In the Top 15 of the most emblematic Suns players, Dick Van Arsdale died this Monday at the age of 81, announces the franchise. The cause of his death has not been communicated by the family.
In twelve years in the NBA, shared between New York and Phoenix, this former guard will have compiled 16.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists on average (46% shooting and 79% free throws).
A triple All-Star (in 1969, 1970 and 1971), he had the distinction of having a twin brother, Tom (the cursed spring), with whom he also played in Arizona for a year.
Former leading scorer in Suns history
Dick Van Arsdale therefore experienced the finest hours of his career with the Suns, reaching no more and no less than the Finals in 1976, then retiring in 1977 as the best scorer in the history of the franchise (five players 'have since exceeded). A franchise where he would later serve as a commentator and manager.
Note that the man nicknamed “The Original Sun” or “The Flying Dutchman”, for his Dutch ancestry, is none other than the first player chosen by Phoenix during the 1968 expansion draft. After three years with the Knicks, he was thus propelled as the headliner of this young team alongside a future Hall of FamerGail Goodrich. Becoming, moreover, the very first to score points for the franchise.
