Danny Schayes
 Schayes in 1993 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 10, 1959 Syracuse, New York, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
| Listed weight | 235 lb (107 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Jamesville-DeWitt (DeWitt, New York) |
| College | Syracuse (1977–1981) |
| NBA draft | 1981: 1st round, 13th overall pick |
| Selected by the Utah Jazz | |
| Playing career | 1981–1999 |
| Position | Center |
| Number | 24, 34, 10, 26 |
| Career history | |
| 1981–1983 | Utah Jazz |
| 1983–1990 | Denver Nuggets |
| 1990–1994 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 1994 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1994–1995 | Phoenix Suns |
| 1995–1996 | Miami Heat |
| 1996–1999 | Orlando Magic |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 8,780 (7.7 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 5,671 (5.0 rpg) |
| Blocks/Assists | 840 (0.7 bpg)/1299 (1.1 apg) |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Medals | |
Daniel Leslie Schayes (born May 10, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player who played for Syracuse University and played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), from 1981 until 1999. At 6' 11" and 235 pounds, he played at center. He is the son of the late Dolph Schayes, who was selected for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Since his retirement from the NBA, Schayes has served as co-host of Centers of Attention, a sports talk show on ESPN Radio Syracuse in Syracuse, New York. His co-host is Etan Thomas, also a retired American professional basketball player.
Early life
[edit]Schayes was born into a Jewish family in Syracuse, New York, the son of Naomi Eva (née Gross) and Dolph Schayes, who played professional basketball and was inducted in the Hall of Fame.[1] His father's parents were born in Romania, and immigrated to the United States.[2]
Schayes grew up in DeWitt, New York.[3] He is an alum of Jamesville-Dewitt High School, where he scored 1,012 points for the basketball team. The team won the Onondaga League North title in 1977.[4]
Schayes played on the US basketball team that won a gold medal at the 1977 Maccabiah Games in Tel Aviv, Israel; he also played for Team USA at the 1981 Maccabiah Games, which won a gold medal. He served as Head Coach of Team USA in basketball at the 2013 Maccabiah Games, which won another gold medal.[5][6]
College
[edit]During his senior year at Syracuse University, the first year in which he started for the team,[3] Schayes averaged nearly 14.6 points and 8.3 rebounds a game, and compiled 284 rebounds.[3] He was named to the 1981 All-Big East first team and was both an All-American and an Academic All-American. He holds the record at the Carrier Dome for rebounds in a game (23).[5]
Professional career
[edit]He was selected in the first round[3] with the 13th overall pick by the Utah Jazz in the 1981 NBA draft out of Syracuse University. Schayes was the second center to be drafted that year, with Steve Johnson of Oregon State being the first.[3]
After spending two seasons with the Jazz, he played for several different teams, notably with the Denver Nuggets, in which he spent his best years. The highlight of his NBA career was his performance in the 1987–88 season with the Nuggets when he averaged 13.9 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. In the playoffs that season he averaged 16.4 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. He was 4th in the NBA with a .640 true shooting percentage.
He retired after the NBA lockout-shortened 1999 season, after averaging 1.5 points in an injury-plagued 19-game stint with the Orlando Magic. Schayes was briefly a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves after signing as a free agent before the start of the 1999–00 season. However, he made no appearances for them due to his injuries, and was waived.[7] He had an 18-year career in the NBA, in which he averaged 7.7 points and 5.0 rebounds in 1,138 games.[3]
NBA career statistics
[edit]| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Regular season
[edit]| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981-82 | Utah | 82 | 20 | 19.8 | .481 | .000 | .757 | 5.2 | 1.8 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 7.9 |
| 1982-83 | Utah | 50 | 50 | 32.8 | .449 | .000 | .805 | 9.0 | 3.3 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 12.4 |
| 1982-83 | Denver | 32 | 0 | 20.2 | .472 | .000 | .710 | 5.8 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 9.2 |
| 1983-84 | Denver | 82 | 15 | 17.3 | .493 | .000 | .790 | 5.3 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 7.1 |
| 1984-85 | Denver | 56 | 0 | 9.7 | .465 | .000 | .814 | 2.6 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 3.6 |
| 1985-86 | Denver | 80 | 13 | 20.7 | .502 | .000 | .777 | 5.5 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 8.2 |
| 1986-87 | Denver | 76 | 41 | 20.5 | .519 | .000 | .779 | 5.0 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 8.5 |
| 1987-88 | Denver | 81 | 74 | 26.7 | .540 | .000 | .836 | 8.2 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 13.9 |
| 1988-89 | Denver | 76 | 64 | 25.2 | .522 | .333 | .826 | 6.6 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 12.8 |
| 1989-90 | Denver | 53 | 22 | 22.5 | .494 | .000 | .852 | 6.5 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 10.4 |
| 1990-91 | Milwaukee | 82 | 38 | 27.2 | .499 | .000 | .835 | 6.5 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 10.8 |
| 1991-92 | Milwaukee | 43 | 4 | 16.9 | .417 | .000 | .771 | 3.9 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 5.6 |
| 1992-93 | Milwaukee | 70 | 7 | 16.1 | .399 | .000 | .818 | 3.6 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 4.6 |
| 1993-94 | Milwaukee | 23 | 6 | 10.0 | .304 | .000 | .955 | 2.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 2.1 |
