A page in NBA history was turned Wednesday after the announced death of Stanley Von Nieda.
The latter had been listed as the oldest player in the history of the NBA, and had even received a certificate from the Association of Retired NBA Players, recognizing that he was the first player in the history of the NBA to reach 100 years, celebrated on June 19, 2022. He finally died a little over a year later.
Before playing in the NBL and then the NBA, the nickname “Whitey” took part in the Second World War, following a paratrooper school to join the 17th airborne division and participate in the Battle of the Bulge.
He then returned to his country and his passion, playing first in the NBL, with the Atlanta Tri-cities Blackhawks, then in the NBA, with the Baltimore Bullets, during the 1949 merger with the Basketball Association of America, founded in 1946 It was because of an eye injury that he had to end his career prematurely, which did not prevent him from working on the bench afterwards, notably at the University of Elisabethtown, at home in Pennsylvania.
