New York Knicks' Legend Dave DeBusschere | New York Knicks

We're paying tribute to the 1970 Knicks championship with a look back at the incredible journey of one of their star power forward's Dave DeBusschere.
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The Incredible Life of Knicks' Legend Dave Debusschere | New York Knicks

[@leroywoodside2698]

Someone asked me, “How can you be a Knicks fan?” I was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1961. Have you lost your mind? There is no team in the history of the NBA that typifies “The Team” more, but the New York Knicks. ❤ Thank You New York

[@winnhill3736]

I am a Mississippiian and was a Huge knicks fan in the 70's.

[@matthewmehegan3475]

My father saw him play in high school and said it was like a man against boys. He and Willis Reed were my childhood heroes. Both gone too soon. 😢

[@Amick44]

And when they both left the Knicks, NY was thoroughly mediocre for years. Frazier and Monroe provided what they could, but frontcourt power was Gone.

[@pawelgorniak8550]

Dave guarded Wilt. Nuff said

[@user-iv9er3nr6z]

​@@pawelgorniak8550wilt ateup Dave debusschere, talking about nba finals game 1970s now wilt score 45 points & nate bowman wilt ateup nate bowman too

[@pawelgorniak8550]

@@user-iv9er3nr6z who didn't Wilt eat up? Even Russell had a hard time with him

[@user-iv9er3nr6z]

@@pawelgorniak8550 Dave debusschere wasn't a center so wilt had to take advantage of Dave debusschere, ❤️ Dave debusschere Dave debusschere is a university of Detroit alumni & basketball legend at university of detroit, anyway I think Alex bowman ny knick backup.centrr to injuries of willis reed, 1969 nba final. Bill Russell outplay wilt, wilt should've eaten up 35 years old bill russell& Boston Celtics with few 30ppints games

[@michaelwilks6268]

The Debusscher was a bad, bad, bad man that's all that needs to be said!!!!! And those Knicks was one of the greatest teams that was ever formed. Like Stevie Wonder said I wish those days could come back once more because I love them so 😙.

[@stupaul3233]

Although a nice man off of the court! He is missed and remembered and always will be!

[@buschdogg]

This is kind of cool... I’m in Burbank working on a very cool project for MSG studios and they release a documentary on my cousin (Dave) while I’m here? Great job, guys!! DeBusschere - approved.

[@petermaguire1939]

A great player on the Knicks long gone but loved

[@kenneth7826]

Dave was awesome..the missing piece..long live the legion of Dave debusshere ..rest in peace.... L

[@lloydkline1518]

❤ davd debusshere : &: pride of university of detroit

[@kenneth7826]

@@lloydkline1518 agree with yoy..Dave was great..we lost him too soon....

[@lloydkline1518]

@@kenneth7826 dave busshere was a metro detroit celiberty : 1950s/ 1960/ 1970s:;; basketball&baseball

[@kenneth7826]

@@lloydkline1518 yes i saw him pitch with the chicago white sox

[@lloydkline1518]

@@kenneth7826 wow: university of detroit used to have a bsseball team

[@InterviewInterrogations]

A great video about a tremendous athlete, teammate, and businessman. An all around champion. I remember loving those Knicks teams.

[@santaclause3487]

Crazy he was a player coach at the age of 25

[@dimedropperpod]

Amazing amazing amazing video. Dave is truly a legend, one of the 10 best PF's to ever play the game. Could stretch the floor, bang on the inside, played hard on both ends and had great basketball instincts

[@flyaway7636]

Agreed, developed my love for basketball watching this Knicks team. I often thought Kevin McHale of the Celtics had the same kind of commitment to the game as Dave DeBusschere. What a player Dave was.

[@dimedropperpod]

@@flyaway7636 💯

[@robertcgordon]

@@flyaway7636 a whole generation of NYers learned the game the right way thanks to Holzman and the most intelligent group of unselfish players. Such classic rivalries w Celts, Bullets, Lakers, and Bucks. Debusschere really fit, unleashed Willis and Clyde too.

[@Amick44]

Simply, a ballplayer. Did everything, contributed in all areas.

