David Albert DeBusschere (October 16, 1940 – May 14, 2003) was an American professional

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, 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 i ...

(NBA) player and coach and

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

(MLB) player. He played for the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

of MLB in 1962 and 1963 and in the NBA for the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...

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 Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

to parents Peter Marcell and Dorothy DeBusschere. He attended

Austin Catholic Preparatory School Austin Catholic Preparatory School was a boys, non–residential, college preparatory school in Detroit, Michigan. Austin was "one of the city's most widely respected schools."Austin Prep School to Close Next Year ("Widely Respected")''Detroit Fre ...

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 upgr ...

and DeBusschere's future NBA rival forward

Chet Walker Chester Walker (born February 22, 1940) is an American former professional basketball player. Born in Bethlehem, Mississippi, Walker played high school basketball for the Benton Harbor High School boys basketball team. He graduated from Bradley ...

College career

DeBusschere starred in both basketball and baseball at the

University of Detroit The University of Detroit Mercy is a private Roman Catholic university in Detroit, Michigan. It is sponsored by both the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and the Sisters of Mercy. The university was founded in 1877 and is the largest Catholic univers ...

. 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 Cit ...

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

as an amateur free agent. He was a

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or dr ...

for the White Sox from 1962 to 1963. He pitched a shutout on August 13, 1963, against the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central division. Since , they have ...

, 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 Bennie Daniels Jr. (born June 17, 1932), is an American former professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates (–) and Washington Senators (–). During his playing days, Daniels stood , wei ...

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

and

. The 13 are:

Danny Ainge Daniel Ray Ainge ( ; born March 17, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and former professional baseball player who serves as an executive for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A three-s ...

, 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 Donald Eugene Conley (November 10, 1930 – July 4, 2017) was an American professional baseball and basketball player. He played as a pitcher for four teams in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1952 to 1963. Conley also played as a forward in ...

Chuck Connors Kevin Joseph Aloysius "Chuck" Connors (April 10, 1921 – November 10, 1992) was an American actor, writer, and professional basketball and baseball player. He is one of only 13 athletes in the history of American professional sports to have p ...

, DeBusschere,

Dick Groat Richard Morrow Groat (born November 4, 1930) is a former professional baseball and basketball player who was an eight-time All-Star shortstop and two-time World Series champion in Major League Baseball. He rates as one of the most accomplished t ...

, Steve Hamilton,

Mark Hendrickson Mark Allan Hendrickson (born June 23, 1974) is an American former baseball and basketball player. Hendrickson was a pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) and played power forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Continental Bas ...

Cotton Nash Charles Francis "Cotton" Nash (born July 24, 1942) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder and National Basketball Association (NBA) forward. Basketball career Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, Nash played collegiately for ...

Ron Reed Ronald Lee Reed (born November 2, 1942) is a former two-sport star who spent two seasons as a power forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA) before spending nearly two decades as a Major League Baseball pitcher. Early life and e ...

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 p ...

and Howie Schultz.

Basketball career

Detroit Pistons

DeBusschere was selected by the

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 pla ...

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 The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for player ...

. 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 Walter Jones Bellamy (July 24, 1939 – November 2, 2013) was an American professional basketball player. A four-time NBA All-Star, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. College career Bellamy chose to play basket ...

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 C ...

. 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 Willis Reed Jr. (born June 25, 1942) is an American retired basketball player, coach and general manager. He spent his entire professional playing career (1964–1974) with the New York Knicks. In 1982, Reed was inducted into the Naismith Me ...

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 Walter "Clyde" Frazier Jr. (born March 29, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player of the National Basketball Association (NBA). As their floor general and top perimeter defender, he led the New York Knicks to the franchise's o ...

, 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. With

Earl Monroe Vernon Earl Monroe (born November 21, 1944) is an American former professional basketball player. He played for two teams, the Baltimore Bullets and the New York Knicks, during his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Both teams ...

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; ...

, 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 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, ...

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 American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, leading to four A ...

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 Patrick Aloysius Ewing (born August 5, 1962) is a Jamaican-American basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Georgetown University men's team. He played most of his career as the starting center for the N ...

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 A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

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 Scho ...

. 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 Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

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;",

, 80 , , , , 29.4 , , .430 , , , , .718 , , 8.7 , , 2.6 , , , , , , 12.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 15 , , , , 20.3 , , .391 , , , , .581 , , 7.0 , , 1.5 , , , , , , 8.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 79 , , , , 35.1 , , .425 , , , , .700 , , 11.1 , , 3.2 , , , , , , 16.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 79 , , , , 34.1 , , .408 , , , , .659 , , 11.6 , , 2.6 , , , , , , 16.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 78 , , , , 37.1 , , .415 , , , , .705 , , 11.8 , , 2.8 , , , , , , 18.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , , , 39.1 , , .442 , , , , .664 , , 13.5 , , 2.3 , , , , , , 17.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 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 Co ...

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

, 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. * Janu ...

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

, 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 of X (''Extreme''). Between 10,000 and ...

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

, 19 , , , , 36.9 , , .421 , , , , .662 , , 11.6 , , 2.4 , , , , , , 16.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1971 , 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 mean solar tim ...

, 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 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: ...

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

, 17 , , , , 37.1 , , .442 , , , , .775 , , 10.5 , , 3.4 , , , , , , 15.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1974 , 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