Stan Von Nieda--First NBA Player to Live Longer Than 100 Years--Passed Away
Stan Von Nieda--the oldest living NBA player--passed away last Thursday at the age of 101. On June 29, 2022, the NBA Retired Players Association honored Von Nieda with a certificate on his 100th birthday as he became the first centenarian among retired NBA players. That is deserved recognition considering the way that the NBA minimizes or even ignores the accomplishments and legacies of the players who built the foundation for the league's success. The NBA does little to educate the commentators for its radio and TV partners, forcing retired players to fend for themselves when people like J.J. Redick make ignorant statements dismissing yesterday's players as "plumbers and firemen."
It is true that Von Nieda had another job besides playing pro basketball: he served in the 17th Airborne Division and participated in the Battle of the Bulge during World War II.
Von Nieda made the National Basketball League's All-League Second Team in 1949 after ranking ninth in the league in scoring with 641 points (leaders were determined by total points at that time, and point totals were lower in the pre-shot clock era). He also ranked eighth in scoring as a rookie in the 1947-48 season. The NBL merged with the Basketball Association of America (BAA) to form the NBA prior to the 1949-50 season, and Von Nieda played for the Tri-Cities Blackhawks and the Baltimore Bullets in the 1949-50 NBA season.
Von Nieda was known as "Whitey" because of his long, flowing locks of blond hair. After his NBA career, he played four seasons for the Lancaster Red Roses in the Eastern Basketball League before making a cameo one game appearance during the 1977-78 season when he was 55 years old. He played in Penn State alumni basketball games until he was in his mid-60s, and he posted a 27-18 record in three seasons as Elizabethtown College's basketball coach.
Labels: NBA, NBL, Stan Von Nieda
posted by David Friedman @ 12:08 PM
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