Al Bianchi

Alfred A. Bianchi (March 26, 1932 – October 28, 2019) was an American professional basketball player, coach, general manager, consultant, and scout.

Al Bianchi
Personal information
Born(1932-03-26)March 26, 1932
New York City, U.S.
DiedOctober 28, 2019(2019-10-28) (aged 87)
Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High schoolLong Island City
(Long Island City, New York)
CollegeBowling Green (1951–1954)
NBA draft1954: 2nd round, 18th overall pick
Selected by the Minneapolis Lakers
Playing career1956–1966
PositionGuard
Number16, 24
Career history
As player:
1956–1966Syracuse Nationals / Philadelphia 76ers
As coach:
1967–1969Seattle SuperSonics
1969–1970Washington Caps
1970–1975Virginia Squires
Career highlights and awards
As player:
  • First-team All-MAC (1954)

As coach:

Career statistics
Points5,550 (8.1 ppg)
Rebounds1,722 (2.5 rpg)
Assists1,497 (2.2 apg)
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Early years

Nicknamed "Blinky", he attended P.S. 4 elementary school and graduated from Long Island City High School in 1950. A 1954 graduate of Bowling Green State University, he was voted to the "All-Ohio Team" and received honorable mention as a basketball All-American. He served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps from 1954 to 1956.

Professional playing career

Starting in 1956, Bianchi played for the Syracuse Nationals of the NBA. He moved with the team to Philadelphia when it became the 76ers for the 1963–64 season. He was one of the last proponents in the NBA of the two-handed set shot.

Coaching career

On May 1, 1966, Bianchi was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the NBA expansion draft but never played in a game for them and retired as a player. He then became assistant coach under former teammate Johnny "Red" Kerr, head coach of the Bulls. After a year in Chicago, he was hired as head coach of the expansion team Seattle SuperSonics, compiling a 53–111 record for the new NBA franchise.[1]

He then became coach and general manager of the Washington Caps/Virginia Squires of the American Basketball Association from 1969 through 1975. In 1971, he won ABA Coach of the Year honors for guiding the Squires to the ABA's Eastern Division championship with a record of 55–29 (.655). The Squires then lost to the New York Nets in the Eastern Division finals, and the Indiana Pacers defeated the Nets in the ABA Finals. He finished his coaching career with a 283–392 record.[2]

Front office

In 1976, he re-entered the NBA to work for head coach John MacLeod as assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns, from 1976–1987, a tenure highlighted by the Suns' legendary triple-overtime loss to the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the NBA finals, won by the Celtics 4 games to 2.[1]

He then moved to the front office as general manager for the New York Knicks from 1987 to 1991. Returning to Phoenix in 1991, he scouted college players for the Suns. In 2004, he became a consultant-scout for the Golden State Warriors, where he stayed through the 2008–09 season.

In September 2007, he was inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame as a player, by the New York City Athletic Club.

Bianchi lived and worked as a consultant in Phoenix.

He was inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame at the 11th Annual Ceremony on May 21, 2016 in Columbus.

Death

Bianchi died on October 28, 2019 in Phoenix, Arizona from congestive heart failure at the age of 87.[1]

See also

References
  1. Goldstein, Richard (October 29, 2019), "Al Bianchi, Pro Basketball Coach and Knicks G.M., Dies at 87", The New York Times
  2. Bondy, Stephen (October 28, 2019). "Former Knicks GM Al Bianchi dies at 87". New York Daily News. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
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