Ossie Schechtman Inducted in 1994
Ossie Schectman
Oscar Benjamin "Ossie" Schectman (March 30, 1919 – July 30, 2013) played basketball and baseball while attending Samuel J. Tilden High School in Brooklyn. At Long Island University he played under coach Clair Bee and was a member of the team in 1939 when they won the National Invitation Tournament and National Championship.
After college, he played for the Philadelphia Sphas in the American Basketball League (1941-46), the New York Knicks (1946-47), and the Patterson Crescents (1947-48). Career highlights All-ABL First Team (1948), Consensus second-team All-American (1941), and in 1946 he made history by scoring the first NBA basket.
After college, he played for the Philadelphia Sphas in the American Basketball League (1941-46), the New York Knicks (1946-47), and the Patterson Crescents (1947-48). Career highlights All-ABL First Team (1948), Consensus second-team All-American (1941), and in 1946 he made history by scoring the first NBA basket.