Sports Pioneer. A New York Knicks' guard, he is remembered for scoring the first basket in NBA history. Born Oscar Benjamin Schectman to Russian immigrants, he attended Brooklyn's Samuel J. Tilden High School then played for the legendary Coach Clair Bee at Long Island University (LIU). Schectman helped lead the Blackbirds to the 1939 NIT Championship then repeated the feat in 1941, in the process earning Converse All-American honors. After graduation he played for the Philadelphia Spahas, a barnstorming squad in the American Basketball League (ABL), then joined the New York Knicks at the founding of the NBA. On November 1, 1946 in a game against the Toronto Huskies played at Maple Leaf Gardens he scored a lay-up for the first points in league history. The team captain, he scored 11 points that night and finished the season with and 8.1 points-per-game average. Following a single campaign he spent a year with the Paterson Crescents of the ABL then had a long career in the garment industry. Schectman retired to South Florida for a time but returned to the New York City suburbs in his final years. Featured in various documentaries, he was named to the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1998, to the LIU Hall of Fame in 2001, and later was inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame. He died of respiratory problems complicated by advanced age.
Sports Pioneer. A New York Knicks' guard, he is remembered for scoring the first basket in NBA history. Born Oscar Benjamin Schectman to Russian immigrants, he attended Brooklyn's Samuel J. Tilden High School then played for the legendary Coach Clair Bee at Long Island University (LIU). Schectman helped lead the Blackbirds to the 1939 NIT Championship then repeated the feat in 1941, in the process earning Converse All-American honors. After graduation he played for the Philadelphia Spahas, a barnstorming squad in the American Basketball League (ABL), then joined the New York Knicks at the founding of the NBA. On November 1, 1946 in a game against the Toronto Huskies played at Maple Leaf Gardens he scored a lay-up for the first points in league history. The team captain, he scored 11 points that night and finished the season with and 8.1 points-per-game average. Following a single campaign he spent a year with the Paterson Crescents of the ABL then had a long career in the garment industry. Schectman retired to South Florida for a time but returned to the New York City suburbs in his final years. Featured in various documentaries, he was named to the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1998, to the LIU Hall of Fame in 2001, and later was inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame. He died of respiratory problems complicated by advanced age.
Bio by: Bob Hufford
Inscription
SCHECTMAN
EVELYN OSCAR B.
BELOVED WIFE BELOVED HUSBAND
MOTHER FATHER
GRANDMOTHER GRANDFATHER
MAY 31, 1921 MAY 30, 1919
NOV. 16 2011 JULY 30, 2013
Family Members
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