Brief Biography of NBA Legend Dave Bing and His Career
As a senior in 1966, Bing averaged 28.4 points per game and was named an All-American. His number, 22, has been retired to the rafters for the Orangemen. With this success at the highest collegiate level, Bing took his game to the pros.
Dave Bing was selected by the Detroit Pistons with the second overall pick in the 1966 NBA Draft. Bing would play for the Pistons for nine seasons and become a star. In his rookie year, Bing averaged 20.0 points and 4.1 assists per game. He won the Rookie of the Year Award.
His best season for the Pistons would come in 1967-1968 when he averaged 27.1 points and 6.1 assists per game. It was during this season that he led the entire NBA in scoring. Bing never had much success in the NBA playoffs as he never made it past the second round.
Dave Bing was known for his wiry frame and silky-smooth play. He had very sound fundamentals but also extreme athleticism which allowed him to dominate defenders night in and night out.
In 1971, Dave Bing experienced a horrific eye injury, a detached retina, which almost ended his basketball career for good. He already had poor vision from an accident he experienced as a child.
In 1975, Bing was traded to the Washington Bullets where he would spend two seasons. His best season with the Bullets was the 1975-1976 season where he averaged 16.2 points and 6.0 assists per game. It was becoming clear, however, that Bing's career was winding down.
In 1977 Bing was traded yet again to the Boston Celtics where he would finish out his career. He appeared for Boston in 80 games during the 1977-1978 season but only averaged 13.6 points per game.
Dave Bing is one of the most forgotten stars of the NBA. His relatively brief career may be what keeps him from being listed as one of the all-time greats. There is no denying, however, the level of skill that Bing put on display every night during his career. In 1996, Dave Bing was named as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA history.
Published by Nate D.
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3 Comments
Post a CommentIhavefondmemoriesofattendingDaveBingsBasketballCampinthePoconosinthesummerof72.IremembermycounselorwasaguynamedBillyLiggonsfromVanderbilt.IstillrememberbeinginaweifseeingBobLanierssize22sneakers.IalsorememberDavehadacoolLincolnContinentalandfriendlyGermanShepard.JD
I was a camper for two weeks at the Howie Landa/Dave Bing Camp. My first summer it was Howie's Camp, then mid-week it changed as Dave Bing stepped in. We had bobby knight teaching us defense!! Imagine that. And Mayor Dave Bing! God bless him.
I met Dave Bing! He and Maurice Lucas coached kids at a basketball camp run by Howie Landa in the Pocono Mountains. At the time I worked in a small pizzeria. I got the job of delivering all those pizzas to the camp. Bing and Lucas often hung out in a motel bar where my (now ex) husband worked. The ex used to go hang out in the bar after work, rather than come home. One night he came home with the neighbor girl and said she was babysitting and took me to the bar. That is how I got to hang out with the NBA giants.