors, DeBusschere, Dick Groat, Steve Hamilton, Mark Hendrickson, Cotton Nash, Ron Reed,

Dick Ricketts Richard James Ricketts, Jr. (December 4, 1933 – March 6, 1988) was an American professional basketball and baseball player. Ricketts was the No. 1 overall pick of the 1955 NBA draft by the St. Louis Hawks out of Duquesne University. Ricketts pl ...

and Howie Schultz.

Basketball career

Detroit Pistons

DeBusschere was selected by the Detroit Pistons in

1962 NBA draft The 1962 NBA draft was the 16th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on March 26, 1962, before the 1962–63 season. In this draft, nine NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball playe ...

as a territorial draft selection. During his rookie season, he averaged 12.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, and was later named to the NBA All-Rookie Team. However, DeBusschere was injured during his second season and only played in 15 games, resulting in the Pistons finishing with a disappointing record of 23–59. In the 1964–1965 season, at the age of 24, he was given the position of player-coach for the Pistons, and thus became the youngest-ever coach in league history. However, this stint as coach was not successful and he became a full-time player. During the 1968–1969 season, DeBusschere was traded to the

for Walt Bellamy and

Howard Komives Howard K. "Butch" Komives ( ; May 9, 1941 – March 22, 2009) was an American professional basketball player who spent ten seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons, Buffalo Braves and Kansas ...

. While a member of the Pistons, DeBusschere appeared as himself on the April 29, 1963 episode of the game show '' To Tell the Truth''. He received two votes.

New York Knicks

DeBusschere, along with future Hall of Famers Willis Reed,

Bill Bradley William Warren Bradley (born July 28, 1943) is an American politician and former professional basketball player. He served three terms as a Democratic U.S. senator from New Jersey (1979–1997). He ran for the Democratic Party's nomination f ...

and Walt Frazier, became an NBA champion when the Knicks defeated the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

in the

1970 NBA Finals The 1970 NBA World Championship Series was the championship series of the 1970 NBA Playoffs, which concluded the 1969–70 National Basketball Association (NBA) season. The Eastern Division champion New York Knicks defeated the Western Divisi ...

. With Earl Monroe in the backcourt, they became champions again in 1973, beating the Lakers 4–1 in the finals. DeBusschere was elected to the

in 1983 after a 12-year career (1962–1974) in which he averaged 16.1 points and 11 rebounds while being named to eight NBA All-Star teams. He became a member of the NBA 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996. He was renowned for his physical style of play and tenacious defense, and he was named to the NBA All-Defensive first team six times.

Life after basketball

DeBusschere retired as a player in

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...

, and his no. 22 jersey was retired by the Knicks, though not until many years later; it is thought the delay was due to his taking a front office job with the rival New York Nets of the

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 ABA–NBA merger, American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, ...

upon his retirement. The next year DeBusschere became the ABA's commissioner for the 1975–76 season, which would be the last for the league. He helped bring about the merger between the NBA and the ABA that year. He was later the assistant coach and director of basketball operations of the Knicks during the 1980s, when he drafted fellow Knicks legend Patrick Ewing with the first overall selection in

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

. DeBusschere and some partners purchased '' Ring'' magazine in 1979. DeBusschere authored a book entitled ''The Open Man'', a chronicle of the

' 1969–70 championship season.

Death

In May 2003, DeBusschere collapsed on a Manhattan street from a heart attack and was pronounced dead at

New York University Hospital NYU Grossman School of Medicine is a medical school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1841 and is one of two medical schools of the university, with the other being the Long Island School of ...

. DeBusschere was interred at Saint Joseph's Church Cemetery in

Garden City, New York Garden City is a village located on Long Island in Nassau County New York. It is the Greater Garden City area's anchor community. The population was 23,272 at the 2020 census. The Incorporated Village of Garden City is primarily located within ...

