Man Who Scored First Basket in NBA History Dead at 94
Published at
Thomas Northcut/Digital Vision(NEW YORK) — The man who scored the first ever basket in the league that preceeded the National Basketball Association died on Tuesday at the age of 94.
Benjamin “Ossie” Schectman was an All-American college basketball player at Long Island University in Brooklyn. He led the LIU Blackbirds to National Invitation Tournament championships in 1939 and 1941. He was named a first-team All American in 1941.
Schectman was an original New York Knick, signing with the team in 1946, before the Basketball Association of America and the National Basketball League merged to form the NBA. On November 1, 1946, Schectman scored the opening basket in the BAA’s inaugural game between the Knicks and the Toronto Huskies.
Schectman played just one season with the Knicks.
Video of Schectman’s historic basket can be seen here.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio