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Stanley “Whitey” Von Nieda, the very first previous NBA gamer to end up being a centenarian, passed away on Wednesday at 101 years of ages. News of Von Nieda’s death, which took place in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, was validated by the league on Friday. In June of 2022, he was honored by the National Basketball Retired Players Association for ending up being the very first previous gamer to live to 100.
“Most of the guys I played with and against at that time were pretty dedicated to the game. They loved the game and they played it for the love of the game,” Von Nieda stated in an interview clip launched by the league on Friday. “I was at one time named ‘Whitey.’ I used to have white hair, very blonde hair. I was glad to be a part of it. I loved the game, I still do. It’s been a great experience for me. I have great memories.”
While still a trainee at Penn State University, Von Nieda started his expert profession by betting the Lancaster Red Roses of the Eastern Basketball League on the weekends. He led the EBL in scoring for 2 successive seasons, and his play for the Red Roses drew the attention of the Tri-Cities Blackhawks, who signed him for $2,000 in 1948. At the time, the Blackhawks played in the National Basketball League, which later on combined with the Basketball Association of America to form the NBA.
Von Nieda invested an only post-merger season in the NBA, playing 59 video games for the Blackhawks — then coached by Red Auerbach — and Baltimore Bullets. One of them was the very first authorities post-merger video game, in which he scored 14 points for the Blackhawks in a 93-85 win over the Denver Nuggets at Wharton Field House in Moline, Illinois. He balanced 5.3 points and 2.4 helps that season, which would be his last after an eye injury ended his expert profession.
“I played against the best that there were in that time,” Von Nieda informed Penn State Mag previously this year. “And I felt very proud to be able to do that.”
Following his retirement from the NBA, Von Nieda ended up being the head coach at Elizabethtown College, where he led the group to a 27-18 in 3 seasons in charge. He later on ended up being a marketing salesperson, played some semi-pro ball, tended bar for over 60 years and composed a trivia column for a regional paper, The Ephrata Review.
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