Bill Bradley

American basketball player and politician who starred at Princeton, won Olympic gold in 1964, and later became a U.S. Senator from New Jersey.

William Warren Bradley was born in Crystal City, Missouri in 1943. He attended Princeton University and became the most celebrated player in the school's history and one of the most fascinating figures in basketball. He won the national player of the year award in 1965 after averaging 30.2 points and 12.3 rebounds per game. His most celebrated performance came in the 1965 NCAA Tournament consolation game — with Princeton having already been eliminated from championship contention, he scored 58 points against Wichita State in what was then the all-time Final Four scoring record. He won Olympic gold with the USA at Tokyo 1964 as a college player. He won a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University after his senior season, delaying his NBA career by two years. New York Knicks selected him in the first round of the 1965 draft and waited patiently. He won two NBA championships with the Knicks (1970, 1973). After basketball he became a US Senator from New Jersey and ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2000. His combination of athletic excellence, academic achievement and public service made him one of the most complete public figures in American sport.

Bradley was known for his exceptional basketball IQ, precise shooting, and unselfish play. He possessed outstanding court vision and passing ability, combined with a reliable jump shot from anywhere on the court. His cerebral approach to the game and ability to make teammates better made him stand out despite not having elite athleticism.

Bradley helped elevate Princeton basketball and demonstrated that Ivy League players could compete at the highest levels of college basketball. His academic and athletic excellence became a model for the scholar-athlete ideal.

• Player of the Year (1965)
• Final Four record 58 points (1965)
• Olympic Gold Medal (1964)
• Rhodes Scholar