Knicks Champ Still Recognized Over 50 Years Later

It's been 52 years since the New York Knicks last hoisted the Larry O'Brien Trophy as NBA champions.

A big part of that team was forward Dave DeBusschere, who played the final six seasons of his career with the Knicks, winning two titles in 1970 and 1973.

DeBusschere retired in 1974, but he is still viewed as one of the top 100 players in NBA history. According to Bleacher Report, DeBusschere is the 95th-best NBA player of all-time.

"Dave DeBusschere is best known for the two championships he won as a dirty-work extraordinaire with the New York Knicks. But he was a gritty-as-hell standout long before he came to The Big Apple," Bleacher Report wrote.

"DeBusschere nabbed three All-Star appearances with his hometown Detroit Pistons before swapping teams."

"While he was an underrated scorer at times, the career forward was light-years ahead of the undersized revolution. At 6’6”, he spent a lion’s share of his time operating from the 4 spot, and he’s one of just seven players to average more than 10 rebounds per game while standing shorter than 6’7”."

A year after the Knicks won their final championship in 1973, DeBusschere retired at the age of 34. Players like DeBusschere don't retire that early in their careers, but things were very different 50 years ago. DeBusschere averaged 18.1 points per game in his final season, which marked the best scoring year for him since arriving in New York.

He averaged a double-double in his final 11 seasons in the league, proving to be one of the league's top rebounders.

DeBusschere may have had more in the tank, but he chose to transition into a front office role after his playing career. He joined the New York Nets in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and became the league's commissioner in the 1975-76 season, the final year of its existence.

The ABA merged with the NBA the following season and DeBusschere eventually rejoined the Knicks front office. His No. 22 was retired by the organization and it remains hanging in the rafters of Madison Square Garden.