[@evansanchez8722]

Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, Giannis, Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, Kevin McHale, Dennis Rodman, Elvin Hayes, Bob Pettit are all better but he was still a phenomenal player

[@visualizecreate2530]

When the Knicks won those championships I was very young but I remember having confidence that when DB took a jump shot he would score. #RIP

[@michaelwoodward9894]

Blood and guts mixed with COOL

[@cassidypaige6078]

DEBUSSCHERE ✨ That’s my cousin! 1️⃣

[@manny4552]

Nice

[@michaeltootikian4402]

Great athlete intelligent great player with the Knicks

[@elspag8865]

I grew up and lived in NYC and have followed northeast college basketball since the mid- 1960s. I watched a few Gonzaga games recently and was struck by how much Corey Kispert's style of play reminded me of Dave DeBusschere's, which led me to this great tribute video. Fabulous job of memorializing Dave's career and life. He remains a giant in the hearts of NY basketball fans as a player and a rock-solid, unpretentious hero. Big thumbs up to everyone who participated in this production! My personal observation is that when I returned from college to my first grown-up NYC job in 1969, the Mets, the Jets and the Knicks championships made NYC a Sports Heaven during 1969-1970. A great media market with legendary teams, athletes, newspaper observers and personalities. (Tom Terrific, Broadway Joe, "Clyde", etc.) I hope every city and town can experience something like this at some time in their history.

[@Gnofg]

Kispert is a guard and defense is hardly his calling card. I don't think his game is similar at all.

[@elspag8865]

​@@Gnofg True now but he was a forward at Gonzaga. So hard to compare players from different eras but watch the way he plays now with limited minutes and in the future . Height and weight very similar with DeBusschere averaging double-doubles for most of his career. Kispert is a better shooter but, like DeBusschere, always alert, always aggressive on offense and defense, and always seemed to be in the right place at the right time. Time will tell but I'm confident Kispert will be a very consistent, durable franchise player who will be involved in the final play, more often than not, when the game is on the line.

[@Gnofg]

@@elspag8865 He is more similar to Bradley. Dave DeBusherre was the best defensive POWER forward in the NBA. There is almost no similarity.

[@elspag8865]

​@@Gnofg If you want to compare one of the all time great pro forwards or a another great forward like Bill Bradley to a college forward with 19 minutes over 3 professional games playing guard , suit yourself. All three have been winners on and off the court with whatever skills and fire in the gut they brought. Whatever you do watch Kispert progress. Time will tell but all three have... IT.

[@Gnofg]

@@elspag8865 I was talking specifically about style of play and nothing to do with playing ability. read "Breaks of the game" by David halberstam.

[@pawelgorniak8550]

wow, nobody talks about how stacked that Knicks team was, Bradley, DeBuscherre, Reed, Pearl and Clyde, all hall of famers and rightfully so. In an era where people won't stop sniffing LeQuits ass, people forget these teams that just naturally gelled together, not forced cause LeCrybaby wants to up his stats by begging all stars to help his ego

[@carlitosortiz2870]

🤣well put

[@user-xr1hj2dn2g]

He would get his ass knocked off back in the day. LePuss so overated.

[@jose.luis.ayala.]

DAMN STRAIGHT

[@Polarcutter]

I grew up with that Knick team.. Happy memories.

[@DavidWoods1]

I just came across this during my readings. Learned about this monumental piece of history today. Great story!

[@DMR4736]

That was a tough six game loss to Boston, his first year. I remember how the Knicks had dominated them during the regular season, and was so disappointed . Such a great year the next, winning it, & setting the nba record winning streak, at the time

[@kingofnewyork7765]

Amazing

[@manny4552]

He was really great.. did everything well

[@Judeaben]

beautiful Geri! i remember Her

[@lcchristensen9322]

My dad was good friends with Butch Komives....Knicks traded him & Walt Bellamy for Dave DeBusschere. Final piece to the Knicks championship teams. * i would have loved to see those Knicks teams & the Stones in Madison Square Garden in the early Seventies....& Joe Namath after the game.

[@bartonpercival3216]

In the immortal words of the Knicks public address announcer at the Garden.........."At the forwards #22 Dave Debusschere"

[@jaybrick8973]

Hes a pistons Legend as well

[@lloydkline6946]

pride of university of detroit, dave debusschere

[@youtuber3328]

he was on the scoreboard on june 25th 1999 in game 5 of the finals between the spurs and knicks

[@jacksmith5692]

The irony is he had his best numbers as a Knick in his last season. The Knicks lost Dave, Willis, and Jerry in 1974 and we had to endure guys like Mel Killer Davis who was so bad the only thing he killed was backboards when he shot his bricks. Wingo, Ginelli, Neal Walk it was brutal.

