Melvyn Jerome Davis (born November 9, 1950) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. A 6'6"

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to centers. When on offense, they typically play with their ba ...

from St. John's University, Davis played four seasons (1973–1977) in the

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 St ...

as a member of the New York Knicks and

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, ...

. He averaged 5.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in his NBA career. After taking his basketball career to Europe, where he played in Italy, France, and Switzerland, Davis oversaw the

marketing Marketing is the process of exploring, creating, and delivering value to meet the needs of a target market in terms of goods and services; potentially including selection of a target audience; selection of certain attributes or themes to emph ...

division of PepsiCo. Shortly after, he returned to the NBA and began a long career running player programs; orienting rookies and helping players make a smooth transition to the world post-basketball. In 2005, he was personally appointed by

David Stern David Joel Stern (September 22, 1942 – January 1, 2020) was an American lawyer and business executive who was the commissioner of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1984 to 2014. Stern oversaw NBA basketball's growth into one of t ...

and accepted the position of Executive Director of the

National Basketball Retired Players Association The National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA) is a non-profit association composed of former professional basketball players of the NBA, ABA, Harlem Globetrotters, and WNBA. It was founded in 1992 by NBA Hall of Famers Dave DeBus ...

. Davis holds a marketing degree from St. John's,

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

s in

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries between ...

and counseling from Fordham University, and a master's degree in

career planning Career management is the combination of structured planning and the active management choice of one's own professional career. Career Management is an umbrella term that covers Career Planning & Career Development on an individual level or at an ...

from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

External links

Career statistics

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Mel 1950 births Living people All-American college men's basketball players Allentown Jets players American expatriate basketball people in Italy American men's basketball players Basketball players from New York City Boys High School (Brooklyn) alumni New York Knicks draft picks New York Knicks players New York Nets players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Power forwards (basketball) St. John's Red Storm men's basketball players