The Sixers retired No. 4 for the late Dolph Schayes during Saturday’s game against the visiting Detroit Pistons, raising Schayes’ jersey to the Wells Fargo Center rafters during a halftime ceremony.
Schayes was inducted into the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame, named one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history and earned 12 All-Star selections. When he retired, he was the NBA’s all-time leading scorer with 18,438 points.
A New York University product, Schayes played for the Syracuse Nationals from 1949-63, including the 1955 NBA Championship team. He also served as player-coach during the 1963-64 season when the team relocated to Philadelphia and became the 76ers.
“What really defines him is how he transformed his position and transformed the game,” Schayes’ son Danny, also a former NBA player, said before Saturday's game. “He was really the first offensive power forward of his era. Power forwards were mostly enforcers, defenders and rebounders, and he was really one of the first guys to turn that into an offensive position.
"He was a great outside shooter, face-up player, while still being very aggressive, leading the league in rebounding. So that’s probably his biggest impact.”
Nerlens Noel currently wears No. 4 and will continue to do so in Schayes’ honor. The Sixers wore shooting shirts that read “NATS 4” on the front and “SCHAYES 4” on the back.
Schayes died on Dec. 10 of last year after developing an infection during treatment for terminal cancer.