[@manny4552]

Yeah I remember those guys and teams well... Neal walk could play alittle bit though

[@josephmcfarland8442]

Neal Walk, Simeon Creature, hairy dude.

[@carlitosortiz2870]

I heard his name called out a lot on the play grounds of Brooklyn NY, before I even got to see him play on TV, i remember if you were a hacker or or committed a hard hack (foul) you'd get called De Butcher ...lol

[@jacksmith5692]

Held Dr J to 4 points outscoring him 12-4 in 1973 exhibition in 18 minutes before he injured his leg. Dr J never saw a defender like DD.

[@lloydkline1518]

Really : held dr.j ; outplayed dr.j no excuse dr.j was young too

[@jacksmith5692]

@@lloydkline1518 Yes it was written up bigtime in Sports Illustrated. Remember DeBusschere was also a good pitcher with the White Sox. He pitched in 36 games with 10 starts in 1962 and 63 with a 3.09 era. In 1962 in Savannah in the minors he was 10-1 with a 2.49 era when the White Sox called him up. He also hit .237. Then he pitched two years of Triple AAA winning 15 each year going 30 and 20 making 64 starts. He played with alot of guys who played and had excellent careers in the majors like Tommie Agee as an example or Don Buford, Ken Berry, Bob Locker, Rudy May to name a few. DeBusschere was 40-21 in the minors with the White Sox and was a good pitcher but was a star in the NBA and named Head Coach in 1964 at age 24 so he was Head Coach of the Pistons and also playing baseball.

[@lloydkline1518]

@@jacksmith5692 wow : you are sports expert ; university of detroit/ mercy should have a statue of dave debusschere

[@jacksmith5692]

@@lloydkline1518 His trade was the secret sauce to the Knick championships. It allowed Willis Reed to move back to his natural position of Center as DeBusschere moved in at power forward, Komives was traded as well and that opened up a spot at Point Guard for a guy named Walt Frazier, and Bill Bradley was moved from guard to small forward and those moves fit like a glove. From 1970 to 1973 the Knicks won 2 NBA titles and lost a 3rd in the finals to the Lakers and the reality is if Willis Reed doesn't get hurt in the spring of 1971 at age 28 and never be the same again, the Knicks win 5-6 NBA titles. From 1971/72 to 1973/74, Reed only played in 99 regular season games in those 3 seasons and in the 1974 playoffs was hurt so badly he tried to play in 11 playoff games but averaged 3.4 points with 2 rebounds in 11 minutes. It was tragic to see and I believe DeBusschere retired to the ABA commissioner job because Reed was finished and retired at age 31 and Jerry Lucas was finished and retired at age 34. Remember that from 1969 to 1974, Willis Reed played Lew Alcindor/Kareem Jabbar 21 times and won 15 of the 21 despite the Bucks winning 304 games to the Knicks 266 games. Jabbar was 6-15 against Willis Reed.

[@xqnaxx1307]

If y’all ever play my league in 2k pick him in draft he is op

[@josephciolino2865]

After Willis... the Greatest Knick. (love Clyde but....)

[@MatthewXXGELEXTIfens]

Im here bcs of marcus smart nba filter 🤣

[@googoo-gjoob]

13:13 *Chris Schenkel* , one of the all-time best 16:31 Brent Musberger..... not so much

[@youtuber3328]

he was better than tim duncan david robinson and george gervin

[@youtuber3328]

I somewhat like dave debuscherre

[@Ma1q444]

No way your telling me he’s better than kyrie,Dwight, tmac, Alex English, klay, joe dumars, Derrick rose,, Vince, Bernard king, Paul George,

[@enami3413]

If klay never got hurt he would’ve been on the list. Tmac is a top 100 not 75.

[@mr.eggplant866]

He was.

[@carlitosortiz2870]

Defense, rebounds, steals and always being around the loose balls ect is what separate DD from those guys....oh yeah the rings.

[@manny4552]

He was better than some of them

[@kingofnewyork7765]

I love this team but they never would have won in 1970 if Bill Russell hadn’t aged and retired.

[@user-xr1hj2dn2g]

Yes that would have kicked the Celtics ass in 1970 with Russell. Celtics lucky the year before. Knicks and Lakers better teams in 1969.

[@chasinda4th502]

BETTER THAN KLAY THOMPSON AND DWIGHT HOWARD KYRIE ??

[@lloydkline1518]

Jerry west & gail goodrich or walt frazier & earl.monroe vs kyrie irving ; sheph curry??