Nathan Militzok (May 3, 1923 – May 14, 2009) was an American professional basketball player. He played the

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

position for various teams, including 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 ...

Early life

Militzok, who was Jewish, was born in The Bronx, New York. Recalling his childhood, he said: "I never saw a dirt field. Everything was cement. ... We had two choices: either go to the schoolyard and play ball or hang around on the corner and get in trouble. So, we played basketball all our lives." He attended

Stuyvesant High School Stuyvesant High School (pronounced ), commonly referred to among its students as Stuy (pronounced ), is a State school, public university-preparatory school, college-preparatory, Specialized high schools in New York City, specialized high school ...

, where he played for the basketball team. He began his college basketball career as a freshman at CCNY in 1941, playing for a team that had a 16–1 record. He then transferred to

Hofstra University Hofstra University is a private university in Hempstead, New York. It is Long Island's largest private university. Hofstra originated in 1935 as an extension of New York University (NYU) under the name Nassau College – Hofstra Memorial of Ne ...

. World War II broke out, and he joined the Navy. Stationed at Cornell University, he joined its basketball team for the 1943–44 season.

Professional career

After the end of World War II, Militzok joined the New York Knicks in 1946 in the

Basketball Association of America The Basketball Association of America (BAA) was a professional basketball league in North America, founded in 1946. Following its third season, 1948–49, the BAA absorbed most of National Basketball League (NBL) and rebranded as the National Ba ...

, which merged with the National Basketball League in 1949 to become the

NBA 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 ...

. Militzok played in the first game in NBA history for the Knicks against the Huskies on November 1, 1946, and was credited with the first assist in the league's history. He was traded to the Toronto Huskies in February 1947 for cash. He joined the Scranton Miners of the American Basketball League in 1948–49. He played with them through 1951–52, when he was sent to the

Saratoga Harlem Yankees Glens Falls-Saratoga, also known as Schenectady Yankees, Saratoga Harlem Yankees and New York Harlem Yankees was an American professional basketball team based in several New York State locations. It was a member of the American Basketball League ...

Later life

After his basketball career, he became an attorney. In 1999, he and the other Jewish players on the Knicks,

Sonny Hertzberg Sidney "Sonny" Hertzberg (July 29, 1922 – July 25, 2005) was an American professional basketball player. Early life Hertzberg was born in Brooklyn, New York, grew up in Crown Heights, and was Jewish. Hertzberg played at Samuel J. Tilden H ...

, Ralph Kaplowitz,

Leo Gottlieb Leo "Ace" Gottlieb (November 28, 1920 – August 16, 1972) was an American professional basketball player. Early and personal life Gottlieb, who was Jewish, was born in New York City, New York. He attended DeWitt Clinton High School in The Bron ...

, Hank Rosenstein, and Ossie Schectman, were inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in New York.

BAA career statistics

Regular season

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Militzok, Nat 1923 births 2009 deaths American expatriate basketball people in Canada American men's basketball players United States Navy personnel of World War II Basketball players from New York City CCNY Beavers men's basketball players Cornell Big Red men's basketball players Forwards (basketball) Hofstra Pride baseball players Jewish men's basketball players New York Knicks players Scranton Miners players Sportspeople from the Bronx Stuyvesant High School alumni Toronto Huskies players