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 'Tiny' Nate Archibald driving on Nate Thurmond. HOFer Archibald was a 6x All-Star, won the scoring title once and won an NBA title with the Celtics |  Bill Russell battling Walt Bellamy of the Chicago Packers at the Chicago Amphitheater in 1961. The following year Chicago changed their name to the Zephyrs and moved to the Chicago Coliseum |  Oscar Robertson getting a pick from Abdul-Jabbar on Jerry West. Robertson and Abdul-Jabbar led Milwaukee to the NBA title in 1971 |
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 NC State's David Thompson against UCLA on Dec 15,1973 in St. Louis. UCLA won, handing eventual NCAA champion NC State their only loss that season. In the Final Four semi-final, State defeated UCLA in double overtime to end UCLA's streak of 7 straight championships, and went on to win the championship |  Jerry West was co-captain with Oscar Robertson of the U.S. Olympic team in 1960, that won the Gold. West was selected #2 in the draft behind Robertson |  Artis Gilmore blocking shot by 'Dr J' Julius Erving. Gilmore was drafted in 1971 by the ABA's Kentucky Colonels and the NBA's Chicago Bulls. He signed with Kentucky, where he was the 1972 Rookie of the Year, and won a title with Dan Issel in 1975. In 1976 the ABA disbanded, and the Bulls had the rights to him |
 Bill Walton being introduced in game against NC State in December 1973. Walton played for John Wooden, winning three successive National college player of the year awards (1972–1974), while leading UCLA to NCAA championships in 1972 and 1973 and an 88-game winning streak |  HOF guard Dave Bing was Rookie of the Year in 1967. He was a 7x All-Star and NBA scoring champ in 1968. As a youth he played basketball with Marvin Gaye, and they remained friends. Bing later went into politics and became mayor of Detroit |  Wilt 'The Stilt' Chamberlain is also the only player to average at least 30 points and 20 rebounds per game over the entire course of his NBA career. He is also the only one to score 100 points in a game |
 Walt Bellamy shooting at the Chicago Coliseum with Jerry West looking on during the '62-'63 season. Bellamy played on the Gold Medal USA Olympic team in 1960, which included West, Robertson, Jerry Lucas and Zephyr teammate Terry Dischinger. He was the 1st pick overall in the 1961 draft, and was the Rookie of the Year in 1962. In his 14 year HOF career he battled against the likes of Chamberlain and Russell |  Cincinnati coach Cousy with Norm Van Lier and Tom Van Arsdale |  Meadowlark Lemon was known as the "Clown Prince" of the Harlem Globetrotters. He played with them for 22 years and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |
 NC State's Tom Burleson shooting over UCLA's Bill Walton in December 1973. NC State beat UCLA in the NCAA semi-final the following spring in double-OT, and won the NCAA title. Burleson was selected 3rd overall in the '74 NBA draft, and played for coach Bill Russell in Seattle |  Chet Walker led Bradley to the NIT championship twice. He was a 7x All-Star and a member of the 1966-67 Philadelphia team (including Chamberlain and Hal Greer) that won the NBA championship, ending Boston's 8 year run. Walker was inducted into the HOF by the Veteran's Committee |  Portland coach Lenny Wilkins, with Bill Walton. Wilkins was inducted into the HOF as a player and coach, following John Wooden |
 JET magazine cover from March 1972, with Don's photo of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain |  Batavia native Dan Issel was a 2x All-American at Kentucky and still holds the school records for PPG average. He was the ABA Rookie of the Year in 1971 and won an ABA championship with Artis Gilmore in 1975 |  UCLA coach John Wooden, the "Wizard of Westwood", guided the Bruins to 10 NCAA titles in 12 years. Wooden had been a 3x All-American at Purdue and was the first person to be inducted into the HOF as a player and coach. Only 3 others have done it, including Lenny Wilkins |
