In 1996, for it's 50th anniversary, the NBA came up with a list of its greatest 50 players of all time. Jordan, Bird, etc. You know the names.

But some of the names, you didn't. Say, Dolph Schayes. We heard of his son, Danny, who at the time was winding down a journeyman career. But Dolph? He wasn't exactly a Jordan or a Bird.

Of course, back in 1996 we did not run a website about Jews, so now we know all about Schayes. Dolph (that's short for Adolph(!)) was the prototypical power forward in the 1950s. He was named rookie of the year in 1949, to the All-NBA team six times, once led the league in rebounding, three times — in free throw percentage. And a champion: Schayes took the Syracuse Nationals (the precursor of the Philadelphia 76ers) to the title in 1955. When he retired in 1964, he was not only the NBA's all-time leader in games played, but also in scoring (take that, Jordan and Bird!).

Wow. Just wow. But you want more? Sure you do, who doesn't love reading about Jews excelling in sport! After retiring, Schays went into coaching, and was named the NBA Coach of Year in 1966. In 1973, he made the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Amazing, isn't it? In fact, the sole blemish on Dolph's career was the production of his unremarkable son. But... at least that added another Jew to the NBA all-time roster, didn't it?

Verdict: Jew.

October 27, 2009