| 1993-94 | L.A. Lakers | 13 | 0 | 10.2 | .368 | .000 | .800 | 2.6 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 2.8 |
| 1994-95 | Phoenix | 69 | 27 | 11.9 | .508 | 1.000 | .725 | 3.0 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 4.4 |
| 1995-96 | Miami | 32 | 6 | 12.5 | .340 | .000 | .804 | 2.8 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 3.2 |
| 1996-97 | Orlando | 45 | 6 | 12.0 | .392 | .000 | .750 | 2.8 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 3.0 |
| 1997-98 | Orlando | 74 | 33 | 17.2 | .418 | .000 | .807 | 3.3 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 5.5 |
| 1998-99 | Orlando | 19 | 1 | 7.5 | .379 | .000 | .750 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 1.5 |
| Career | 1138 | 427 | 19.3 | .481 | .133 | .806 | 5.0 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 7.7 | |
Playoffs
[edit]| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Denver | 8 | 0 | 20.4 | .488 | .000 | .1000 | 5.0 | 1.8 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 7.1 |
| 1984 | Denver | 5 | 0 | 16.2 | .611 | .000 | .750 | 4.8 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 5.6 |
| 1985 | Denver | 9 | 0 | 13.1 | .423 | .000 | .700 | 3.3 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 4.0 |
| 1986 | Denver | 10 | 6 | 29.5 | .535 | .000 | .800 | 8.2 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 1.7 | 11.6 |
| 1987 | Denver | 3 | 0 | 25.0 | .706 | .000 | .667 | 5.7 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 10.0 |
| 1988 | Denver | 11 | 11 | 28.5 | .625 | .000 | .843 | 7.2 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 16.4 |
| 1989 | Denver | 2 | 0 | 18.0 | .143 | .000 | .750 | 5.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 4.0 |
| 1991 | Milwaukee | 3 | 3 | 23.7 | .391 | .000 | .909 | 4.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 9.3 |
| 1995 | Phoenix | 10 | 0 | 14.6 | .379 | .000 | .875 | 2.0 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 2.9 |
| 1996 | Miami | 2 | 0 | 8.5 | .750 | .000 | .500 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.5 |
| 1997 | Orlando | 5 | 2 | 18.4 | .391 | .000 | .500 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 4.4 |
| 1999 | Orlando | 1 | 0 | 8.0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Career | 69 | 22 | 20.5 | .518 | .000 | .823 | 4.8 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 7.8 | |
Halls of Fame and awards
[edit]In 1989, he was inducted into the Jamesville-Dewitt High School athletic Hall of Fame. and the school retired his jersey number.[4] Schayes was named "Best male athlete to hail from CNY" by the Post Standard in 2000. He was also added to the Syracuse University All-Century Basketball team and Hall of Fame.[4] Schayes is also a member of the New York Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.[5]
Personal life
[edit]Schayes is married to Wendy Lucero-Schayes, a former Olympic diver.[8][9] He currently runs No Limits Investing in Phoenix, Arizona, where he now lives.[10][11][12]
Schayes was part of a promotional campaign put on by the Anti-Defamation League that depicts him slam dunking and says, "If you believe in America, prejudice is foul play!"[13]
While attending Syracuse University, Schayes co-founded the United Students Financial Board, which gathered more than 200 members in its inaugural year.
Since retiring from basketball, Schayes has been an active supporter of the Jewish Democratic Council of America and has spoken at numerous events, including a rally for 2004 presidential candidate John Kerry in Omaha, Nebraska.
See also
[edit]- List of NBA career personal fouls leaders
- List of select Jewish basketball players
- List of oldest and youngest NBA players
References
[edit]- ^ Markoe, A. (2001). The Scribner encyclopedia of American lives Sports figures. Vol. 2. C. Scribner's Sons. ISBN 9780684312248. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
- ^ Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sports Figures. Page 338. ISBN 0-684-31225-5
- ^ a b c d e f Slices of Orange: Great Games and Performers in Syracuse University Sports ... - Sal Maiorana, Scott Pitoniak
- ^ a b c "Dan Schayes". Syracusehalloffame.com. Archived from the original on February 19, 2014. Retrieved January 11, 2011.
- ^ a b c "Schayes, Danny". Jews in Sports. Retrieved January 11, 2011.
- ^ "Danny Schayes Appointed As A Member of the Basketball Staff For The 2018 International Maccabi Youth Games" – Maccabi USA
- ^ "Timberwolves: Roster 1999–2000". NBA.com. Archived from the original on January 11, 2013. Retrieved January 11, 2011.
- ^ Swimming World and Junior Swimmer – Google Books
- ^ "Schayes Jersey Retirement Highlights Sixers Jewish Heritage Night" - Jewish Exponent
- ^ Write Like this: Teaching Real-world Writing Through Modeling & Mentor Texts - Kelly Gallagher
- ^ "Life Of Reilly"
- ^ Schayes Jersey Retirement Highlights Sixers Jewish Heritage Night – Jewish Exponent
- ^ "CNN contributor jumps to conclusions and is left eating crow"
External links
[edit]- 1959 births
- Living people
- American men's basketball players
- American people of Romanian-Jewish descent
- Basketball players from Syracuse, New York
- Centers (basketball)
- Denver Nuggets players
- Jewish American basketball players
- Los Angeles Lakers players
- Maccabiah Games basketball players for the United States
- Maccabiah Games gold medalists for the United States
- Maccabiah Games medalists in basketball
- Competitors at the 1977 Maccabiah Games
- Competitors at the 1981 Maccabiah Games
- Miami Heat players
- Milwaukee Bucks players
- Orlando Magic players
- People from DeWitt, New York
- Sportspeople from Onondaga County, New York
- Phoenix Suns players
- Syracuse Orange men's basketball players
- Utah Jazz draft picks
- Utah Jazz players
- 21st-century American Jews
- Jews from New York (state)