SCHAYES, ADOLPH

SCHAYES, ADOLPH ("Dolph"; 1928– ), U.S. basketball player and coach, member of the NBA's 25th and 50th Anniversary teams, and member of Basketball Hall of Fame. Schayes, a native New Yorker, was an All-American standout at New York University, where he won the Haggerty Award in his senior year. Initially taken by the New York Knickerbockers in the 1948 draft, Schayes chose to join the recently formed Syracuse Nationals of the NBL. The 6ʹ 8ʹʹ Schayes had an immediate impact, leading the Nats in scoring en route to a much improved 40–23 finish. The following year Schayes proved even more effective, as the Nats, now officially part of the NBA, finished on top of their conference, going 51–13. For the 1950–51 season, the NBA instituted All-Star games, and Schayes, being a consistent top-ten leader in all offensive categories and rebounds, was an NBA All-Star in each of his remaining 12 seasons as a full-time player for Syracuse; in six of those seasons he was First Team All-NBA. Over the course of his 15 seasons with the Nats, Schayes led the team to an overall .572 winning percentage and the 1955 NBA Championship. In 1963, the Nats moved to Philadelphia and became the 76ers, naming Schayes as player-coach. When Schayes ended his playing career in 1964, he was the NBA's all-time leading scorer, with 19,247 points. His career scoring and 18.2 points-per-game average remain top-50 all-time records. Schayes is also one of the top free-throw shooters in NBA history, ranking 6th all-time in free throws made (6,979) and is in the top-50 in lifetime free-throw shooting percentage (84.9%). He is also 16th in rebounds-per-game (12.1) and 23rd all-time in total rebounds (11,256). During his three-year stint as coach of the 76ers, Schayes enjoyed great success as well, guiding them in his third season to a 55–25 record, while being named NBA Coach of the Year in 1966. During the early 1970s, Schayes was supervisor of NBA Officials. In 1977, he coached the U.S. team to a gold medal at the Maccabiah Games, with his son, DANNY SCHAYES (1959– ), as the star player. Danny went on to play for Syracuse University and from there to a successful 18-year NBA career. (Robert B. Klein (2nd ed.)