Joining the small world of the NBA is the dream for most budding basketball players. Some have such athletic qualities that they have also managed to get drafted in another major league, the MLB. This occurrence has only been repeated 13 times in history (just as the Bolton Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers have the most NBA finals odds win in history at 17 each).
We present the players who were spoiled for choice, able to play in different major leagues in America. You might know or have heard about these players; if you have, it will serve as a reminder.
Danny Ainge
The former Celtics player had a life before being a known and recognized leader. Ainge has a solid resume as an NBA player. His first year with the Celtics was rather shy. However, Ainge managed to establish himself in the league. In his last year in Boston, the All-Star continued his ascent to the Sacramento Kings, where he got his best point averages (20.3 and 17.9).
During his last years, he became a solid player off the bench, at the Blazers and then at the Suns. But before living all these adventures in the NBA, Ainge was a baseball player in MLB, where he played 211 games. Drafted in 1977, he waited two years in the minor leagues before leaping to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Failing to impose himself, he decided to break his contract with the Toronto franchise to devote himself to a career in the NBA, where he was drafted in 1981. But the divorce was settled legally. A court ruled in favor of the Blue Jays, and the Celtics had to pay $500,000 to have Ainge on their roster.
Frank Baumholtz
Before playing 1,019 games in 10 years of MLB, with the Reds, Cubs, and Phillies, Baumholtz walked the court in the inaugural BAA season of 1946-47. He had honorable statistics, averaging 14 points per game in 45 matches.
Hank Biasatti
Drafted in the second round by the Celtics, he played 6 small games with the Toronto Huskies during the 1946-47 season. In MBL, Biasatti did a little better with 21 games for the Philadelphia Athletics.
Gene Conley
In 6 NBA seasons, Conley played 351 games in the uniform of the Celtics, then the Knicks. His basketball career was filled with several stints in MLB, from 1953 to 1958 with the Milwaukee Braves, in 1959-60 with the Phillies, and then in 1961-62 with the Boston Red Sox. Not deciding between his two favorite sports proved prolific, as he won 3 rings with the Boston Celtics (1959, 1960, 1961) and one with the Braves (1957).
Chuck Connors
Connors is a true Swiss army knife. After spending two seasons in BAA, from 1946 to 1948 with the Boston Celtics, he tried his luck in MLB. He played 1 game for the Brooklyn Dodgers and 66 for the Chicago Cubs. Realizing he was not cut out for professional sports, he turned to Hollywood, where he embarked on an acting career that lasted over 40 years.
Dave DeBuschere
DeBuschere is an orange ball legend. He played with the Pistons and the Knicks and lived the best seasons of his career on the side of the Big Apple, where he won two titles (1970, 1973).
However, basketball was not his only passion since he shared his rookie year with another activity, baseball. While he had just signed with the Detroit Pistons, he also joined the Chicago White Sox. At the end of the 1962-63 season, he devoted himself to basketball, to the delight of the NBA.
Dick Groat
Coming from the prestigious Duke program, Dick Groat was selected in 3rd position by the Pistons during the 1952 draft. After a rookie season of 26 games, he left the NBA for military service. Back in business in 1955, he chose to make a career in MLB, a league in which he was also drafted in 1952. He won two World Series, in 1960 and 1964.
Steve Hamilton
This left winger had the pleasure of being drafted twice in the NBA, in 1957 by the Warriors (67th pick) and 1958 by the Lakers (9th pick). After two seasons in LA, he chose to give up basketball to devote himself to baseball. He joined MLB in 1961, where he played for 11 seasons.
Mark Hendrickson
From 2002 to 2011, Mark Hendrickson was an MLB player in five different franchises, Blue Jays, Devil Rays, Dodgers, Marlins, and Orioles. But before opting for baseball, this athlete spent 4 seasons in the NBA with the Sixers, Kings, Nets, and Cavs. He played 114 games for averages of 3.3 points and 2.8 rebounds. Hendrickson is the last player to play in both the NBA and MLB.
Cotton Nash
Cotton Nash hesitated all his career between basketball and baseball. He was drafted by the Lakers in 1964 and spent his rookie year between the Lakers and the Warriors. After a two-season MLB interlude, he returned to basketball, but in ABA. Then returned to MLB in 1969. He retired the following year.
Ron Reed
This Power Forward played 119 NBA games under the Pistons tunic from 1965 to 1967. Despite good statistics without being a fantastic player, he decided to turn his back on basketball for baseball. He played in MLB for 18 years and won a title in 1980.
Dick Ricketts
Ricketts is the only player on this list to have been chosen as the first NBA draft pick. He played three seasons with the Hawks and Royals. Following the accident of one of his teammates at the Royals in 1958, he was very affected and decided to devote himself to baseball. He played a few games in MLB, in the Saint Louis Cardinals, and most of his career was in the minor leagues.
Howie Schultz
Schultz played 5 seasons in MLB, then 3 seasons in the NBA. During the MLB offseason, he made his professional debut as a basketball player in 1946. He then officiated in the NBL within the Anderson Packers. When the franchise joined the NBA in 1949, Schultz served as player coach. He was then traded to the Fort Wayne Pistons and played two more seasons with the Lakers before retiring.
Conclusion
These players have been lucky to play in the NBA and the MLB due to their talents or love for the games. While some were very successful in either the NBA or MLB, others weren’t. We’re glad to have brought you this exciting fact. Thanks for reading!
