Bill Bradley: Difference between revisions

Bradley was born on July 28, 1943, in [[Crystal City, Missouri]], the only child of Warren (June 22, 1901{{spaced ndash}}October 1, 1994),<ref name=Part6>{{cite news |title=Meandering Toward A Destination Certain |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1999/12/17/meandering-toward-a-destination-certain/56b20be2-4cfe-4f15-baa6-f84b585998d8/ |last1=Gellman |first1=Barton |last2=Russakoff |first2=Dale |date=December 17, 1999 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |page=A1}}</ref> who despite leaving high school after a year had become a bank president, and Susan "Susie" Crowe (June 12, 1909{{spaced ndash}}November 30, 1995),<ref name=Part6/> a teacher and former high school basketball player.{{r|mcphee}}<ref name=lessons>{{cite news |title=Bill Bradley Uses Old Lessons in a New Arena |authorurl=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/05/01/sports/bill-bradley-uses-old-lessons-in-a-new-arena.html |last1=Berkow, |first1=Ira |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=May 1, 1983 |page=S1}}</ref><ref name=phillips>{{cite news |title=Bill Bradley for U.S. Senator |authorurl=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/06/18/archives/bill-bradley-for-us-senator-bradley.html |last1=Phillips, |first1=John L. |work=The New York Times |date=June 18, 1978 |page=SM5}}</ref><ref name=project>{{cite news |title= A Mother's Ardent 'Project' – Disciplined Young Bradley Was Coached to Achieve |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/1999-12/12/119r-121299-idx.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=December 12, 1999 |last1=Gellman |first1=Barton |last2=Russakoff |first2=Dale |page=A1}}</ref> Politicians and politics were standard dinner-table topics in Bradley's childhood, and he described his father as a "solid Republican" who was an [[Electoral College (United States)|elector]] for [[Thomas E. Dewey]] in the [[1948 United States presidential election|1948 presidential election]].<ref name=phillips/> An active [[Boy Scouts of America|Boy Scout]], he became an [[Eagle Scout (Boy Scouts of America)|Eagle Scout]] and member of the [[Order of the Arrow]].{{r|gelman196501}}

Bradley's basketball ability benefited from his height—{{convert|5|ft|9|in}} in the seventh grade, {{convert|6|ft|1|in}} in the eighth grade,{{r|gelman196501}} and his adult size of {{convert|6|ft|5|in}} by the age of 15{{r|mcphee}}—and unusually wide peripheral vision,{{r|mcphee}} which he worked to improve by focusing on faraway objects while walking.<ref>{{cite news |title=Daily News Sports Hall of Fame Candidates. And Introducing the Candidates&nbsp;... Bill Bradley |author=Samuel, Ebenezer |page=10 |work=[[New York Daily News]] |date=June 18, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Bill Bradley's Shooting Star; The Freshman Senator From New Jersey Winning Points With His Party and on the Senate Floor |authorurl=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1982/04/18/bill-bradleys-shooting-star/04a39466-61f0-4771-90fb-2ab3366b940e/ |last1=Kornheiser, |first1=Tony |page=G1 |newspaper=The Washington Post|date=April 18, 1982}}</ref> During his high school years, Bradley maintained a rigorous practice schedule, a habit he carried through college.<ref name=perfect>{{cite news |title=At Princeton, Practice Makes Bradley a Near-Perfect Player |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/02/23/archives/man-from-missouri-at-princeton-shows-everyone-else-how-its-done-at.html |work=The New York Times |date=February 23, 1964 |page=S6}}</ref> He would work on the court for "three and a half hours every day after school, nine to five on Saturday, one-thirty to five on Sunday, and, in the summer, about three hours a day. He put ten pounds of lead slivers in his sneakers, set up chairs as opponents and dribbled in a slalom fashion around them, and wore eyeglass frames that had a piece of cardboard taped to them so that he could not see the floor, for "a good dribbler never looks at the ball."{{r|mcphee}}

