May 6,1965: The Van Arsdale Twins Are Drafted

Dick (left) and Tom

May 6, 1965: The Van Arsdale Twins are selected in the NBA Draft, by different teams. This will put them on separate teams for the first time.

Richard Albert Van Arsdale and Thomas Arthur Van Arsdale were born on February 22, 1943 in Indianapolis. Until the hockey-playing Sedins came along, they were the greatest pair of twins in the history of sports. (And I don’t want to hear about no DeBoers in soccer.) Tom and Dick played basketball together at Emmerich Manual High School in Indianapolis and at Indiana University. But they couldn't play together forever, and they would be split up in the 1965 NBA Draft, which was held at the Plaza Hotel in New York.

There were 3 "territorial picks," for the last time: The 1966 Draft would be the 1st without them. The New York Knicks chose Bill Bradley of Princeton, and the Los Angeles Lakers chose Gail Goodrich of UCLA, and both would make the Basketball Hall of Fame. The Detroit Pistons chose Bill Buntin, of the Michigan team that beat Princeton in the Semifinal of the NCAA Tournament, and then lost to UCLA in the Final.

The top 2 picks in the regular Draft were Fred Hetzel of Davidson and Rick Barry of the University of Miami, both chosen by the San Francisco Warriors, picks gained through trades. Hetzel's pro career was undistinguished, although, like Barry, he helped the Warriors win the 1967 Western Conference title. Barry became a Hall-of-Famer.

The Knicks chose Dave Stallworth, a role player on their 1970 NBA Champions. The Baltimore Bullets chose Jerry Sloan, who became a star with the Chicago Bulls, and was elected to the Hall of Fame for his coaching of the Utah Jazz. The Philadelphia 76ers chose Billy Cunningham, and they've never won an NBA Championship without him: As a player in 1967, and as their head coach in 1983.

The St. Louis Hawks chose Jim Washington, a journeyman. The Cincinnati Royals chose Nate Bowman, another 1970 Knick. The Boston Celtics chose Ollie Johnson, but he never played in the NBA. The 2nd Round then started, and the Warriors chose Wilbert Frazier, no relation to Walt of the Knicks, and he barely played in the NBA, playing in the ABA and in minor leagues.

Then, with the 10th pick, the Knicks chose Dick Van Arsdale. With the 11th pick, the Pistons chose Tom Van Arsdale. The Royals went on to choose Flynn Robinson, and he won a title, for the Lakers in 1972.

Dick played 3 seasons for the Knicks, before being lost to the Phoenix Suns in the 1968 expansion draft, preventing him from playing with the Knicks in the 1970, '72 and '73 NBA Finals. He was selected for the NBA All-Star Game in 1969, '70 and '71, and helped the Suns reach their 1st NBA Finals, in 1976, where they lost to the Celtics.

In 1968, Tom was traded to the Cincinnati Royals, moving with them in 1972, as they became the Kansas City Kings. He was also selected for 3 All-Star Games, in 1970, '71 and '72. This made the '70 and '71 Games the 1st and 2nd to have twin brothers in it, but they were still split up: Tom's Royals were in the Eastern Division, and Dick's Suns were in the Western Division.

Tom went to the Philadelphia 76ers in 1973 and the Atlanta Hawks in 1974, before being reunited with Dick on the Suns, as they played their last season, 1976-77, together.

Statistically, they were close, as Dick averaged 16.4 points per game, Tom 15.3; and Tom had 4.2 rebounds per game, Dick 4.1. But Dick played in a Finals, whereas Tom holds the record for most games played in the NBA without having reached the Finals: 929.

In 1978, they appeared together in a commercial for Miller Lite beer, with Dick taking the "Less Filling" side, Tom the "Tastes Great" side. Dick briefly coached the Suns in 1987. They retired his Number 5. (Tom also wore 5 through most of his career, and switched to 4 with the Suns.) Since their retirements from basketball, they have remained in the Phoenix area, and have become artists. They also run the annual "Docs vs. Jocks vs. Drugs" game back in Indianapolis, where their original lockers have been preserved in the display case in the lobby of the Emmerich Manual High School gymnasium..

UPDATE: Dick died on December 16, 2024, at the age of 81.

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May 6, 1965 was a Thursday. Actress Leslie Hope was born. This was also the day that the Symphony of the New World made its debut performance. I have a separate entry for that event.

The NBA season had ended 11 days earlier, when the Celtics beat the Lakers in the Finals. The NHL season had ended 5 days before this date, with the Montreal Canadiens winning the Stanley Cup over the Chicago Black Hawks. Football was out of season.

There were 4 games played in Major League Baseball:

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Cincinnati Reds, 4-3 at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. Johnny Podres was the winning pitcher. Derrell Griffith and Ron Fairly hit home runs for the Dodgers. Frank Robinson homered for the Reds. Pete Rose went 0-for-4 with a walk.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 5-3 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Larry Jackson was the winning pitcher, and aided his own cause by going 3-for-3 with a home run and 3 RBIs. Ernie Banks went 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI. Willie Stargell hit 2 home runs for the Pirates, and Jim Pagliaroni added 1. Roberto Clemente appeared as a pinch-hitter, and did not reach base.

* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Minnesota Twins, 5-1 at Metropolitan Stadium in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota. Brooks Robinson hit a home run off Jim Kaat, and Harmon Killebrew hit a home run off Robin Roberts.

* And the California Angels beat the Kansas City Athletics, 5-4 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, where the Halos were groundsharing with the Dodgers while waiting for their stadium to be finished in Anaheim. Bobby Knoop went 2-for-3 with a home run and 4 RBIs.