 Texas Western and coach Don Haskins in 1967, the year after they won the NCAA championship, upsetting Kentucky with the first all Black starting lineup. The team was inducted into the HOF. You can see the patches on their warmups |  Bob Lanier took St. Bonaventure to the NCAA Final Four in 1970. He was the 1st overall pick in the 1970 draft. The HOFer was an 8x All-Star |  'Dr Dunk' Darnell Hillman was a 2-time ABA champion and winner of the NBA Dunk contest in 1977 |
 Don traveled to South Bend for an article on Austin Carr for JET magazine. Carr holds NCAA tournament records for most points in one game (61 vs. Ohio in 1970), most field goals in one game (25), and most field goals attempted in one game (44). His record scoring average of 50 points per game in seven NCAA playoff games may never be broken. He played in the backcourt with Lenny Wilkins at Cleveland |  EBONY article on Austin Carr, photos by Don |  Ohio State's John Havlicek at Northwestern. With teammates Jerry Lucas and Mel Lowell, they went to the NCAA Final 3 straight years and won in 1960. Havlicek was also an alternate on the 1960 Olympic basketball team that included Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Jerry Lucas and Walt Bellamy |
 'Jumpin' Johnny Green, who set Big Ten rebounding records with Michigan State. His career average is surpassed only by Jerry Lucas. Note the Chicago players have on both Packers and Zephyrs jerseys. The Packers were the Chicago team for '61-'62 season, then they became the Zephyrs for '62-'63. The Zephyrs player is Si Green, the first overall pick in the 1956 draft, ahead of Bill Russell |  Marquette coach Al McGuire won a national championship in 1977, his last season coaching |  David Thompson was the first pick in both the ABA and NBA drafts in 1975. He was the ABA Rookie of the Year in 1976 and finished runner-up to Julius Erving in the first-ever Slam-Dunk Competition, held at the ABA All-Star Game in Denver. Thompson was a 4x NBA All-Star, though his career was shortened due to drug problems. Thompson was elected into the HOF |
 Bill Bradley won a gold medal as a member of the 1964 Olympic basketball team and was the NCAA Player of the Year in 1965, when Princeton finished third in the NCAA Tournament. He played 10 years for the Knicks, winning 2 NBA titles. The HOFer went on to become a U.S. Senator and has written a number of books |  Celtics vs the Chicago Packers at Chicago Coliseum |  'Pistol' Pete Maravich played at LSU for his father, was a 3x All-American and led the NCAA in scoring all 3 years. Maravich was the 3rd pick in the 1970 draft, behind Bob Lanier and Rudy Tomjanovich, just before Dave Cowens. Knee injuries shortened this HOFer's career |
 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar shooting over Wilt Chamberlain with Oscar Robertson and Jerry West looking on |  Jump ball with Walt Bellamy and Wilt Chamberlain |  Bill Walton was the NBA's #1 draft pick in 1975, going to Portland, where he played with Geoff Petrie under player/coach Lenny Wilkins. They beat the 76ers with Dr J in the 1977 Finals for his first championship, winning another with Boston |
 Coach Bob Cousy and "O" Oscar Robertson during the '69-'70 season. After the season, Robertson was traded to Milwaukee, where he teamed with Lew Alcindor to win the NBA title in 1971 |  John Havlicek was drafted by the NBA's Celtics and the NFL's Cleveland Browns. Havlicek tried out with the Browns, but was the last man cut. 'Hondo' was a 13x All-Star and 8x NBA champion, tied for 3rd in most championships. The HOFer is still the Celtics all-time leading scorer |  Moses Malone as a rookie with the Utah Stars, the 1st high schooler to go directly to the pros. |
 Rick Barry, NBA Rookie of the Year in 1966, is the only player to lead the NCAA, ABA and NBA in scoring average in a season. The HOFer is one of four players to be a part of championship teams in both leagues |  Bulls vs Lakers at Chicago Stadium |  A young Oscar Robertson. In the 1960 Olympics, he co-captained the Gold medal team that included Jerry West, Jerry Lucas and Walt Bellamy |
