Dick Van Arsdale, a former Indiana men’s basketball player who went on to become a three-time NBA All-Star, died of kidney failure Monday in Phoenix. He was 81 years old.
Van Arsdale was born and raised in Indianapolis alongside his identical twin brother, Tom. Both Dick and Tom shared the 1961 Indiana Mr. Basketball award as both starred at Emmerich Manual High School.
Despite legendary University of Kentucky men’s basketball coach Adolph Rupp recruiting both Dick and Tom, they decided to instead attend Indiana. Dick became an All-American and was named to the All-Big Ten team in 1963-64.
Over his three-year career at Indiana from 1962-65, Dick played in 72 games, averaging 17.2 points and 10 rebounds per game. The New York Knicks then selected Dick in the 1965 NBA Draft while Tom was selected by the Detroit Pistons. The two became the first pair of identical twins to play in the NBA.
Dick spent three seasons with the Knicks, averaging 12.3, 15.1 and 11 points per game. The Phoenix Suns then selected him with their first pick in the 1968 expansion draft, becoming “the original Sun.”
Dick earned a spot on the NBA All-Star team in each of his first three seasons in Phoenix as he averaged at least 21 points per game. He then played another six seasons with the Suns until he retired in 1977 as the franchise’s then all-time leading scorer with 12,060 points.
After retirement, Dick served as the Suns’ general manager and vice president of player personnel. He also was the interim head coach in 1986. He later became a color commentator on the Suns’ TV and radio broadcasts.
In 2005, Dick suffered a major stroke, developing speech problems despite physically recovering, according to the Indianapolis Star. Tom is 81-years-old.
“It’s a sad day in Hoosier Nation,” Indiana head coach Mike Woodson said during the Inside Indiana Basketball with Mike Woodson radio show Monday. “When I look at Indiana basketball, there was so many players who paved the way for Mike Woodson and so many of the guys that came after. I have nothing but love and respect for Tom and Dick. He’s going to be missed.”
