Dolph Schayes, big man with a guard’s flair, dies at 87

“We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Dolph Schayes, a pioneer and iconic member of the Philadelphia 76ers organization and one of the greatest players ever to play the game of basketball”, Philadelphia 76ers CEO Scott O’Neil said in a statement.

Schayes coached the 76ers for two seasons and won NBA Coach of the Year in the 1965-66 season with a 55-25 record.

After winning NBA rookie of the year honors in 1949, Schayes led the Nationals in scoring for 12 straight seasons and helped lead the team to its lone NBA title in 1955, becoming the first player in NBA history to score 15,000 points. It was there, with the Nationals, that he proved to be a dominant power forward / center.

Schayes played in 996 regular-season games and 97 playoff games.

Schayes, who would later work for the NBA as director of officiating, was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1973 and lived to see his son Danny spend 18 seasons in the NBA. Schayes also paced the National Basketball Association in free throw percentage three times. Only Schayes, Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor and Bob Pettit had career averages of 18-12-3, and only Schayes and Chamberlain did it in a career in which they played at least 900 games. Among his numerous professional accolades, Schayes received six All-NBA First-Team selections, while also earning just as many nominations to the All-NBA Second-Team.

He was named one of the NBA’s 50 greatest players when the league celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1997.

The 6-foot-8 Schayes was a seminal figure in the game. His team took home the gold medal.