 Tom Boerwinkle shooting over Moses Malone and Billy Cunningham |  Walt Frazier led Southern Illinois to the NIT championship in 1967. He was drafted by the Knicks, where the HOFer was a 7x All-Star and won 2 NBA titles |  Long time DePaul coach Ray Meyer won 724 games in his career. He was inducted into the HOF. For 11 years Meyer coached a team of college all-stars who traveled the country playing the Globetrotters |
 Elgin Baylor was the first pick in the 1958 draft by the Minneapolis Lakers, and he was Rookie of the Year in 1959. He played 14 seasons with the Lakers, many of them with Jerry West. The 11x All-Star and HOFer had knee problems, and retired early in the 1972 season, before the Lakers won the NBA title |  Dave Cowens was co-Rookie of the Year in 1971 with Geoff Petrie. He was NBA MVP in 1973 and played on 2 Celtic championship teams |  Artis Gilmore of the ABA Kentucky Colonels shooting over Billy Paultz, with Rick Barry looking on. Gilmore and Issel won the ABA championship with Kentucky in 1975. Gilmore was a 6x NBA All-Star and elected to the HOF |
 HOF power forward Bob Pettit of the Stl Hawks, the NBA's Rookie of the Year in 1955 and the first NBA MVP in 1956. Don photographed 20 of the first 24 NBA Rookies of the Year, and also the first 28 MVP's (with some players winning several times) |  Bill Russell was an 11x NBA champion and the first Black coach in the NBA (1966). Russell and Frank Robinson attended McClymonds high school and played basketball together |  Cazzie Russell was the College Player of the Year in 1966 at Michigan. He was then the #1 pick overall in the NBA draft by the Knicks, and they beat the Lakers in 1970 to win an NBA title. He finished his career with the Bulls, his hometown |
 Clifford Ray |  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar shooting over Howard Porter and Clifford Ray |  Pistol Pete Maravich |
 Dave Bing, Nate Thurmond, Bob Lanier and Chet Walker |  Jerry Lucas was the 1964 Rookie of the Year with Cincinnati, where he played with Oscar Robertson. He was a 7x All-Star and won an NBA championship with the Knicks in 1973. Lucas was inducted into the HOF in the same class as Robertson and Jerry West |  Mickey Johnson |
 Norm Van Lier |  Julius Erving, "Dr J", is the only person to win an MVP in the ABA and NBA |  Jerry Sloan shooting over Russell at the Chicago Amphitheater |
 Elvin Hayes Houston team beat UCLA in the "Game of the Century" in 1968, the first nationally televised regular season game, with Hayes scoring 39 points. Hayes was drafted #1 overall in 1968, just ahead of Wes Unseld, who he won a championship with in 1978 with the Bullets. The 12x All-Star was inducted into the HOF |  Moses Malone |  Knicks bench |
 Wilt Chamberlain played for the Globetrotters before being drafted by Philadelphia in 1959. He was the Rookie of the Year in 1960. The 13x All-Star and 4x NBA MVP won 2 NBA championships, with Philadelphia and the Lakers |  Rudy Tomjanovich was selected 2nd in the 1970 draft, after Bob Lanier and before Pete Maravich and Dave Cowens. He played 12 years with the San Diego/Houston Rockets and was a 5x All-Star. Tomjanovich later became a coach and led the Rockets to 2 NBA titles, putting him into the HOF as a coach |  Celtics timeout |
 Dan Issel with the Kentucky Colonels of the ABA |  Harlem Globetrotters with Abe Saperstein |  Indiana's Dick (30) and Tom (25) Van Arsdale against Loyola. The twins were both drafted in the 2nd round in 1965 and made the All-Rookie First Team. They both played 12 years. Tom still holds the NBA record for most career games played without a playoff appearance. He played 929 games without making a single playoff appearance. Tom is also the highest scoring player (14,232 career points) in NBA history without a playoff appearance |
