NBA and MLB: 13 Who Played in Both

I was reading an article on yahoo about players who played in both the majors in baseball and the NBA. Multi-sport athletes are nothing new. Jim Thorpe played in the majors and also in the fore runner of the NFL. Babe Didrickson Zaharias played golf and numerous other sports in her life. And of course, Michael Jordan, and Deion Sanders both played two sports at the professional level.

13 players have played in the NBA and the Major Leagues. Most have spent just a short time in one or the other. Chuck Connors, who gained fame as an actor in the TV series, The Rifleman, had a short career in both. Connors played parts of two seasons in the bigs, 49 with the Dodgers and in 1951 with the Cubs. He hit 2 homers and drove in 18. From 1946-48 he was a center/forward for the Boston Celtics. He averaged 4.5 points a game and made 25.2 % of his shots. He fared much better as an actor.

Conley-Celtics

Gene Conley had an 8-year career as a major league pitcher, and played in 52-53 for the Celtics, came back to play from 58-61 for the Celtics and finished up from 62-64 for the Knicks. Conley was big, 6’8″ 225 pounds. He pitched to a career 91-96 record with a 3.82 ERA. In basketball he averaged 5.9 points and 6.3 rebounds a game.

Danny Ainge is best known as the GM of the Boston Celtics. He recently retired from that post. His baseball career was short and undistinguished. He played in the majors for only three seasons finishing with a .220 with 2 homers and 37 driven in. Transitioning to basketball, his career started off slow. But he would eventually play 15 seasons in the NBA and averaged 11.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 4.0 Assists a game. After his career, he moved into the executive suite.

Frank Baumholtz played in the majors for 10 seasons. He had a .290 career BA. He hit only 25 long balls in his career, but he did finish second in batting in 1952 with a .325 average. A 5’10” guard, he played one season for the Cleveland Rebels of the BAA which 3 years later became the NBA.

Biasatti had a cup of coffee in both baseball and basketball. He played in 21 games for the A’s in 1949 going 2-24. In 46-47 he appeared in 6 games for the Toronto Huskies and scored 6 points.

DeBusschere had a 2-year career as a pitcher for the White Sox. He went 2-4 with a 2.90 ERA in 36 games. As a basketball player, DeBusschere was much more impressive. At 6’6″, 225lb. power forward, he played from 1962-74, he played for Detroit from 62 to the middle of the 68-69 season. He was traded to the Knicks and became a key part of their 69 and 73 Championship teams. He averaged a double-double with 16.1 PPG and 11 RPG for his career. He was a 8 time all-star and was elected to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary team in 2021-22.

Dick Groat was a college basketball star at Duke, but he made his mark as a SS. He played for the Pirates in 1952, went back to the minors and returned in 55 for good. He would play in the majors until 1967. He won a batting title in 1960 beating out the Dodgers Norm Larker. He was on the Pirates World Champion team that year and earned the NL MVP award. He also played for the Cardinals, Phillies and Giants. In basketball, he played one season at guard for the Fort Wayne Pistons, averaging 11.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists a game.

Steve Hamilton was a 6’6″ left-handed pitcher who played in the majors from 1961-72. He pitched for the Yankees, Indians, Senators, White Sox, Giants and Cubs. He had 40 wins, 31 losses and 40 saves in his career. He played two seasons with the Minneapolis Lakers as a forward. He averaged 4.5 points and 3.7 rebounds a game. After he retired, he coached Morehead State for 10 years before becoming the Athletic Director. A post he held until his death in 1997.

Mark Hendrickson, a 6’9″ left-handed pitcher, played in the majors from 2002-2011. He pitched for the Blue Jays, Rays, Dodgers, Marlins and Orioles. He was 58-74 for his career. His ERA was 5.03. Prior to playing baseball, he played in the NBA from 1996-2000. He played for the 76ers, Kings, Nets and Cavaliers. He averaged 3.3 points a game and 2.8 rebounds.

Nash was a college basketball star, and a first baseman on the Kentucky baseball team. He was drafted by the White Sox but overall played in only 16 career MLB at-bats with the Sox and the Twins. He had two hits. He fared a little better in the NBA His rookie season was split between the Lakers and the Warriors. He averaged 3 points and a little under 2 rebounds in 64-65. He also played for the Kentucky Colonels in the ABA in 67-68 averaging 8.5 points and 4.9 rebounds.

Reed was 6’6″ and threw right-handed. He pitched in the majors from 1966-1984. He had a career record of 146-140 with a 3.46 ERA and 103 saves out of the bullpen. He pitched for the Braves, Cardinals, Phillies and White Sox. He also played two seasons for the Detroit Pistons averaging 8 points a game and just over 6 rebounds.

Ricketts was a power forward in basketball and a pitcher in baseball. He only played one season in the majors, 1959, with the Cardinals. He was 1-6 with a 5.82 ERA in 12 games. Nine of those were starts. He played in the NBA from 1955 to 1958 with the Hawks and Royals. He averaged 9.3 points and 6.3 rebounds a game.

If Schultz’s name seems familiar to Dodger fans, it is because he played for the Dodgers from 1943-47. Howie played in the majors until 1948. He was a first baseman. He hit .241 with 24 long balls and 208 RBI’s. He also played for the Phillies and Reds. In basketball, Howie played for the Anderson Packers, and Fort Wayne Pistons his first year. Spent a year in a rival league and then returned to the NBA with the Minneapolis Lakers from 51-53. He averaged 5.3 points and 3.1 rebounds a game as a power-forward. Schultz was 6’6″ 200 pounds.

There they are, 13 players who spent at least some time in the NBA and MLB. Reed probably had the best numbers in the majors. and Debusschere the best basketball career.