Bradley wore #42 in honor of childhood hero [[Dick Kazmaier]], who had won the [[Heisman Trophy]] at Princeton.{{r|mcphee}}{{rp|73}} He was so superior to the rest of the freshman team that coach Eddie Donovan chose lineups by saying "You, you, you, you, and Bradley".{{r|gellman19991213}} Bradley averaged more than 30 points per game for the freshman team,<ref>At that time, freshmen were prohibited from playing varsity sports for NCAA member schools. That rule would not be repealed for basketball until the 1972–73 academic year.</ref> at one point making 57 consecutive [[free throw]]s,<ref name=allamer1>{{cite news |title=Pick 3 On All-American Five |publisher=[[Chicago Daily Defender]] |date=February 19, 1963 |page=24}}</ref> breaking a record set by a member of the NBA's [[Syracuse Nationals]]. The following year, as a [[Sophomore year|sophomore]], he was a varsity starter in [[Butch van Breda Kolff]]'s first year as coach of the [[Princeton Tigers men's basketball|Tigers]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Princeton Quintet's New Coach To Stress a 'New Look' Offense |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1962/11/25/archives/princeton-quintets-new-coach-to-stress-a-new-look-offense-van-breda.html |work=The New York Times |date=November 25, 1962 |page=232}}</ref>

In his sophomore year Bradley scored 40 points in an 82–81 loss to St. Joseph's and was named to ''[[Sporting News|The Sporting News]]'' All-American first team in early 1963. The coach of the [[St. Louis Hawks]] believed he was ready to play professional basketball.<ref name=allamer1/> The [[Associated Press|AP]] and [[United Press International]] polls both put Bradley on the [[Reserve team|second team]], establishing him as the top sophomore player in the country;<ref>{{cite news |title=Heyman of Duke Tops All-Star Fives |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1963/03/01/archives/heyman-of-duke-tops-allstar-fives-4-players-named-to-both-quintets.html |work=The New York Times |date=March 1, 1963 |page=16}}</ref> Bradley also hit .316 as a first baseman for the baseball team.{{r|mann19660207}} The following year ''The Sporting News'' again named him to its All-American team as its only junior, and as its player of the year.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bradley of Princeton Tops All-America Basketball List |work=The New York Times|date=February 23, 1964 |author=UPI |page=S6|author-link=United Press International}}</ref> At the Olympic basketball trials in April 1964, Bradley played guard instead of his usual forward position but was still a top performer.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bradley of Princeton (at Guard) Sets Pace in Olympic Tryouts |author=White, Gordon S. |work=The New York Times |date=April 4, 1964 |page=21}}</ref>{{r|gelman196501}} He was one of three chosen unanimously for the Olympic team, the youngest chosen, and the only undergraduate. The Olympic team won its sixth consecutive gold medal.{{r|mcphee}}