 Willis Reed was drafted by the Knicks, where he played his entire career. He was Rookie of the Year in 1965. The HOFer was a 7x All-Star and won 2 NBA titles, being named Finals MVP both times |  Jerry West played 15 years for the Lakers before becoming their coach. The HOFer was a 14x All-Star and won his only NBA title in 1972 with Wilt Chamberlain, when they beat the Knicks |  George Gervin played in the ABA several years before joining the San Antonio Spurs. The 9x All-Star won the NBA scoring title 4 times. He was inducted into the HOF |
 A young Elgin Baylor at the Chicago Coliseum |  Dolph Schayes was drafted by the Knicks in the 1948 BAA draft and by the Tri-Cities Blackhawks in the NBL draft, and won Rookie of the Year in the NBL. In 1949 these 2 leagues merged to form the NBA. Schayes was a 12x All-Star, and won a championship with Syracuse in 1955 (with Johnny Kerr). The HOFer was the first person in the NBA to ever surpass 15,000 points |  SF Warriors bench with Wilt Chamberlain at the Chicago Coliseum |
 Doug Collins played on the 1972 Olympic team in Munich that lost the controversial Gold medal game to Russia. He was drafted first overall in the 1973 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. He played eight seasons for Philadelphia, and was an NBA All-Star four times. In the 1976–77 season, he joined Julius Erving leading the Sixers to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Portland Trail Blazers. Injuries shortened his career. He later became an NBA coach and then a broadcaster |  HOF player and coach Tommy Heinsohn, who was Rookie of the Year in '57, beating out teammate Bill Russell. He played on 8 championship Celtic teams and won 2 as a coach. He was also the 2nd president of the NBA Players Association, and led a strike in 1964 which resulted in a players pension plan |  Celtics coach Red Auerbach at the Chicago Amphitheater |
 Marquette coaches Hank Raymonds and Al McGuire |  UCLA's Bill Walton blocking a shot against Loyola |  Bob Cousy at the Chicago Coliseum |
 Bob Love |  Bob McAdoo played with Bobby Jones at North Carolina when the went to the NCAA Final Four, then he joined the NBA draft as a hardship case. He was the Rookie of the Year in 1973. He was a 5x All-Star, won 3 scoring titles, was NBA MVP in 1975, and eventually won 2 NBA titles with the Lakers. The HOFer also was an assistant coach for 3 Miami Heat championships |  Charlie Scott was another great player from the North Carolina program. He was drafted by the Celtics in the 7th round of the 1970 draft, but signed with the Virginia Squires of the ABA. He won the Rookie of the Year. Later he went to Phoenix of the NBA and was an All-Star 3 straight years. The HOFer was traded to Boston for Paul Westphal and won an NBA title with the Celtics in 1976 |
 Bobby Jones was a defensive standout and 8x All-Defensive First team. His 76ers won the title in 1983, when he won the first 'Sixth Man' award. Jones was a member of the 1972 Olympic team that lost the controversial Gold medal game against the Russians, along with Doug Collins and Tom Burleson |  EBONY article on pro basketball, photos by Don |  Bob Pettit shooting over Walt Bellamy at the Chicago Coliseum. Pettit was an 11x All-Star and 2x MVP. Both were HOFers |
 Cazzie Russell against Northwestern |  Dave DeBusshere was a HOF player and coach. In 1962 he signed to pitch in the Majors for the White Sox, one of a very few including Dick Groat, to accomplish this |  At NC State, with Tom Burleson, David Thompson led the Tar Heels to an undefeated season in 1973, though they were banned from post-season play. In the 1973-74 season they were 30-1, beating UCLA in double-OT in the semifinal, before winning the NCAA championship. His vertical leap gave him the nickname 'Skywalker' |