. DeBusschere, who lived in Garden City, was survived by his wife, Gerri (who died of cancer in 2009), sons Peter and Dennis, and daughter Michelle. In his honor, the University of Detroit Mercy inaugurated the Dave DeBusschere Scholarship in 2003. It provides support to two student-athletes that must have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 and have demonstrated exceptional leadership skills.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Detroit , 80 , , , , 29.4 , , .430 , , , , .718 , , 8.7 , , 2.6 , , , , , , 12.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Detroit , 15 , , , , 20.3 , , .391 , , , , .581 , , 7.0 , , 1.5 , , , , , , 8.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Detroit , 79 , , , , 35.1 , , .425 , , , , .700 , , 11.1 , , 3.2 , , , , , , 16.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Detroit , 79 , , , , 34.1 , , .408 , , , , .659 , , 11.6 , , 2.6 , , , , , , 16.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Detroit , 78 , , , , 37.1 , , .415 , , , , .705 , , 11.8 , , 2.8 , , , , , , 18.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Detroit , 80 , , , , 39.1 , , .442 , , , , .664 , , 13.5 , , 2.3 , , , , , , 17.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Detroit , 29 , , , , 37.7 , , .447 , , , , .723 , , 12.2 , , 2.2 , , , , , , 16.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, 47 , , , , 39.4 , , .442 , , , , .682 , , 11.4 , , 2.7 , , , , , , 16.4 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 79 , , , , 33.3 , , .451 , , , , .688 , , 10.0 , , 2.5 , , , , , , 14.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , , , 35.7 , , .421 , , , , .696 , , 11.1 , , 2.7 , , , , , , 15.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , , , 38.4 , , .427 , , , , .728 , , 11.3 , , 3.6 , , , , , , 15.4 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 77 , , , , 36.7 , , .435 , , , , .746 , , 10.2 , , 3.4 , , , , , , 16.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 71 , , , , 38.0 , , .461 , , , , .756 , , 10.7 , , 3.6 , , .9 , , .5 , , 18.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 875 , , , , 35.7 , , .432 , , , , .699 , , 11.0 , , 2.9 , , .9 , , .5 , , 16.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 8 , , 1 , , 20.9 , , .457 , , , , .750 , , 6.4 , , 1.4 , , .1 , , .0 , , 9.6

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...

, style="text-align:left;", Detroit , 4 , , , , 39.8 , , .424 , , , , .682 , , 15.8 , , 1.5 , , , , , , 20.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...

, style="text-align:left;", Detroit , 6 , , , , 43.8 , , .425 , , , , .578 , , 16.2 , , 2.2 , , , , , , 19.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 10 , , , , 41.9 , , .351 , , , , .820 , , 14.8 , , 3.3 , , , , , , 16.3 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;",

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 19 , , , , 36.9 , , .421 , , , , .662 , , 11.6 , , 2.4 , , , , , , 16.1 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 12 , , , , 40.7 , , .416 , , , , .659 , , 13.0 , , 1.8 , , , , , , 16.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 16 , , , , 38.5 , , .450 , , , , .750 , , 12.1 , , 2.3 , , , , , , 16.6 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;",

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 17 , , , , 37.1 , , .442 , , , , .775 , , 10.5 , , 3.4 , , , , , , 15.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 12 , , , , 33.7 , , .380 , , , , .621 , , 8.3 , , 3.2 , , .6 , , .3 , , 12.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 96 , , , , 38.4 , , .416 , , , , .698 , , 12.0 , , 2.6 , , .6 , , .3 , , 16.0

References

External links

Dave DeBusschere
at SABR (Baseball BioProject)
Dave DeBusschere Legends profile
at NBA.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Debusschere, Dave 1940 births 2003 deaths All-American college men's basketball players American Basketball Association executives American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players American people of Belgian descent Baseball players from Michigan Basketball coaches from Michigan Basketball players from Detroit Catholics from Michigan Chicago White Sox players Detroit Pistons draft picks Detroit Pistons head coaches Detroit Pistons players Detroit Mercy Titans baseball players Detroit Mercy Titans men's basketball players Indianapolis Indians players Major League Baseball pitchers Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees National Basketball Association All-Stars National Basketball Association players with retired numbers New York Knicks players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Power forwards (basketball) Small forwards The Ring (magazine) people

Early life

College career

Baseball career

Basketball career

Detroit Pistons

New York Knicks

Life after basketball

Death

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

See also

References

External links