Not every NBA star craves the spotlight but some players shine so brightly that their game demands attention. One such player is Hall-of-Famer and Mayor of Detroit Dave Bing, a seven-time all-star in his 12 seasons in Detroit Washington and Boston.
Bing was one of the NBA’s top scorers in the late 1960s and 70s as a quiet leader whose perseverance allowed him to reach the heights of his profession despite suffering two devastating eye injuries. After his playing career, his work ethic led him to further success as the head of a multimillion-dollar steel company.
His quickness and talent allowed him to score more than 18,000 points and earned distinction as one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history. But his humility always kept him well-grounded in equality instilled in him as a child growing up in Washington DC.
Dave Bing – College career
In Washington, he was inspired by basketball coach William Roundtree, who became almost a father figure for him. In Bing’s senior year, he was one of seven players on the varsity team to average ten points or more per game.
His finishing ability and leaping ability helped him land a scholarship offer from UCLA, as well as interest from top collegiate basketball programs such as Michigan, which he accepted at the urging of Ernie Davis, a football All-American at the school. Bing also credited his choice to Syracuse to his lack of confidence in himself and his belief that playing for high-profile teams would lead to being outshined by others.
Bing’s performance at Syracuse University was hardly unheralded. He averaged 24.6 points per game in three varsity years, earning All-America accolades as a senior. Scouts from the pros were buzzing about him, and he was chosen second overall by the Detroit Pistons in the 1966 NBA Draft (trailing Cazzie Russell).
Dave Bing – Professional career
Bing’s NBA debut was anything but encouraging. He missed his first six field goals and recorded the first scoreless game of his career coming off the bench. Two weeks later he was given a chance to start for the first time, and he made good on his initial eight attempts from the floor. The following night, he poured in 35 points.
In the 1966-67 season, Bing was off and running to a 1,601-point campaign, making him just the sixth NBA rookie ever to score 1,600 points. He posted 20.0 points per game and took home the NBA Rookie of The Year title.
Dave Bing – Bing’s advantages
Dave Bing’s main advantage over the other players was his speed. Even though he was standing quite strong at 6 feet 3 inches tall, he was incredibly nimble. Bing would easily pass guys larger than him just because he was quicker. The same goes for his jumping abilities which were on par with the best. Anybody who was smaller than Bing would be easily outjumped.
The other advantage was his attitude and work ethic. Back in the 1960s, salaries weren’t looking all that great for basketball players. Bing, coming in for his rookie year with two children and a wife, was only making $15,000 annually, which wasn’t enough. Even if he was one of the best at the time. Because his salary was too small, Bing had to work off-season to make more money, which taught him self-discipline, and, ultimately, paid off later on in his life, both on the basketball court and his other ventures.
In 1968, he scored 2,142 points and a 27.1 average to lead the NBA in scoring. Bing was the league’s first guard in 20 years to establish a scoring pace (since Max Zaslofsky). The young wonder even managed to dislodge the Lakers from their spot on the All-NBA First Team that season.
Dave Bing – Sudden move to the ABA
In 1969, he moved to the rival American Basketball Association in order to get a promotion to the big-money levels. In 1968-69, they played in Oakland before moving to Washington, D.C., for the 1969-70 season. Team owner Earl Foreman lured Bing to a three-year deal worth $500,000 in order for Washington, DC, to have a hometown attraction.
However, when Foreman intended to put the ABA franchise in Norfolk, Virginia, for the following season, Bing was able to back out of the agreement and remain with the NBA. He was now in a position to negotiate a new contract with the Pistons worth $450,000 for three years.
Dave Bing – Another unlucky injury
Bing reached the height of his career in 1971. As Detroit Pistons’ captain, he amassed 2,213 points and scored 27 points per game. This was his highest point. In the following season, Dave Bing once again suffered an injury that impaired his eyesight.
During a preseason match with the Los Angeles Lakers, Happy Hairston made a move that caught Bing off guard. Happy’s index finger found its way to Bing’s right eye, which caused damage to his retina. The following day, Bing’s eyesight was majorly dimmed and he was taken to a hospital for surgery. After a couple of days spent in bandages, he was ready to go, albeit his right eye’s vision was, impaired, just like his left eye.
With weakened peripheral vision, as well as permanently blurred eyesight, he returned to Pistons in December of 1971. While some would break down in the prospect of such a serious injury, Dave Bing didn’t. Despite being warned by the doctors, he started to train more than ever to make up for his condition. For instance, his free throw accuracy was the best in his NBA career at over .800. In his first game against the New York Knicks, he scored 21 points.
Even with three months of lost playing time, Bing finished his season with over 22 points per game.
Dave Bing – Next years
The Pistons didn’t make the playoffs until 1973-74, when they had the most successful regular season (52-30) since the franchise’s relocation to Detroit in 1957. The following year, despite falling to a 40-42 overall record, the Pistons returned to the postseason but were eliminated in the first round for a second straight year by the Seattle SuperSonics.
In 1976, Bing returned to his hometown, Washington. After his MVP performance at the 1976 NBA All-Star Game, Bing’s two years with the Washington Bullets were marred by coaching uncertainty and worsening vision problems. His scoring dropped to an NBA career-low of 10.6 points per game in 1976-77, and Washington let him go after the season.
Bing spent his final season as a player with the Boston Celtics, playing as a third guard and logging 80 games with an average of 13.6 points per game before calling it quits. He retired after the 1977-78 season.
Dave Bing – Entrepreneurial mind
His offseason work would pay off now. Instead of laying around, he trained himself in business. Dave went back to Detroit in 1980 and introduced Bing Group, whose major part was the Bing Steel company in Detroit’s North End. Bing sat as the chairman and the firm grew to annual sales of $61 million over a decade later, making it the 10th-largest African-American-owned industrial company in the United States, according to Black Enterprise magazine’s ratings. He also bought a tiny construction business during this time.
1976 saw Bing getting the Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award from the NBA for his contribution to the community. Since Bing launched one of the most successful black-owned businesses at the time, President Ronald Reagan awarded him with the National Minority Small Business Person of the Year in 1984. In 1990, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Dave Bing – Net Worth
Dave Bing, a former basketball player and current mayor of Detroit, has an estimated net worth of $5 million. He has earned his wealth through his successful NBA career, as well as investments in various business ventures. Bing is known for his philanthropic work and is actively involved in helping the Detroit community.