 Wilt Chamberlain dunking with the Zephyrs Si Green (1st pick overall in the '56 draft) and Terry Dischinger ('63 Rookie of the Year) looking on |  Gail Goodrich played on UCLA's first 2 NCAA championship teams, scoring 42 points in the 1965 Final to beat Michigan with Cazzie Russell and Bill Buntin |  Michigan's Bill Buntin and Cazzie Russell won 2 Big 10 titles together and went to the Final Four in 1965, where they were upset by John Wooden's UCLA team, with Gail Goodrich scoring 42 points. It was the first of UCLA's 11 National championships. Sadly, Buntin died of a heart attack at 26 |
 SPORT article of March 1965 on Cazzie Russell and Bill Buntin, photos by Don |  Earl 'The Pearl' Monroe tried out for the 1967 Pan Am Games team but didn't make it (as with Elvin Hayes). Monroe was drafted 2nd overall in the 1967 NBA draft and won Rookie of the Year honors. The HOFer was a 4x All-Star and won a championship with the 1973 Knicks |  Lenny Wilkins has been inducted into the HOF 3x - as a player, coach and member of the 1992 Olympic Dream Team. He has coached the most games in NBA history, and is 3rd in wins |
 Nate Archibald with coach Bob Cousy |  Cincinnati teammates Jerry Lucas and Oscar Robertson at the Chicago Amphitheater against the Bullets |  Sam Jones played his entire career with Boston and was part of 10 championships. A great shooter, he was inducted into the HOF in 2006. Here he is with Bill Russell at the Chicago Coliseum against the Zephyrs in 1962 |
 George McGinnis signed with the ABA's Indianapolis Pacers in 1971 and helped them win the championship his first 2 years. He later went to the NBA's 76ers and played with Julius Erving, losing the 1977 NBA Finals to Portland with Bill Walton and Maurice Lucas. McGinnis was a 3x NBA All-Star and was inducted into the HOF |  Nate Thurmond was a great defender and 7x All-Star. Drafted by San Francisco, he played with Chamberlain until Wilt was traded to the 76ers. In the 1967 NBA Finals, the Warriors lost to Wilt and the 76ers. In his debut as a Bull, Thurmond recorded 22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists and 12 blocked shots, becoming the first player in NBA history to officially record a quadruple-double |  Scott May was the leader of the undefeated 1975-76 Indiana Univ team that won the NCAA title, with May being named Player of the Year. He also won a Gold medal in the Olympics. May was drafted 2nd overall in the 1976 draft by the Bulls, where he made the All-Rookie First Team |
 Wilt Chamberlain during warmups |  KC Jones played college basketball at USF and, along with Bill Russell, led the Dons to two NCAA championships in 1955 and 1956. Jones also played with Russell on the United States team which won the gold medal at the 1956 Olympic Games. Jones spent all of his 9 seasons with the Celtics, being part of eight championship teams. The HOFer is one of only 7 people to win an NCAA title, NBA title and Olympic Gold |  Darryl Dawkins, "Chocolate Thunder", was known for his backboard shattering dunks, which led to the breakaway rims. He played in 3 NBA Finals with the 76ers. After retirement, he played several years for the Globetrotters |
 Bill Russell was recruited by only one school, the Univ of San Francisco (USF). Coach Phil Woolpert stressed defense, which fit Russell. Russell and teammate KC Jones won 2 NCAA championships, in 1955 and 1956. In the 1956 Olympics in Australia, both were part of the Gold medal team. Winning an NBA title with the Celtics gave both men the 'Triple Crown' (NCAA, Olympic and NBA titles), which only 7 men have achieved |  KC Jones coached for many years after retiring. He was head coach of Boston for 5 years, guiding 2 Larry Bird teams to the NBA title. He was also an assistant coach on 2 championship teams, one with Boston and another with the 1972 Lakers |  Satch Sanders played his entire career with Boston, and is 3rd all-time for most NBA championships, tied with Celtic teammates Tom Heinsohn, John Havlicek and KC Jones. They trail Bill Russell and Sam Jones. After retiring, Sanders became the head coach at Harvard in 1973, becoming the first Black to serve as a head coach of any sport in the Ivy League |