As a senior and team captain<ref>{{cite news |title=Princeton's Five Elects Bradley |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/04/10/archives/princetons-five-elects-bradley-tiger-allamerica-forward-chosen-team.html |work=The New York Times |date=April 10, 1964 |page=47}}</ref> in the 1964–1965 season, Bradley became a [[Celebrity|household name]].{{r|mann19660207}} Only the third tallest on his team,{{r|mcphee}} but called "easily the No. 1 player in college basketball today",{{r|gelman196501}} "the best amateur basketball player in the United States", and "The White [[Oscar Robertson]]",{{r|mcphee}} he scored 41 points before fouling out of the game in an 80–78 loss to [[Michigan Wolverines men's basketball|Michigan]]{{r|mann19660207}} and their star player [[Cazzie Russell]] in the 1964 ECAC Holiday Basketball semi-final at Madison Square Garden, then led Princeton to the [[1965 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|NCAA Final Four]]<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2006/12/13/16976 |title=No. 1: Bill Bradley '65 |newspaper=The Daily Princetonian |access-date=January 15, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110517232402/http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2006/12/13/16976/ |archive-date=May 17, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> after defeating heavy favorite [[Providence Friars men's basketball|Providence]] and [[Jimmy Walker (basketball, born 1944)|Jimmy Walker]] by 40 points.{{r|mann19660207}} The team then lost to Michigan in the semifinals, but Bradley scored a record 58 points in the consolation game to lead the team to victory against [[Wichita State Shockers men's basketball|Wichita State]] and earn himself the Final Four MVP.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.awardsandhonors.com/award/ncaa_basketball_tournament_mvp_men.html |title=Web Page Under Construction |access-date=December 20, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707201523/http://www.awardsandhonors.com/award/ncaa_basketball_tournament_mvp_men.html |archive-date=July 7, 2011 }}</ref> In total, Bradley scored 2,503 points at Princeton, averaging 30.2 points per game. He was awarded the 1965 [[James E. Sullivan Award]], presented annually to the United States' top amateur athlete, the first basketball player to win the honor,<ref name=sullivan>{{cite news |title=Sullivan Award Is Voted to Bill Bradley |author=McGowen, Deane |work=The New York Times |date=January 30, 1966 |access-date=July 31, 2009 |page=S1 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1966/01/30/archives/sullivan-award-is-voted-to-bill-bradley-becomes-first-basketball.html?scp=1}}</ref> and the second Princeton student to win the award, after [[Track and field athletics|runner]] [[Bill Bonthron]] in 1934.<ref name=sullivan/>

Bradley joined the New York Knicks in December 1967, having missed the preseason and several weeks of the [[1967–68 NBA season|1967–1968 season]]. He was placed in the backcourt, although he had spent his high school and college careers as a [[forward (basketball)|forward]]. Neither he nor the team did well, and in the following season, he was returned to the forward slot.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sports of The Times: It Still Was a Good Year |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1968/04/03/archives/sports-of-the-times-it-still-was-a-good-year.html |last1=Daley |first1=Arthur |work=The New York Times |date=April 3, 1968 |page=54}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Bradley Gives Knicks a Forward Look |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1968/11/30/archives/bradley-gives-knicks-a-forward-look.html |last1=Koppett |first1=Leonard |date=November 30, 1968 |work=The New York Times |page=56}}</ref> Then, in his [[1969–70 NBA season|third season]], the Knicks won their first NBA championship, followed by the second in the [[1972–73 NBA season|1972–73 season]], when he made the only [[NBA All-Star Game|All-Star Game]] appearance of his career.<ref name=bbr>{{cite web |title=Bill Bradley NBA & ABA Basketball Statistics |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/bradlbi01.html | publisherwebsite=[[Basketball-reference.com Reference]] |access-datepublisher=Sports Reference LLC|accessdate=SeptemberJune 815, 20092024}}</ref> Over 742 NBA games – all with the Knicks – Bradley scored a total of 9,217 points, an average of 12.4 points per game, and averaged 3.4 assists per game. His best season scoring average was 16.1 points per game in the 1972–73 season, during which he also averaged a career-best 4.5 assists per game.<ref name=bbr/> As in college Bradley was an aggressive player, pushing and shoving to intimidate and distract opponents.{{r|gellman19991213}}

As a young man Bradley avoided women who wanted to date a celebrity. He wrote in ''Life on the Run'' that being famous had taught him what beautiful women experienced, "the unnaturalness of being a sex object". Future TV journalist [[Diane Sawyer]] was a serious girlfriend in college.<ref name="gellman19991213">{{Cite news |lastlast1=Gellman |firstfirst1=Barton |last2=Russakoff |first2=Dale |date=December 13, 1999 |title=At Princeton, Bradley Met Impossible Demands |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/pmextra/dec99/13/bradley.htm |worknewspaper=The Washington Post |page=A1}}</ref>