Detroit Pistons: 25 Best Players To Play For The Pistons
By Phil Watson
<strong>How acquired:</strong> Contract purchased from Philadelphia Warriors, Nov. 28, 1952.. PG. . Andy Phillip. 18. player. 64
With the Philadelphia Warriors needing cash, Fort Wayne Pistons general manager Carl Bennett struck, picking up the contract of All-Star point guard Andy Phillip in exchange for an undisclosed amount.
Phillip was what the Pistons needed at the point guard spot. He was a three-time All-Star for Fort Wayne, earning All-NBA honors in 1952-53. He finished second in the NBA in assists three straight seasons, 1952-53 through 1954-55, and was fifth in 1955-56.
He also helped the Pistons to back-to-back berths in the NBA Finals in 1955 and 1956, although not without controversy.
Phillip averaged 8.4 points, 7.1 assists and 4.7 rebounds in 40 minutes per game against the Syracuse Nationals in the 1955 NBA Finals, shooting 32.8 percent overall and 87.5 percent at the foul line.
But it was his turnover late in Game 7 that cost Fort Wayne the title and prompted teammate George Yardley to claim Phillip was in on a fix, allegations that never stuck.
Back in the Finals against his former Philadelphia club in 1956, Phillip played mostly as a reserve, averaging 2.4 points, 4.2 assists and 3.8 rebounds in the five-game loss, hitting 3-of-10 from the floor and going 6-for-11 from the foul line.
He was waived after the 1955-56 season and appeared headed for retirement before being claimed by the Boston Celtics in August 1956.
In parts of four seasons with Fort Wayne, Phillip averaged 8.7 points, 6.6 assists and 4.0 rebounds in 34.7 minutes per game, hitting 37.1 percent of his shots from the floor and 67.6 percent of his free throws.
Phillip played at Illinois for two years before serving in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II and for a single season afterward before he was taken in the fifth round of the 1947 Basketball Association of America draft by the Chicago Stags.
He led the newly formed NBA in assists in 1949-50 after finishing second and third, respectively, in the BAA the previous two seasons.
When the Stags folded before the 1950-51 season, Phillip was selected by the Warriors in a dispersal draft and was a two-time All-Star and an All-NBA selection in 1951-52. He led the NBA in assists in both full seasons in Philadelphia, 1950-51 and 1951-52.
A reserve with the Celtics for the final two seasons of his career, Phillip picked up a championship ring in 1957, retiring in July 1958 to become coach of the defending NBA champion St. Louis Hawks.
His coaching tenure was, however, brief. The Hawks got off to a 6-4 start in 1958-59 and Phillip was fired in November.
Phillip was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1961 and died April 29, 2001, at his home in Rancho Mirage, Calif., at the age of 79.
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