 Paul Westphal won an NBA title with Boston, and went to the Finals with Phoenix in 1977, losing to the Celtics. He was a 5x All-Star and HOFer. He later went on to coach at the college and pro levels |  Geoff Petrie attended Princeton, like Bill Bradley, and led the Ivy League in scoring in 1969, when they made the NCAA Tournament. Drafted by Portland, he was co-Rookie of the Year in 1971 with Dave Cowens |  After going to the NCAA Final Four with Illinois, Johnny Kerr was drafted by the Syracuse Nationals, where he spent most of his career. Playing with HOFer Dolph Schayes, they won the NBA title in 1955, his first year. Kerr coached the Chicago Bulls in their 1966 inaugural season, where, despite a losing record, they went to the playoffs and Kerr was named Coach of the Year. Kerr is best known as a Bulls broadcaster, covering them during the Jordan era |
 Curly Neal played 22 years as a Harlem Globetrotter. Neal was just the fifth Globetrotter in the team's 82-year history to have his number retired, joining Wilt Chamberlain, Meadowlark Lemon, Marques Haynes and Goose Tatum |  Jerry Lucas was the top HS player in Ohio. His team lost one game in 3 years, ending a 76 game win streak. Some games drew 10,000+ fans. He broke Chamberlain's record for total points in HS. At Ohio State, with teammates John Havlicek and Mel Lowell, they went to the NCAA Final 3 straight years and won in 1960. Lucas was also on the 1960 Olympic basketball team that included Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, John Havlicek and Walt Bellamy |  Lew Alcindor won 71 straight games and 3 championships at Power Memorial HS. At UCLA, he was a member of 3 NCAA championship teams and twice named College Player of the Year |
 Dave Cowens |  1975 Ebony issue with Dr J |  A 2x All-American at Duquesne, Sihugo 'Si' Green was the 1st overall pick in the 1956 NBA draft, just ahead of Bill Russell. In 1955 at Duquesne he played with Dick Ricketts when they won the NIT. Ricketts was the 1st pick in the 1955 draft. Green played 9 seasons, several with the Chicago Packers/Zephyrs. His last stop was with the Boston Celtics and Bill Russell |
 Bob Verga, an All-American at Duke, played in both the ABA and NBA |  Hal Greer |  Connie Hawkins played several years for the Harlem Globetrotters, and then joined the ABA in their inaugural season (1967). He led Pittsburgh to the title while being the scoring leader and MVP that season. He went to the NBA, where he was a 4x All-Star and inducted into the HOF |
 Wes Unseld was selected 2nd in the 1968 draft, behind Elvin Hayes, and was the Rookie of the Year. The HOFer played his entire 13 year career for the Bullets, winning an NBA title in 1978 with Elvin Hayes |  Cincinnati's bench with (right to left) Jerry Lucas, Wayne Embry, Oscar Robertson and Jack Twyman |  Sam Lacy |
 Chicagoan Cazzie Russell, in his last NBA season, with the Bulls |  Mel Nowell was the #2 high school player in Ohio, behind Jerry Lucas. He went to Ohio State, along with Lucas, John Havlicek and Bobby Knight. The Buckeyes made 3 straight NCAA championship appearances, winning the title in 1960. He was drafted by the Chicago Zephyrs and later played in the ABA |  Lucius Allen drives between Elgin Baylor and Jerry West |
 Clyde Lovelette won an NCAA championship in 1952, being named MVP. Later that year he played on the Olympic team that beat Russia for the Gold. When Lovelette's Minneapolis Lakers beat Syracuse for the NBA title in 1954, that gave him the 'Triple Crown', which only 7 people have achieved. When Lovelette joined Bill Russell and KC Jones on the Celtics to win 2 more NBA titles, all 3 were members of this elite group. Don has photographed 4 of the 7 achieving this honor, with Jerry Lucas | Coach Red Auerbach |  Norm Van Lier driving past the Knicks and Walt Frazier |
Don Sparks Photography
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