Courtesy of AP Images

Dolph Schayes b. 1928

The NBA Encyclopedia calls Dolph Schayes "one of professional basketball's early superstars." Schayes began his career in 1948, one year before the National Basketball Association launched, and is widely regarded as a bridge between basketball's formative years and its modern incarnation. A future NBA Hall-of-Famer , Schayes played 16 years with the Syracuse Nationals-forerunners to the Philadelphia 76ers-and saw him named an All-Star for 12 consecutive seasons. Schayes retired with 19,249 career points, making him the leading scorer in NBA history, and became the first coach of the 76ers. He led the team to the NBA title in 1966, and was named Coach of the Year.