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Photo of Bobby McDermott

Robert "Bobby" McDermott

Dazzling Bobby McDermott had the raw athletic ability to score and dominate from anywhere inside half court and, for his time, owned basketball's best two-handed set shot. In fact, the 5-foot-11-inch guard was voted the Greatest Player of All Time in 1946 by National Basketball League coaches, players, and sports editors. McDermott turned professional after just one year of high school and led three different leagues in scoring. McDermott starred in the American Basketball League and NBL for seventeen years. He led the Brooklyn Visitations to the ABL title (1935) and played with the Original Celtics for five seasons. In five seasons with the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons, McDermott headlined a dominant, championship club. At a time when teams played deliberate, slowdown basketball, McDermott became the first player in NBL history to average 20 points per game. He led Fort Wayne to World Pro titles for three consecutive years starting in 1944.

Enshrined

1988

Born

January 07, 1914 Queens, NY

Died

October 03, 1963

High School

Flushing High School

Professional Career

Brooklyn Visitations Fort Wayne Pistons Sheboygan Red Skins Chicago American Gears Tri-Cities Blackhawks Wilkes-Barre Barons Baltimore Clippers Hammond-Calumet Bucs Original Celtics Paterson Visitations Grand Rapids Hornets

Career Stats

1943 NBL Scoring Champion
1935 ABL CHAMPIONSHIP
3x NBL CHAMPION
4x NBL MVP
6x ALL-NBL FIRST-TEAM
All-Time NBL leading scorer